By Kloe Adams
Editorial Editor
Growing up, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary offered strong forms of creative enrichment through hands-on art projects. As school progressed, creative outlets through school dwindled as the standardized curriculum took priority. While I believe the structure of core classes (math, English, science, and history) are very beneficial in preparing students for a higher education in college or simply for life outside of school, creative pursuits are crucial because they foster personal growth and development that is not fully explored in a structured academic environment.
American psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner developed the Ecological Systems Theory, which explains how interactions shape human development within multiple layers of environment, from immediate family to broader cultural influences. Furthermore, activities shape child development and experiences across different ecological contexts. Out-of-school environments present less structure and may have a greater impact on creativity and curiosity development than experiences within the school context. School allows students to tackle challenging problems and deeply analyze literature pertinent to society; however, the common expectation of solving a problem with one solution leaves little room to explore other possibilities.
The constraints of school not only shed light on the lack of creative outlets but also underscore the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) use within school. Creative thinking diverges into two categories: divergent (generating multiple ideas) and convergent thinking (choosing the best ideas) to determine creative solutions or choices. With the rise of artificial intelligence, researchers coined the phrase “assisted creativity,” where AI works as a collaborator. However, in school specifically, AI plays a larger and more problematic role than just collaborating with students. AI not only generates ideas but also chooses and develops the best ideas, leaving little room for students to insert their perspective or ideas. Moreover, AI takes over the divergent and convergent forms of thinking, meaning students lose any creative opportunities presented in school. Tired from the harsh workloads, students view creative opportunities in school as more work, leading them to use AI to finish what they view as more homework.
As school progresses from elementary school to middle school and then high school, creative outlets are sacrificed for standardized lessons and rigid structures. Even when creative projects are offered, AI takes over the majority of the creative work for the student. High school may not indulge creativity as elementary school once did, meaning students need to take their creative pursuits into their own hands. Drawing, taking pictures, singing, dancing, knitting, sewing, cooking, and baking are all examples of outlets for creativity that involve no incentive for AI use, allowing full convergent and divergent thinking and ultimately sparking imagination.
Sources:(Sage Journals, Science Direct, Simply Psychology)