Learning and Creativity in Science and Technology

Unless you walk out into the unknown, the odds of making a profound difference in your life are pretty low.

- Tom Peters

The secret to learning and creativity is curiosity. And imagination. And the ability to explore new things. Often. Oh, and creativity can certainly be learned.

We often forget to teach kids to be curious. A student who has no perceived math ability, or illegible handwriting, or the inability to sit still for five minutes gets immediate and escalating attention. The student with no curiosity, on the other hand, is no problem at all. Lumps are easily managed.

They should have sent a poet,” whispers Ellie in the 1997 film Contact. She is a radio astronomer, and when she sets eyes on an alien galaxy for the first time, she has no words for its beauty.

Despite being fiction, this film highlights the need for pursuits in arts and sciences to be cross-disciplinary. Many students lose interest in science and technology at an early age because it’s largely taught to standardize testing. Like most of the subjects in our education system. So there is little to no focus on creativity, and no structure to curiosity and imagination. Even practical experiments allow little room for creativity, as students are all expected to get the same results — and…