The Thinking Teacher is a Creative Teacher with Dr. Kulvarn Atwal
Calling all teachers! Do you need a boost of confidence in your career? Are you ready to take your profession to the next level? This is the episode for you! In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome back Dr. Kulvarn Atwal, an educator, principal, […]
Variations on a Theme
Rather than produce a single object or event, we can greatly expand our possibilities through multiple variations on a shared theme. Creative inquiry is generally driven by curiosity and inspired by one or more principal questions. A traditional researcher carefully hones each question posed, while a visual artist may more intuitively ask “what if” and […]
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 […]
Identifying Creative Abilities in Students
Numerous initiatives and resources are available to implement creativity within the classroom, but even less to identify students with outstanding creative abilities within the academic setting. Typically, if we consider the emergence of creativity within the classroom, we look for markers of giftedness or novel expression as markers of creative intelligence within content areas—fine arts, […]
Extra-Curricular Competitions that Celebrate Creativity
There are several national academic extra-curricular competitions that not only encourage creativity from students—they require it. Here are five I’ve done with students that most certainly fostered creative thinking. I like to use national competitions because the challenges and infrastructures to evaluate them are already in place. 1. Destination Imagination Destination Imagination (DI) is a […]
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 […]
Create Your Own Summer Family Camp!
The first activity in our Summer Series is Creating Your Own Family Camp! You may choose to watch this video that outlines and shows examples of each step, or simply follow the instructions listed below! If you have any questions, feel free to comment or reach out to me directly at cyndi@creativityandeducation.com Enjoy your summer! […]
Using a Disciplinary Lens to Expand Creativity
Viewing creativity as a trait that all humans share is a cornerstone of both current research and of the Creativity and Education vision. It is not simply an inherent characteristic manifested by a few talented artists and performers. Rather, it is a marvelous and endlessly rich packet of possibilities that is embedded within every human […]
Translation of the Creative Thinking Skills Handout
April 21st is World Creativity and Innovation Day (#WCID)! The United Nations sanctioned this day to encourage creative thinking to help us achieve the sustainable future we want. The theme for this year is collaboration. When speaking with my creative contributors, I asked them what we might do to collaborate and celebrate our creativity. Lucy […]
Tips to Bring Creativity into the Classroom
It’s World Creativity and Innovation Week! Today we asked our contributors for a tip to bring creativity into their classrooms! Here is what they said: 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 […]
Who are your creativity influencers?
Who are the creativity influencers inspiring new ways of understanding, defining, and engaging in creativity at this point in the 21st century? The term ‘creativity influencers’ came into my awareness as a newly minted creativity educator teaching adult undergraduate students in a BA degree completion program at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. The course […]
Books To Help You Live A More Creative Life
Are you ready to live a more creative life? In celebration of World Creativity and Innovation Week, we asked our contributors to share the book that has helped them to live a more creative life. Here is what they said: We would love to hear from you! What books have helped you to live […]
STEM: The Perfect Conduit for Creativity
Imagine the following scenario. You give a student a few popsicle sticks, a sheet of sandpaper, a handful of paperclips, a rainbow of chenille sticks, a couple of rubber bands, a fistful of cotton balls, half a dozen toothpicks, and a glue gun, and you tell her, “make me a cell phone stand.” There are […]
The Need for Creative Thinking in Our Schools
As a head teacher of two primary schools in East London, I was recently asked to present a ‘practitioner’s’ response to a recent report published by the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education, and I was very pleased to do so. The place of creativity in our education system is a conversation where I believe […]
The Possibilities of a Cardboard Box
When children receive presents for a birthday or holiday, parents often lament after spending tons of money on some newfangled toy, only to watch their child find more fascination with the box it came in. Why is this? What is so intriguing about something without any bells nor whistles? What is it about four sides […]
I am Creative. (Say it with me now).
“How many of you consider yourself creative?” I asked this question to a group of 70 teachers and administrators we were presenting to on Saturday. Only about half of the group raised their hands. “Let me frame this a different way. In the last week, how many of you have had to solve a problem […]
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 […]
Look at it Another Way:
How to Use a Native American Lens to Explore Empathy in the Classroom
How to Use a Native American Lens to Explore Empathy in the Classroom If you want to weave creativity into your curriculum, creativity pioneer, E. Paul Torrance proposed eighteen creativity skills to explore.The skills are specific and yet can be interpreted in many different ways. Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Julia Figliotti explored these skills in […]
Silenzio, Bruno! Building Fearless Environments to Promote Creativity in Schools
It’s August. With the start of school approaching, some teachers have started thinking about how they will organize their classrooms. Others are already going back to school. Somehow, they are all thinking about how to create a great learning environment. If they asked for my advice, I would suggest including a “Silenzio, Bruno” poster in […]
Let’s play! Ideas to Engage your Children in Creative Play
Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities. – Stuart Brown, MD The following are excerpts from the book, My Sandwich is a Spaceship: Creative Thinking Activities for Parents with Young Children. You can learn more about the book […]
I Practice What I Teach
For 17 years, I’ve observed and taught children, ages six to nine, to appreciate the wonders of the world and to find their unique place within it. Maria Montessori calls this period in child development “The Age of Imagination.” To truly see my students and deepen the connection to each one of them requires immediate […]
Intentional Creative Thinking at Home: Lessons from a Visual Arts Teacher
As indicated in the 2018 Future of Jobs Report, creativity continues to be a desirable skill that is emerging as necessary in the workforce worldwide. Creative thinking, defined as intentionally using our minds to solve complex problems with new solutions, is at the heart of creativity. There are identifiable and teachable creative thinking skills that […]