What is the most effective way of fostering students' creativity?

   Education has been and will be always one of the most controversial topics of debate. It's because education allows youths to become full fledged members of society and contribute to their nation. I believe this is the only point that most of the people agree upon. However, when it comes to "how" we should educate kids, ferocious debate and even incrimination arouses. What is the best method to teach students? But the fact is nobody knows. There are numerous different ways to teach students but each of the solution has its pros and cons.
   This lecture by Ken Robinson suggests that education should be reformed in a way that allows students to develop creativity to their fullest extent. Unfortunately, I believe he has made two crucial mistakes in his speech.
   First, he never defined what creativity exactly means. Is doing whatever you want creativity? Does he mean that a boy who displays radical behavior is creative? Since the word "creativity" can be interpreted in many different ways, it was very difficult for me to understand the overall flow of his rhetoric.
   Second, Robinson made an critical assumption that learning new things is the only way to foster creativity. No, that is not the case. There is a Korean proverb that says, "Imitation is the mother of creation." It's actually impossible to imitate another person's work 100%. That's why if you try to imitate another person's work, you unintentionally add your own imagination and inspiration to the original work. This process is, I believe, real creativity. This imitation process is already happening in our real world as well. It's called "bench-marking". We can often see how Japanese manufacturers analyze Korean products and eventually put upgraded products on the shelves. Same goes with knowledge. Only when students learn background knowledge which Robinson claims to be old, can they learn new things and try new approaches. Just as companies can't manufacture decent prodcuts when they lack capital, students can't create new knowledge all of a sudden if there is no input.
   The only thing I felt positive about Robinson's speech was how he tried to stress the importance of creativity. As stated above, I mainly disagree about how creativity can be fostered. However, I believe the explanation about why creativity is important nowadays applies to Korea very well. Korean education has been constantly criticized for its lack of orginality. "Cramming-in" became the surname of Korean education. Young students are often forced to study in private education until night because of the excessive competition. I believe a more open, lenient and creative education is absolutely necessary to brighten up the faces of many unhappy students.
   At this point, nobody knows what kind of method is the most effective to foster creativity. But one thing that is certain is that creativity really counts for many students who will be global leaders in the future. The contention regarding the method of teaching will persist. But I believe continued debate regarding education is a positive sign of how teachers, parents, and society care for our young students.