Fail + Learn = Flearn:
8 Ways to Embrace a Creative Mindset
As a parent of teens and an elementary school educator, I can say that this year has been a stressful one for students. Connecting has been more challenging than ever. It is also more essential than ever. It takes a lot of time and effort to create a classroom culture that nurtures a creative mindset. […]
Bravely Engaging Black History Month
If You Want Creative, Independent Thinkers,
Focus on Emotional Literacy
I strongly believe that students need to feel safe at school and require a climate that enables them to be emotionally ready to learn in the classroom. This environment can only be established if we develop strong relationships built upon mutual respect and trust. Our students need to feel that teachers and key adults care […]
Go Big or Go Home:
Encouraging Risk-Taking in the Classroom
Why go big? Go big or go home is a phrase we frequently use to encourage someone to take a risk. Why is going big so important? Because the “big” is where great things happen. There are many similar sayings out there, such as “no one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe” or “great […]
Highlight the Essence: My Quest for Bringing Creativity into my ELA Lessons
January ushers in a much anticipated New Year —a chance to look back and look forward during a dizzying time for all. While there were unspeakable challenges in 2020, there have also been opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and growth. Back in March, when the pandemic hit, I realized that my elementary and middle school students […]
Tools, Tips, & Tricks for Teaching Creative Problem Solving Virtually
Tools, Tips, & Tricks for Teaching Creative Problem Solving Virtually Register for this event here. Invest in Yourself: $25 This workshop will be highly interactive as attendees participate in a virtual creative problem-solving facilitation session using Zoom, Mural, and Google. We will demonstrate the best practices for using those technologies and provide participants with resources they […]
Beautiful OOps for Adults
Make it Swing! Make it Ring!
Lyric Learning Lessons for Your Classroom
Music is a universal language. Integrating music in your classroom or online lessons can be a great way to teach content and engage students. Students love to listen to music, so why not make it part of your lessons? This strategy is called, “Lyric Learning”, and I would like to show you some examples. To […]
Let’s play with Beautiful Oops!
A torn sheet of paper. A little drip of paint. A smudge and a smear. “OOPS!” Often times, children (and adults!) are paralyzed when they have an oops. However, what if we were to take an oops and turn it into something beautiful? This is the wonder-filled lesson of the children’s book, Beautiful Oops, written […]
Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship:
The Difference and Why it Matters in Education
According to LinkedIn, creativity is the number one skill desired by employers. Companies like McKinsey, for example, seek creative thinkers and problem solvers, and many universities now offer courses that teach creativity. Examples of university courses include: Creativity, Innovation, and Vision Debunking Myths and Enhancing Creativity Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Thinking Creative Approaches to Problem […]
Let’s Play!
A List of Children’s Books to Spark Creativity
When my children were young, I became enamored with children’s books. In just five minutes, I could have a cuddle with my little one as we journeyed through a delightful story full of fun and visually captivating characters. I would sneak off to garage sales on the weekends, where I could easily find used children’s […]
Five Strategies to Build a Thinking Classroom
Research has shown that children are able to learn more between the ages of 0 and 3 than at any other time in their lives. They are natural-born learners – curious, creative, critical, independent thinkers. However, the first time that many begin to doubt themselves as learners is when they start formal education in schools. […]
Student Voices
Listen to this podcast where our young intrepid reporter Elizabeth Kloek interviews three of her friends to discover what it is like to be a student during the pandemic. Elizabeth Klocek Guest Bio Elizabeth Klocek is a seventh-grader at The Seven Hills School in Ohio. She enjoys painting, drawing, playing with her puppy, […]
Creating Space
Click here for tickets for Wednesday, December 9th from 5-6:30pm EST Click here for tickets for Saturday, December 12th from 9-10:30am EST Dr. Cyndi Burnett My Bio Dr. Cyndi Burnett is the Director of Possibilities for Creativity and Education. Like her creativity-focused curriculum for students and teachers, Cyndi embraces the creative lifestyle that she […]
Creating Space When You Don’t Have Space
Take me someplace where we can be silent together. – Elizabeth Gilbert, The Signature of All Things While time seems to have multiplied as the pandemic rages on, for many, space at home has vanished. Prior to the pandemic, my husband traveled a lot for work. Now we are together all the time, attempting to […]
The Many Faces of Ms. Teixeira
A few years ago, while leaving my classroom at dismissal, I ran into another teacher, who gave me an inquisitive look, puzzled by my extravagant style. (I think I was wearing a faux fur hat, boots, dramatic makeup, a gladiator belt over a winter dress… and more). In good humor, I paused, looked at my […]
Four Books to Help You Understand the Field of Creativity
If you are interested in creativity, that means that sooner or later, someone is going to ask you The Question. You know, the one that starts, “creativity…isn’t that something you are born with?” After teaching creativity for twenty years, I have had to deal with this question more times than I can remember. As a […]
Know Imagination, Know Creativity.
No Imagination, No Creativity.
“Know imagination, know creativity. No imagination, no creativity.” -M.D. Ockuly collage 2018 How do you define or understand imagination? What words, definitions, or actions do you associate with your own lived experience of imagination? Through the lens of my own lived experience as an educator and creativity practitioner, I am very clear imagination alone […]
The Five Pillars of Creative Problem Solving
Introduction Over the last 40 years, I have taught more people to lead the Creative Problem-Solving process than anyone else in the world. When I step back and view the field from this perspective, I have observed that there are five “pillars” that support the successful use and implementation of the creative behaviors embedded in […]
Ten TED Talks to Teach Your Students About Creativity
Why Creativity? Creativity is more important now than ever before. In recent years, reports such as The Future of Jobs, from the World Economic Forum, and the Workplace Learning, from Linkedin, emphasized that creativity is an essential skill in the workplace. However, the importance of creativity is not limited to the work environment. Throughout humanity’s […]
When Lightening Strikes: Brainstorming with Pa
Background When COVID 19 hit this Spring, my wife and I agreed to homeschool our ten and seven-year-old grandsons for two weeks. Those two weeks turned into nine, and they were weeks of pure joy for everyone involved. My wife, Judy, was an elementary teacher and reading specialist for over 40 years. In my first […]
My Career Roadmap: Creative Approaches to Career Education
It’s challenging to find the balance between getting students engaged in thinking about their future and providing impartial yet meaningful advice on making the decisions that will set them up for future success.
The Most Important Thing to Put in Your School Backpack: A Letter to High Schoolers
Dear High Schooler, A new school year is starting. I know this is a weird one. You’ve probably already gathered the materials you will need this year in your backpack, or in your designated learning space if you’re doing virtual learning. But there’s one more important thing you’ll need, this year more than any other, […]
Parenting During a Pandemic Webinar
Are you a parent who is juggling work, child care, and the possibility of online schooling for your children, in a world where we cannot predict what lies ahead?