hiddendriver34 said:Is that really supposed to be the only goal here?
I read somewhere recently that the skill sets being hunted for in the global business world have flipped completely upside down over the last decade. Apparently, "teamwork" has tanked in importance, and now creativity is sitting right at the top of the most desirable traits list. These days, companies want creative individuals; being a "team player" is practically old news.
If school is meant to prepare kids for life and the actual job market, shouldn't it be encouraging them to develop the very skill that's considered most vital right now? Do you think creative assignments should be limited to art class? Because right now, you don't see them anywhere in high school.
I constantly see parents getting all worked up whenever anyone mentions "creative tasks."
By the way, I have no clue what a "pizza assignment" is either. But honestly? It sounds pretty cool. 😁
Honestly, that sounds like some trendy nonsense that eventually just ends up hitting both the boss and the worker in the face. Creativity without the ability or desire to actually work with others only works in very specific niches. On the flip side, "teamwork orientation" is also just a buzzword. Nobody cares if you're naturally "inclined" toward it—what matters is that you understand what it means to contribute to a team, respect your tasks, and realize how your actions affect everyone else on the squad.
We actually had to let go of an incredible designer a few months back. Being amazing at her craft just wasn't enough. For example, if a project manager tells her a client wants a table with square wooden legs, and she designs this gorgeous, functional table but gives it round metal legs instead, she’s messed up. She stalls the whole project team, we lose credibility with the client, and maybe even the manufacturer says it's impossible within the budget... There are very few industries where one person can just do whatever they want in a vacuum.
Group projects in our school system are supposed to teach kids how to be creative within their own slice of the pie while collaborating so everything fits together. It should be about negotiating, communicating, pitching ideas, and syncing up with what others are thinking. Sadly, group work is anything but that. Most of the time, it's just a massive source of frustration for students. I get that it's tough to supervise multiple groups at once, but they could at least start by giving more concise instructions and explaining what group work actually is, why it exists, what the benefits are, and what happens if you don't participate.
But here in the States, it usually looks like this: split into groups of three, four, or five, pick a topic from a list, and present it this Friday. Good luck with that. It's a decent idea in theory, but totally half-baked and practically meaningless in practice.