tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post508267692213464415..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: A No-BrainerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-87104114763097613642011-10-13T19:44:24.398+01:002011-10-13T19:44:24.398+01:00Dear Stroppy, I absolutely do not agree that art a...Dear Stroppy, I absolutely do not agree that art and music are simply outcome subjects; art and music are commodified, and most people, therefore, consider art and music as products. But it is process that is paramount in creative activity, and therefore the arts are as much a tool of thinking as maths or science. In mainstream education maths and science teaching are directed towards the acquisition of knowledge (although there is a laughable pretence there should be a large element of investigation.) But the arts still maintain much more of an emphasis on process. What is lost when the role of the arts is diminished is a respect for open-ended enquiry, of creative free-wheeling. If technology were simply a step by step process that inevitably leads to innovation, then humanity needs never worry. But a narrowing of school subjects to the extent that one form of thinking dominates completely overlooks the obvious - that science, technology and flint making need people who can think creatively, and a curriculum that is limited by what is measurable is crushing the original thinkers and undermining what they can offer. And to be facetious, it’s over twenty years since the introduction of the National Curriculum. The economy isn’t exactly booming, is it?<br /><br />And thank you Maple for pointing to my ‘panda’. Silly me.Andrew Stronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875188855955154864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-72544793932440955572011-10-12T09:38:43.900+01:002011-10-12T09:38:43.900+01:00Our society is driven by the assumption that measu...Our society is driven by the assumption that measurability implies importance or value - but it is always worth looking behind those assumptions. Are you actually measuring what you purport to be measuring? Does an IQ test measure "intelligence" or simply the ability the do "intelligence tests" which are (mostly) based on a middle-class 20th century Western male's judgement of what constitutes intelligence?<br /><br />And, furthermore, just because something cannot be easily measured does not mean that it is less valuable or significant .Sue Imgrundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16561248973128136601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-58478678163017210812011-10-11T20:43:06.074+01:002011-10-11T20:43:06.074+01:00Did you mean to write "panda" instead of...Did you mean to write "panda" instead of "pander" Andrew or was that your right-brain kicking in?Maplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11738992808203064418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-51431709133966216522011-10-11T17:20:37.718+01:002011-10-11T17:20:37.718+01:00Great post Andrew! (we need your name up at the st...Great post Andrew! (we need your name up at the start... or is this left-brainish!)And a brilliant response from our 'stroppy author'. Just off to grab some stones. No more dancing and clapping around the fire until I've produced a new line in flints!Dianne Hofmeyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18222157214605257030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-47081060505320662902011-10-11T16:57:42.636+01:002011-10-11T16:57:42.636+01:00Lots of valuable insights and ideas about the writ...Lots of valuable insights and ideas about the writing life and creativity, Andrew. Much of which I agree with - at least in part! A fascinating postWriter Pat Newcombehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12678017709861817691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-41297974671065289812011-10-11T14:51:05.123+01:002011-10-11T14:51:05.123+01:00'Why are maths, science and IT are still value...'Why are maths, science and IT are still valued more than art, music or drama?' <br />Because for an economy/society to work it needs primarily to produce things which are the fruit of technological endeavour - food and medicine being the principals. No amount of wall painting and songs around the fireside could the save the tribe that didn't have a decent line in flint tools. <br /><br />Literacy wins out over oral skills because it has until recently been very much easier to communicate with large numbers of people by writing rather than speaking. And as the recipient of knowledge, written sources are much easier to use - easy to recap, look up odd items, and so on.<br /><br />Science, IT, maths, literacy are all tool subjects; they can be turned to any ends. Art and music are outcome subjects. You can use technology to make music, but you can't use music to make anything else (except cultured human beings :-) While the arts are a vital part of a cultured society, they must always be the smaller economic portion or the society will not be viable (given the 21st century as starting point).<br /><br />In an ideal world, we would have well-rounded citizens with a good grounding in the OTHER thinking tools of philosophy, history, foreign languages and linguistics. And subjects such as art and music should not be ground down - but there are reasons for the supremacy of the 'left-brain' subjects other than the arrogance of 'left brainers'.Stroppy Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16560035800075465845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-29314364384419075952011-10-11T08:35:44.756+01:002011-10-11T08:35:44.756+01:00I found this post fascinating Andrew. I am defini...I found this post fascinating Andrew. I am definitely a right-brainer, although, as with many people, the lines blur in some areas. At school I was lucky enough to have a wonderful English teacher and a passionate Art teacher - thank goodness, as these subjects were my life-line... no surprise that I'm now an English teacher and a writer! I only wish schools encouraged creativity a little more and placed the same value on it that we do.Abi Burlinghamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13518971673832447384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-52475657440085709242011-10-11T08:30:46.848+01:002011-10-11T08:30:46.848+01:00*applauds loudly* (Though I also find the left/rig...*applauds loudly* (Though I also find the left/right brain arguments and how they are abused and simplified excruciating and even dangerous. But, as you say, as an analogy only it's a useful one.)Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.com