A culture of generosity is one in which people rely on their intrinsic motivations to do things that benefit society, rather than being told what they should do by bosses or financial motivations. It is one of spontaneous versus enforced action, empowering people with choice.
I feel like the world of education may be a little stuck like the parent pick-up experiment was in the video below once they released the fine--our education system in the minds of many is already broken and that mentality is perpetuating itself in the minds of others . But we cannot allow ourselves to get hung up there. As Clay Shirky said, people like to create and to share with others, and we need to tap into that venue to cultivate and improve education. Encouraging teachers to give assignments that allow for student choice, or offering extra credit/acknowledge/recognition for students who use their cognitive surplus for the benefit of others could be some ways to to do this. Also, allowing students the time to be creative (like the 20% project theory) could do wonders in helping inspire students without an external motivation (like grades) hanging over their heads. The important thing is to encourage all acts of creation and cognitive, "stupid" or not, because it in turn will help foster the creation of amazing things both immediately and in the future.
What does it mean to say, "Free cultures get what they celebrate?"
I think it means that if we celebrate creativity and generosity, then we will see more of it in our students in return. But if we celebrate consumerism and acquisition then people will just acquire and consume, perpetuating our current culture rather than forging a new one.
How do you think this could work in education today?
The notion of giving students times for "creativity" in the classroom is a great suggestion. Indeed, in my nephew's kindergarten class, I know my nephew is in one of the "higher" groups, yet I often observe him displaying off-task behavior and disinterest. I think he needs to be challenged to use his creativity in a new way, as you suggest.
ReplyDeleteI believe that providing options for creativity in the classroom,such as blogging,collages,and artistic projects could allow students to generate interest in learning and become intrinsically motivated to go to school. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that we should provide the time for creative things.. We can't give them the curriculum plus tell them to do creative open minded stuff, instead we should make such creativity and generosity as part of the curriculum
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