Creativity is an important aspect of education which is often overlooked in an attempt by educators to emphasize subject matter over problem solving skills. Creativity is stifled by external rewards and extrinsic motivation. Rewards can lead to increased pressure and stress for those receiving the rewards to perform well. Rewarding people for the same efforts that would be undertaken otherwise tends to decrease risk taking. This increase of pressure results in a decrease of exploration of new ideas.
Creativity can take on many characteristics and attributes.
Maintaining that creativity requires instruction strategies and dealing with classroom challenges which arise from increased creativity of students. The positive affective outcomes from interdisciplinary education can positively affect creativity. Sampling, browsing, open-ended, varied topic ,and thematic education are key words for interdisciplinary education. These outcomes are the educational strategies required for increasing creativity in the classroom. This lack of creativity is particularly important considering the compartmentalization of subjects by modern school systems.