TOEFL iBT Wriging for an Academic Discussion Should school prioritize teaching children how to be creative? (Revised)

The necessity of teaching creativity in schools is a topic of considerable debate, especially in our rapidly evolving world. Some argue that fostering creativity is essential for preparing children for future challenges and opportunities, while others believe that traditional academic subjects should take precedence to ensure a solid educational foundation. What is your opinion on this issue? Should schools prioritize teaching children how to be creative? Why or why not?

 

 

 

☆Let’s Read

Read the following articles, underlined by yours truly Sasaki, and make sure what creativity is and how it can be learned.

 

Article 1 Medical students 'raised on screens lack skills for surgery'

 

Article 2 The Guardian view on creativity in schools: a missing ingredient

 

☆Let’s think

1.       Is creativity important? Why/Why not?

2.       What subjects nurture creativity?

 

 

☆Hints for Points

Creativity (arts, experiments, and extracurricular activities)

1.       Whether one is creative or not will be crucial in the near future as the impacts of climate change becomes serious and more jobs will be taken care of by AI.

2.       Real creativity comes from real contact with nature, people, and society.

3.       Establishment of individuality is necessary for society to evolve.

 

Academic subjects

1.        Creativity requires solid foundation, essential knowledge and skills. To create something new, you need to know what has already been created. What you think is new might already exist.

2.        Breakthrough in science often comes from interdisciplinary studies, integration of academic studies..

3.        Another pandemic may happen. (economic conditions, social trends)

 

 

☆Sample Responses

Disagree

【Thesis】Although I agree with Meg in that creativity is the inspiration that is the key to solve difficult problems and come up with new ideas, I don’t think school should prioritize teaching creativity because in my view, school cannot teach creativity in a real sense. It is not a subject. Thus, I think school should prioritize providing quality education of academic subjects for children, while reducing school hours and homework, to help their natural development of creativity.

【Creativity】Creativity is not something that you learn from school education but something you forget in school. Children are naturally all creative. Yet, once they start school, they lose creativity. Studies to get good scores in examinations of subjects in which they have no interest stunts, I guess, the development of their neurons, which had been budding freely by then. Long school hours and tons of homework reduce their free time that helps children develop creativity through interaction with the real world in each individual’s environment.

【Academic Subjects】On the other hand, academic subjects are indispensable to develop and mature a creative mind. They provide knowledge and skills to understand and internalize nature, people, and society in detail and deeply. Teachers should be here to support children do these jobs by providing them with proper materials and assignment.

【Conclusion】What school can do is to teach traditional academic subjects well, and therefore, although it is paradoxical, school should not prioritize creativity so that children can grow up to be creative.

 (243 words)

 

Agree

【Thesis】I believe school should prioritize teaching children how to be creative.

【Supporting Details】School has long been dead and AI has already become smarter than many of us humans. I have no regret to say good-bye to conventional school that teaches academic subjects and welcome a new type of school that support children to gain creativity by experiencing various things, because AI cannot fully replicate human experiences and thus this is the area that future humans should explore.

【Counterargument-treatment】Although conventional knowledge may be necessary for our creative activities, it is said that all the academic knowledge we need can be found online.

【Conclusion】Therefore, school should support children to get ready to be humans that can provide their personalized experiences, or individual data, for AI to use to make the world a better place to live, as well as enjoying sharing their precious memories with other humans through creative activities. (149 words)