A Spoonful of
Sugar:
Introduction
Readin' and Writin' and
'Rithmetic,
Taught to the Tune of a Hickory Stick...
Education throughout
much of history has reflected the words of this old song.
Children were expected to learn primarily "the basics," and to
do so without any frills, without asking "why" about much of
anything, primarily through memorizing large chunks of
information. And, when they didn't apply themselves diligently
enough, they were provided with the help of a "hickory stick"
applied to the backside to urge them to pay more attention.
Although those
basics really are still vitally important, and it is impossible
to learn them solidly without a certain amount of rote
memorization and practice, the past two centuries have seen an
effort to find more and more creative ways to move children
beyond this minimum. It really isn't "enough" to just know the
multiplication tables by heart. Understanding when and how to
apply them to circumstances in the real world must follow. And
it isn't enough to just know how to string letter sounds
together to make words in reading ... instilling and inspiring
the personal desire to use the skill to actually choose to read
a wide variety of material--from books to magazines to Internet
websites--throughout a lifetime should be the real goal of
teaching reading.
And so it is with
all the very basics of education. Having the dates of key
battles of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars memorized for some
high school test is ultimately irrelevant if the American
student has no real concept of how those wars ultimately
affected the society in which he lives, doesn't understand why
they were important in molding this country. The old saying
"Those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to
repeat it" is not referring to being able to recite the names of
all the presidents of US history. It is referring to
understanding the social and psychological forces and more that
contribute to various key events, trends, and crises in history.
And this kind of comprehension doesn't come from just memorizing
history fact flash cards. It comes from being immersed in
history, fascinated by history, even entertained by history.
The same is true of
science. For instance, is it enough for a student to memorize
such things as the parts of a flower, the names of the genuses
of animal life, and the steps of photosynthesis? Or is one of
the ultimate goals of science education the much broader
understanding of what the Lion King song refers to as
"The Circle of Life"? Even just in order to play an intelligent
part in voting regarding government policies about the
environment, it is the broader perspective that will be
significant to the student as he takes his part in society as an
adult. That kind of broad perspective cannot be hickory-sticked
into a brain. Like a comprehension of the broad sweep of
history, it also comes from being immersed in science,
fascinated by science, even entertained by science.
Creativity in
Educational Methods and Materials
It wasn't until the
early 1800s that some educators began wondering if it might help
young children to learn to read if their reading books actually
had some illustrations. Once that kind of thinking was
introduced, the floodgates of devising creative ways to enhance
education were opened.
Each generation
since then has had challenges to find new ways to engage the
youth of the time in the educational process. Sometimes the new
methods themselves have posed new challenges. Since the early
1970s, Sesame Street has aided perhaps millions of
youngsters to start reading earlier than they might have
otherwise, and with more enthusiasm. But at the same time, its
rapid-fire presentation style has contributed to a shorter
attention span for any one topic in many children. It's useless
to debate whether this is good or bad, since it is reality. The
challenge is to find ways to adapt contemporary and future
educational methods to take this into consideration, and/or to
gradually alter or modify its effects in one-on-one teaching
situations.
Educational
Attractions
The past 150 years
have seen the development of a new factor in the education of
people of all ages. Once limited to going on inside school
buildings, education has been "taken to the streets" with the
development of World's Fairs, Museums, Theme Parks with an
educational emphasis, and Living History exhibits. Although
these are widely varied, their common goal is to immerse,
fascinate, and entertain the visitor in a particular topic or
group of topics. There is no way that a single day's visit, or
even a week or longer, to one of these attractions will give a
"well-rounded education" on the featured topic to anyone. But
what such a visit can do, for everyone from pre-schoolers to
senior citizens, is give them a taste of the excitement of
learning more about the topic. Perhaps most visitors will go
away with at least a bit more understanding. But it is highly
likely that among those throngs will be a minority who may be so
fascinated by what they have experienced that it will be
life-changing. It may start a young person on a life-long
career, or an older person on a passion for a new hobby. It may
even start a few on a quest to find creative ways to share their
own interest in the topic. It is highly likely that many of the
planners, designers, architects, and others involved in the
creation of such Fairs, Theme Parks, Museums, and Living History
displays go their start in their profession by visiting such
places themselves, and dreaming that someday they could "build
even better ones."
Welcome to Our
World of Creative Education
The rest of this
Spoonful of Sugar website at the Creativity Crossroads
is dedicated to sharing with our visitors a potpourri of our own
favorite creative educational venues. We offer these as samples
of the creative ways that have been developed to immerse
audiences in the fascinating and entertaining worlds that they
represent. If you are in any way influential or instrumental in
the education of others of any age, we hope these examples may
inspire and encourage you to devise creative ways to enhance
that educational experience. And even for those who are not
directly involved in education, we hope that these examples may
inspire and encourage all to add creativity to every aspect of
their own lives.
Click on the
icons below to explore the worlds of
World's Fairs, Theme Parks, Museums, and Living History.
