Most of us would find little reason to argue with the premise that the world is a rapidly changing place. In fact, most of us would agree that the rate of change being witnessed during our lifetime is dizzying to say the least. Social scientists and educators are increasingly devoting time to analyzing the implications of these changes for our planet, the global economy, our educational institutions, and the workplaces that our children will inherit. And one of the themes that is emerging from this research and analysis is that highly productive minds of the future will possess an extraordinary facility for creative thinking. To be sure, content acquisition and procedural learning typically associated with traditional education will continue to be important. But their presence will be assumed. On the other hand, what will make learning experiences truly special will be their ability to equip learners to synthesize current knowledge and creatively apply it to a multitude of circumstances.
I say all of this to make the following point. In our high-stakes performance world, educational experiences in the visual and performing arts, those that often have significant potential to impact the development of creative thinking, are sometimes mistakenly deemed less important that their traditional counterparts. This is truly unfortunate, both for our kids and for our collective futures.
Written by Steve Bohlmann, Principal at Atonement Lutheran School - Milwaukee
Reginald Baylor
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