What is the purpose of education? Nobody knows the correct answer and can find it, because there are as many answers as educators. I also have an answer, that is to make the base for innovation. Innovation is very important because it is the power that makes our future.
What is the base of innovation? I think innovation is composed of two sides, one is creativity and the other is knowledge. Both are important and we can’t make innovation with one side. Education should take balance between creativity and knowledge.
I think creativity is a kind of spices. Imagine the situation that you are cooking stakes. To make it delicious, you need to sprinkle salt and pepper on meat in harmony, don’t you? Same as it, you can make innovation by adding creativity on knowledge. However, creativity is not treated as equal as knowledge in modern education.
It is true that knowledge is very important because it is essential for innovation. I think innovation is not to make something from nothing but to find new combinations from many options. This option is knowledge. For example, smart-phone is one of the innovations but its idea is miniaturization of PC. In short, it isn’t able to make smart-phone without PC. PC is a invention in past , that is knowledge. Innovation named as ‘smart-phone’ was made from knowledge. As options are increased, its combination becomes various and diverse. Therefore, to have much knowledge makes many innovations.
However, we can’t make innovation only by knowledge, as we can’t cook steaks without pepper. We need to add creativity you have on it. Mr. Robinson says modern education kills creativity. I agreed his idea because I had such education. In school classes, we need to find correct answer. In short, we have to find one combination from many options. Even if you show your teacher another combination, you are scolded because it’s not correct combination. Education kills possibility of making innovation. That is ironic because what is needed in recent society is innovative person.
What is important is the balance between creativity and knowledge. Modern education attaches too much greater importance to give knowledge than train creativity. To give well-balanced education, ‘communication’ is an important element. To be concrete, I think schools have much more discussion or debating training because these training have many good points. In such class, you have to make your own opinion by using your creativity and your knowledge. And by listening to opinions of other people, you also can get new way of thinking and knowledge he has.
In conclusion, we must realize again the importance of training creativity. Innovation is interactive thing between creativity and knowledge, so it is nonsense to educate only one side. What modern education have to do is to combine two elements in harmony in its curriculum.