Workers for the 21st Century: Imagine That
In a poll released in January by the Arts Education Partnership , Americans say that the worker for the 21st century must be able imagine new products, processes, and concepts. More than half of the respondents say that they would vote for the presidential candidate who supported building these capacities in students. Creativity, the Partnership contends, is developed through the arts and creative approaches to education. This is an important finding as we search in our communities for ways to improve education (note I didn't limit that to schools). There are teaching avenues throughout our communities that could help our children develop their creative bent--museums, community art and design classes, theatre--many more I am sure. The STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math are more likely to lead to innovation if enhanced by the arts advocates contend. It makes sense. If a person can see beyond what is there, then he or she begins to see new possibilities. Charles Kettering, the great American inventor, was once asked the difference between inventors and the rest of us. He replied, "most people think about where they have been; inventors think about where they are going." For more on ways to develop imagination in your public schools visit the imagine website.
