The creative student

There is nothing more fulfilling to any teacher than seeing their students challenge the status quo, and finding ways to contribute new, fresh ideas to a subject with passion and purpose.

This pleases teachers because they can see that their efforts have not been in vain.

What they have taught has not only been understood, but has been expanded. Metaphorically-speaking, it is a giver’s desire that their generosity is rewarded in this way.

When teaching, we not only expect students to master the academic literature and take ownership of the content but we also expect them to identify gaps and search for alternatives. Students who memorise the content parrot-fashion without deducing something from it, defeat the whole point of learning and teaching, no matter how good their grades.

Institutions need to be on their guard to identify and help students who are still resorting to memorising content because they lack the confidence and skills to process it into knowledge.

Exposing students to critical theories and academic literature is not enough, or does not seek to condition their minds.

Rather, it seeks to provide them with a solid foundation with which they can develop the confidence to question and to unleash their creativity. We are looking to develop innovators, trailblazers and intellects who are at home in their field but restlessly seek to improve it.

However, there is a worrying trend among students who are still struggling to handle and understand key areas of their modules despite having spent years studying. Understanding is that penetrating quality of knowledge that grows from theory and practice through conviction, assertion, error, and, not infrequently, humiliation.

Some struggle with the content because they don’t see academic literature as a foundation but simply as a necessity to  progress to the next level of study. In the end, they are unable to contribute anything significant to their profession because their preparation and understanding is poor.

In the creative industries innovation and creativity – or the ability to set trends and challenge the status quo – are highly valued. However, the main problem is that many people see innovation and creativity as something divorced from theory – something critically extraordinary.

But this is not the case. Creativity and innovation are insights that come with experience and familiarity. The harder you work, the better you know what you are doing, and the more imaginatively you seek answers, the more creative your product will be.

In one of his much-publicised talks, Steve Jobs, former chair and CEO of Apple Inc, said: “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.”

You have to be familiar with your field to be able to recognise what would be different. You have to first understand the existing ideas, theories, and methods that shape the field before you know enough to introduce new, revolutionary ideas.

Therefore, it is important to know the rules, and the reasons for them, before breaking them. Knowing the rules is not an end itself but means to an end.

Thomas Jakes noted that not everything that could make an impact in society should be supported by empirical research and data.

“An artist’s exposure to the greater historical works provides a solid foundation that enables the artists to branch out into new areas of experimentation and hybridisation,” wrote Jakes.

This accentuates that for people, who have decided to use formal education to pursue their goals and dreams, committed interest in their studies is non-negotiable if they are to establish themselves as pioneers – not only individuals who consume other people’s ideas but who also contribute something significant to the body of knowledge.

For those pursing their dreams outside formal education to succeed in their professional and business endeavours, they need a combination of instinct and intellect as well sound background information to hit the ground running.

Any invention follows systematic analysis, even though it comes up with something completely new.

This does not come cheap, however.

Discipline, resourcefulness, resiliency, commitment, curiosity, instinct and passion will always differentiate the average those who seek to break the mould.

In his seminal work on creative and critical thinking, author Edward de Bono conceptualised the traits of a productive, conscientious scholar.

He argued, “You are expected to be critical of the sources that you use. This essentially means questioning what you read and not necessarily agreeing with it just because the information has been published. Being critical can also mean looking for reasons why we should not just accept something as being correct or true. This can require you to identify problems with a writer’s arguments or methods, or perhaps to refer to other people’s criticisms of these.”

This suggests that curiosity and commitment to learn as well as a committed interest to improve, expand and evaluate concepts and theories should be the hallmarks of any committed student and intellectual.

 Reginald Makgoba is a CDA scholar.