Do Schools Kill Creativity ? 10 IDEAs to transform the education system from uniformity to personalized education

In an integrated, inclusive classroom, students with different abilities all need time to learn. Furthermore, it's been said that if you can't explain it to others, you don't really understand it. If a peer mentor was periodically assigned (and rotated to all students), it would increase understanding, and allow different forms of expressing ideas and concepts. Special needs students would need more time to get their 'lessons' across, especially if there are communication delays.

Math comes into play in cooking more than people think. Safe foodstuffs would offer a way to bring tactile and other senses into play in the classroom while learning about measurement, relative amounts and countless other concepts that actually translate into STEM skills.

Students write a story together, with each student taking control for a chapter, paragraph or only a sentence. Simultaneous reading/comprehension and writing/composition skill work.

Students who speak a language that is not the standard one used in the classroom, especially if it is their mother tongue, should be encouraged to tackle some assignments in these languages and run them through Google Translate. Any imperfections in the translations can bring up interesting discussion points, as some concepts are ingrained within some cultures and languages without having a direct equivalent in other languages.

A student can work on whatever passion project they wish, provided they can prove it will address some minimum educatioal requirements.

E.g. work on writing/recording a song, provided you can furnish written progress reports, show quantifiable progress and return on investment through calculations and measurements, etc.

Similar to #2, give students time to make a mess and really "go off the rails". Studies have shown that boys are failed by rigid, movement-free educational environments and get misdiagnosed as having mental/behavioural deficits as a result. Allowances to break free from a 'sit-still and concentrate' are needed, and the typical recess might not be enough.

As a natural consequence of #2 & #7, cleaning up the classroom can't be left to the teacher or custodial services. You can be as messy as you want, but the messier you are, the more time you'll spend on cleanup - that's life. Even cleaning up can have ways to foster creative thinking - some methods are more efficient than others, and maybe teamwork is involved.

Music is mathematical (octaves are merely a doubling of frequency). Art and colour can involve physics (wavelengths) or chemicals (paint). What kinds of opportunities exist to put 2 (or more) different subjects to work on a single lesson?

Have the students compose a piece of writing - then subject it to peer literary analysis. What are the themes, characters, symbolism, etc.? Once analyzed, re-write your peer's piece with better elements based on the analysis. Students could see how a story can evolve and how we all stand on the shoulders of giants.

I think the pandemic has taught us all the value of fresh air. Not all environments are well suited to this but on the other hand, outdoor enthusiasts are fond of saying there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad preparation for the weather.