Lazy Americans

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That’s right, I said it.
Americans are being lazy.
What else is new?
But you might be surprised about what, in particular, we’ve been lax about.

Creativity.

A recent newsweek articlereports that since 1990, creativity scores have been dropping in the US, and for which age group?
Children of all people.
Children are NOT creative?
That’s right, our kindergarten through 6th graders are the group with the “most serious” drop in creativity scores.
Although it’s not certain why, our obsession in schools with standardized curriculum and national testing means that…

“there’s no concerted effort to nurture the creativity of all children.”

And the worst part about that is the failure of schools to recognize the desperate need for an environment that not only encourages but fosters creative thinking in every situation.
Creativity does not just equal the arts.

“Researchers say creativity should be taken out of the art room and put into homeroom. The argument that we can’t teach creativity because kids already have too much to learn is a false trade-off. Creativity isn’t about freedom from concrete facts. Rather, fact-finding and deep research are vital stages in the creative process. Scholars argue that current curriculum standards can still be met, if taught in a different way.”

But there is a bright light shining down from a new public middle school in Akron, Ohio…National Inventors Hall of Fame School.
The school follows their own strategic creative problem solving ideology in approaching the teaching of curriculum requirements to students.
And they have seen ridiculously successful results.
So what IS the creative formula?

“Creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas. Highly creative people are very good at marshaling their brains into bilateral mode, and the more creative they are, the more they dual-activate.”

And what does this mean for me?

You better starting kicking those creative gears into motion, or you’ll lose them!
Today’s tips are easy as…
1.   Go Play
Play allows you to access your basic humanity…intuition, emotions, gut instincts.
2.  Be Curious
Remember when your parents were exasperated because you were always asking why, why, why?  Well it’s time to tap back into that inquisitive nature… Ask yourself why or why not in every situation and don’t be afraid of seeing things from a fresh perspective.
3.  Don’t be afraid to break the rules
Stepping outside the constraints of how you’re “supposed” to behave or interact with the world around you can alter your preconceived notions and break patterns that will free your mind to new possibilities.

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