Giving Up Control in the Classroom with Andrea Mango
How can teachers empower children to be more creative and engaged in class, even when they don’t want to? In this Fueling Creativity in Education episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Andrea Mango, an elementary STEAM teacher based in Williamsville, New York. This episode focuses on bridging the gap between theories and […]
Why Creativity is More Collaborative Than You Think: A Look at Edward Clapp’s Participatory Creativity
When we think of creative people — writers, artists, inventors and the like — we often think of a lone individual working furiously away in a dreary attic or studio, burning the midnight candle down to a stubby little nub. The solo inventor, the lone maverick, the mad genius. You get the picture because that […]
A Colorful Scavenger Hunt in Nature
Activity Three: A Scavenger Hunt in Nature Our third activity centers on the skill, Visualize it Richly and Colorfully. This skill is all about identifying vivid, rich, and colorful imagery in your surroundings. It is essential to be able to use vivid, rich imagery to convey ideas in any domain- whether you’re a scientist aiming […]
Family Game Night With A Creative Twist
The first mission “Create Your Own Family Camp”, was released last week, and today we are releasing the second mission: “Family Game Night”. Games are a wonderful way to bring people together. There is a joy to be found in playing long-standing family favorites, and also in discovering completely new games. But what if you […]
Solve the Real Problem in Your Classroom
She had never been in a fight before. But as a result of her fight with another student, a fifteen-year-old, we’ll call Crystal, managed to get herself suspended from school. And not just suspended for a week. Crystal’s suspension was for two months. Enter Kelly Heinze, an eighth-grade teaching assistant at Crystal’s school. Kelly’s job […]
Making Space for Creativity in the Trauma-Informed Classroom
Last year I started working in a high school, which was a great professional experience for me and a steep learning curve. Having previously worked with post-high school level students in college and universities, it was rewarding (and challenging!) to begin working with a younger cohort. Through this role, I met many new colleagues and […]
How to Create Your Own Makerspace in Any Classroom
Creating a culture in your classroom where students can feel free to tap into their creativity can be tricky. Sometimes you need to take a big first step. One of the easiest ways to do this is to create a Makerspace in your classroom. What is a Makerspace? Makerspaces came about during the STEM era, […]
20 Lessons to Weave Creative Thinking
into Your Curriculum
Ever since Sir Ken Robinson presented his highly regarded TED talk, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” I have had countless teachers approach me inspired by the “why” we need creativity in the classroom but not knowing how to make it happen. Fortunately, the “how” is the central focus of my professional work and is anchored on […]
Copying for Creativity
We are taught from a young age not to copy…don’t copy the test answers from your neighbor…don’t copy your best friend’s homework…all valid instructions, and yet in the world of creativity, copying is a great place to start in building confidence and expanding boundaries. This is certainly true in art, but I think it can […]
Using the Creative Operating System (COS) for Classroom Creativity Integration
“Creativity does not have to be sacrificed to meet educational standards.” ~Frazier/ Walker The importance of helping students discover their creativity and providing them with the skills to become creative problem solvers is evident in the Future of Jobs Report presented by the World Economic Forum. The report states that in 2020, the top three […]
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 […]