The story appears on

Page A4

July 3, 2010

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

HomeMetroEducation

Teachers stiflekids' creativity

CHILDREN'S imagination and creativity are being "stifled," with most teachers and many parents failing to support their ideas, according to a survey by the Shanghai Academy of Educational Sciences.

About 85 percent of local teachers and 50 percent of parents in a survey showed little support for children and students with creative ideas, the survey said.

Their attitude was smothering children's imagination and creativity, with only 25 percent of the children and students in the survey found to have "initial creativity."

This was defined in the survey as the ability to come up with creative ideas, to pick out useful information swiftly from a huge information source, to answer questions logically, and to use new methods to solve old problems, among others.

The survey involved 11,000 pupils, middle school and high school students in Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing and another three cities.

Some 75 percent of the children and students aged from six to 16 failed tests to find out if they possessed "initial creativity." Most lacked curiosity and the courage to question authority, according to the survey.

Academy researcher Tang Lingchun, team leader for the survey, blamed teachers and parents for smothering children's imagination by setting up a stereotype of "good student" who was only good at obeying.

The survey showed that, of the six cities, Shanghai parents were the fiercest opponents of children and students who came up with creative ideas.


 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend