Fueling Creativity: Recent Episodes
Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew J. Worwood
On your next coffee break, join Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood as they engage renowned researchers, respected practitioners, and passionate educators to discuss creativity topics related to the field of education. Each caffeinated cup of classroom conversation is guaranteed to empower, inform, and inspire you during your school day. The Fueling Creativity podcast is produced by Creativity and Education and offers full interviews, debrief discussions, and super quick creativity tip episodes.
📘 Purchase Your Copy of The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education
What if the most valuable creative resource in your classroom is something you already have?In this eighth episode of the Summer 2026 Listen and Learn Series, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett explore Action #8 from The Future Creative: Maximize the Environment.
The episode begins with a simple comparison. Two classrooms have the same stack of cardboard boxes. In one classroom, the boxes serve as storage. In the other, they become rocket ships, stages, reading nooks, and creative workspaces. The difference is not the resources themselves. It is how they are viewed and used.
Matthew explores the idea that creativity is often less about having more and more about seeing more. Instead of focusing on limited budgets or waiting for new technology, educators are encouraged to rethink the possibilities hidden within the materials, tools, and spaces they already have.
The episode also looks at how our assumptions shape the way we use everyday resources. An interactive whiteboard can become much more than a digital chalkboard. A shared document can become a space for collaboration, feedback, and creative learning. When we begin asking, "What else could this do?" familiar tools can open up entirely new learning experiences.
Ultimately, maximizing the environment is about developing the habit of seeing possibilities where others see ordinary objects. It is a mindset that helps both educators and students discover creativity in the resources already around them.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
📘 Purchase Your Copy of The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education
What if the student who challenges you the most is also the one with the greatest creative potential?In this seventh episode of the Summer 2026 Listen and Learn Series, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett explore Action #7 from The Future Creative: Spot Creative Potential.
Creative potential is often easy to miss because it doesn't always look the way we expect. It may not be the student with the highest grades or the one who always follows the rules. Instead, it might be the student who asks unexpected questions, challenges assumptions, experiments with new ideas, or approaches problems differently from everyone else.
Drawing on insights from creativity researchers Mark Runco and Todd Lubart, this episode explores why educators should look beyond finished work and begin noticing the early signs of creativity. Matthew introduces the image of an acorn, reminding us that every student has hidden potential waiting for the right conditions to grow. The role of an educator is not to create that potential, but to recognize it and help it develop.
The episode also encourages teachers to broaden the opportunities they provide for students to demonstrate creativity. Open-ended challenges and student choice often reveal strengths that traditional assignments and single-answer assessments can overlook. When every student has the chance to approach a task in their own way, creativity becomes easier to recognize.
Most importantly, this episode reminds us that one conversation, one opportunity, or one teacher who chooses to look a little closer can make all the difference in helping a student discover their creative potential.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
📘 Purchase Your Copy of The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education
What do your students learn when things don't go according to plan?In this sixth episode of the Summer 2026 Listen and Learn Series, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett explore Action #6 from The Future Creative: Model Creative Behavior.
The episode begins with a personal story about a classroom technology problem that turned out to have a surprisingly simple solution. What could have remained an embarrassing moment instead became an opportunity to model something far more valuable than a perfectly delivered lesson.
Matthew reflects on how our first reactions to mistakes can shape the learning experiences of those around us. Rather than hiding errors or pretending everything went smoothly, educators can use these moments to demonstrate reflection, persistence, and problem solving. By thinking out loud, acknowledging assumptions, and showing how they work through challenges, teachers give students a real example of what creativity looks like in practice.
The episode also explores why modeling matters. Students pay close attention not only to what educators say, but also to how they respond when things go wrong. Every unexpected setback becomes an opportunity to demonstrate resilience, curiosity, and a willingness to learn.
Rather than striving for perfection, this episode encourages educators to embrace the everyday moments that reveal the creative process in action.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
📘 Purchase Your Copy of The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education
How many people in your school would describe themselves as creative?For many people, the answer is "not really." They picture artists, musicians, or famous inventors, while overlooking the creativity they use every day to solve problems, adapt to challenges, and connect ideas.
In this fifth episode of the Summer 2026 Listen and Learn Series, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett explore Action #5 from The Future Creative: Initiate Discussions.
This episode looks at why conversations about creativity matter. The way we define creativity influences what we notice, what we encourage, and who feels confident enough to see themselves as creative. When those conversations never happen, outdated ideas often remain unchallenged.
Matthew explores two common myths that continue to shape education. The first is that creativity belongs only in the arts. The second is that only a small number of people are naturally creative. Drawing on insights from creativity researchers including Dr. Anna Abraham and Dr. James Kaufman, he explains why these beliefs can prevent both educators and students from recognizing their own creative strengths.
The episode also highlights the importance of creating opportunities for honest conversations about creativity. Rather than telling people what creativity is, educators can ask thoughtful questions, listen carefully, and invite different perspectives. Those discussions can help build a shared understanding of creativity across classrooms, schools, and communities.
If we want creativity to become part of everyday learning, the conversation has to begin somewhere. This episode offers a simple place to start.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
📘 Purchase Your Copy of The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education
What if the most powerful tool for creativity isn't having the right answers, but asking better questions?In this third episode of the Summer 2026 Listen and Learn Series, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett explore Action #3 from The Future Creative: Ask Questions.
The episode begins with a simple challenge: take an ordinary pencil and spend five minutes asking as many questions about it as possible. What starts as an ordinary classroom object quickly becomes an invitation to wonder, revealing how easily familiarity can prevent us from noticing the world around us.
Matthew explores the difference between questions that simply check for understanding and questions that spark curiosity, imagination, and creative thinking. While many classroom questions have a single correct answer, authentic questions encourage exploration, invite multiple possibilities, and create opportunities for deeper learning.
Drawing from interviews with leading creativity researchers, educators, and practitioners, this episode highlights why asking questions emerged as one of the most common themes across The Future Creative. As creativity practitioner Anne Jacoby reminds us, curiosity is the gateway to creativity.
The conversation also examines why questioning has become even more important in the age of artificial intelligence. As information becomes increasingly accessible, the ability to ask thoughtful, meaningful questions is becoming one of the most valuable creative skills educators can help students develop.
Most importantly, this episode encourages educators to create classrooms where curiosity feels safe, where students are encouraged to wonder, and where questions are celebrated as the beginning of creative thinking rather than interruptions to learning.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
📘 Purchase Your Copy of The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education
What makes someone feel safe enough to share a new idea?
In this fourth episode of the Summer 2026 Listen and Learn Series, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood explore one of the most important actions for nurturing creativity in education: Build Relationships.
Whether you're a first-year teacher looking for feedback, an experienced educator proposing a new initiative, or a school leader hoping to inspire innovation across your staff, creativity rarely happens in isolation. It grows in environments where people feel trusted, respected, and supported enough to take risks.
This episode examines why strong relationships are the foundation of creative learning communities. Matthew and Cyndi discuss how psychological safety encourages educators and students to share unfinished ideas, experiment with new approaches, and learn from failure without fear of judgment.
Listeners will also discover simple but meaningful ways to strengthen relationships in the classroom, including celebrating important moments in students' lives, showing genuine curiosity about their experiences, and creating opportunities for authentic connection. Beyond the classroom, the conversation highlights how supportive relationships among teachers and school leaders can foster a culture where creativity extends throughout an entire school.
The episode concludes with a reflective activity that invites educators to consider the relationships that encourage their creativity and those that unintentionally discourage it, offering a practical first step toward building stronger, more creative communities.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
📘 Purchase Your Copy of The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education
If we say creativity matters, are we teaching it with the same intention we bring to literacy, mathematics, and other core subjects? Or are we assuming it will simply emerge on its own?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast Listen and Learn Summer Series, Dr. Matthew Worwood introduces the first action from The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education: Be Deliberate.
Drawing on an early experience designing a digital media and moviemaking program, Matthew reflects on a surprising challenge that revealed an important lesson about creativity. Despite being given an open-ended assignment, students across multiple schools produced remarkably similar ideas. The experience led him to question a common assumption in education: that open-ended tasks automatically produce original thinking.
In this practical episode, he explores:
- Why creativity should be taught with the same intentionality as other important skills
- What happens when educators assume originality will emerge on its own
- How open-ended assignments can still produce predictable outcomes
- The difference between offering choice and deliberately targeting creative thinking
- Why students need support and strategies to generate original ideas
- How instructional design influences creative outcomes
- The importance of identifying creativity as a learning goal, not just a byproduct
- Ways educators can intentionally build creativity into existing lessons and routines
- Why small changes can have a meaningful impact on creative development
- How deliberate teaching practices help students develop skills beyond academic standards
Matthew also reflects on how educators who successfully foster creativity often do so because they intentionally design learning experiences that target creative thinking, curiosity, and idea generation alongside subject content.
If you are an educator looking to strengthen creativity in your classroom, this episode offers an important reminder that creativity grows when we teach it with purpose.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
📘 Purchase Your Copy of The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education
How often do we shut down an idea before it has a chance to develop? And what opportunities might we miss when we judge ideas too quickly?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast Listen and Learn Summer Series, Dr. Cyndi Burnett introduces the second action from The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education: Keep Open.
Listen in as Cyndi explores why creativity requires us to resist the urge to immediately judge ideas and instead remain open long enough to discover what might be hidden within them. Through a simple classroom example, she demonstrates how even an impractical idea can reveal a valuable insight when we take the time to understand the need behind it.
In this practical episode, she explores:
– Why our first reaction to new ideas is often judgment
– How quickly dismissing ideas can limit creative thinking
– The difference between evaluating an idea and staying open to possibility
– Why even unrealistic ideas may contain valuable insights
– How positive judgments can stop idea development just as quickly as negative ones
– The importance of separating idea generation from evaluation
– What happens when students feel their ideas are immediately dismissed
– How awareness of our own judgment patterns can strengthen creativity
– A simple exercise for monitoring judgments throughout the week
– Why keeping ideas open creates opportunities for better solutions to emerge
Cyndi also shares a classroom assignment she has used for years that helps students recognize just how often they judge ideas without realizing it.
If you are an educator, school leader, or anyone interested in fostering creativity, this episode offers a simple but powerful practice for creating more space for curiosity, exploration, and possibility.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What happens when we give ourselves permission to slow down? And how might moments of rest, reflection, and play help fuel our creativity for the year ahead?
In this special summer episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on the end of another school year and share their plans for disconnecting, recharging, and reconnecting with the activities that bring them joy and inspiration.
Listen in as they discuss the importance of creating space for mind wandering, creative hobbies, and meaningful experiences beyond work. They also offer a preview of the upcoming summer Listen and Learn series, inspired by their new book, The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
– Why creativity often needs periods of rest and recovery
– How slowing down can help us think more clearly and creatively
– The value of disconnecting from technology and productivity pressures
– Why mind wandering can be a powerful creative practice
– How hobbies and personal interests can help restore energy and focus
– The importance of reconnecting with activities you loved as a child
– Why creativity should be nurtured both inside and outside of work
– How small daily habits can support wellbeing and creative thinking
– The challenge of balancing professional goals with personal renewal
– Ways educators can create space for reflection during school breaks
– How AI might help reduce routine tasks while preserving meaningful creative work
– What listeners can expect from the upcoming Listen and Learn summer series
Dr. Matthew shares how golf has become a creative outlet that helps him disconnect from work and focus on learning, growth, and being present in the moment. Dr. Cyndi reflects on returning to dance after many years away and the joy of reconnecting with a lifelong passion that has always been part of her creative identity.
If you are an educator preparing for the months ahead, this episode offers encouragement to slow down, make space for yourself, and embrace the experiences that help creativity flourish.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
How is artificial intelligence changing the way we think about creativity and learning? And what can movies teach us about the creative process, healing, and human expression?In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome back Dr. James Kaufman, one of the leading scholars in creativity research, for a wide-ranging conversation about AI, education, creativity, and his latest work exploring creativity through film.
Listen in as the conversation reflects on the newly released book Generative Artificial Intelligence and Creativity: Precautions, Perspectives, and Possibilities, co-edited by James Kaufman and Matthew Worwood. Together, they discuss the promises and concerns surrounding AI in education, including its impact on learning, creative thinking, feedback, and assessment.
The discussion then shifts to James's newest book, Creativity Through the Movies, where he explores how films can help us better understand creativity, motivation, grief, healing, and the human experience.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
– The different perspectives creativity researchers hold about AI and its future impact
– Why the creative process may matter more than the final product
– How AI can support productivity while potentially limiting originality
– The risks of relying on AI for thinking, learning, and creative work
– Why educators may need to focus more on process rather than product in assessment
– The role of AI in providing feedback and supporting creativity research
– How AI could help assess creativity at a larger scale
– Why meaning, purpose, and creative identity matter in an age of automation
– The relationship between creativity, wellbeing, and personal growth
– How creative activities can help people process grief and difficult life experiences
– What movies reveal about creativity as a human journey rather than a final achievement
– Why everyday creativity can be just as meaningful as professional creative accomplishments
James also shares examples from films such as Ghostlight, Hamnet, and Sing Sing, highlighting how creative expression can help people navigate loss, build connection, and find meaning during challenging times.
If you are an educator, researcher, creative professional, or simply curious about the future of creativity, this episode offers a thoughtful exploration of both the opportunities and challenges emerging in a rapidly changing world.
About the GuestDr. James Kaufman is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut's Neag School of Education and one of the world's leading creativity researchers. He has written or edited more than 60 books and is widely known for co-developing the Four C Model of Creativity with Dr. Ronald Beghetto. His research spans creativity, meaning, motivation, intelligence, and education, and he has developed several widely used measures of creativity. His recent projects include Generative Artificial Intelligence and Creativity: Precautions, Perspectives, and Possibilities and Creativity Through the Movies.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What helps students build creative confidence over time? And how do mastery, feedback, and communication shape the way students learn, create, and see themselves in the classroom?
In this final reflection episode of Season 12 of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome back resident scholar Jimmy Wilson to revisit key themes from the season through the lens of current creativity research.
Listen in as the conversation connects ideas from episodes on handwriting, AI, sports, game-based learning, creativity, and neurodiversity. Together, they explore why some traditional learning practices still matter, how mastery-based approaches can support creative confidence, and why feedback continues to play such an important role in student growth.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
– Why handwriting may support creativity, retention, and deeper thinking
– How slowing down the learning process can improve understanding
– The connection between mastery and creative self-efficacy
– Why repeated practice and experimentation help students build confidence
– The challenges and opportunities within mastery-based learning
– How games and sports naturally support experimentation and iteration
– The role of feedback in helping students refine and strengthen ideas
– How AI tools may help teachers provide more frequent and meaningful feedback
– Why creative learning should include multiple ways for students to demonstrate understanding
– The importance of balancing structure with flexibility in assessment
– How creativity research is beginning to focus more on strengths within neurodiversity
– Why traits like hyperfocus, curiosity, and experimentation can be creative strengths
– The growing research connection between creativity and meaning in life
Jimmy also reflects on how creativity research is shifting toward more possibility-centered approaches that recognize different ways of learning, thinking, and engaging in the classroom.
If you are an educator interested in creativity, assessment, neurodiversity, or student motivation, this episode offers research-based insights and practical reflections on how learning environments can better support both mastery and creative growth.
About the GuestJimmy Wilson is the resident scholar for the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast and a doctoral researcher exploring creativity, neurodiversity, and education. His work focuses on topics including ADHD, dyslexia, autism, creative self-efficacy, and how different learners engage with creative processes in educational settings. Throughout Season 12, Jimmy followed the podcast conversations closely and connected emerging themes back to current creativity research.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What if some of the most powerful tools for engagement are already part of students’ everyday lives? And what happens when educators use games, music, and social media with more intention in the learning process?
In this final debrief episode of Season 12 of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett revisit three conversations that challenged the way they think about engagement, creativity, and learning.
Drawing from recent episodes on tabletop role-playing games, creative styles, and music in education, they reflect on how educators can create more meaningful learning experiences by building on tools and interests students already connect with.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
– The difference between gamification and true game-based learning
– How tabletop games encourage dialogue, collaboration, and perspective-taking
– Why play is often missing from middle and high school learning experiences
– The connection between games, creativity, and student motivation
– How creative styles can help educators better understand themselves and their students
– Why creativity looks different from person to person
– The role of creative confidence and self-awareness in learning
– How music can help students better remember and connect with content
– Why creative learning experiences often stay with students longer than lectures
– The growing role of social media and teacher influencers in education
– How educators can use social platforms more intentionally to extend learning
– Why engagement may not require completely new ideas, but better use of tools already around us
Matthew and Cyndi also reflect on the power of conversation, storytelling, and shared experiences in the classroom, and why meaningful learning often happens when students are invited to actively participate rather than simply receive information.
If you are an educator looking for fresh ways to engage students, this episode offers practical reflections and ideas that connect creativity to the realities of today’s classrooms.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What happens when teaching becomes storytelling, performance, and creative expression all at once? And how can educators use social media with purpose instead of simply chasing attention online?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Raven Baxter, also known as Dr. Raven the Science Maven, to explore the intersection of science, creativity, music, and social media in education.
Listen in as the conversation explores how Raven uses music, humor, pop culture, and storytelling to make science more engaging and accessible. She also shares why joy, authenticity, and human connection are essential parts of meaningful learning experiences both online and in the classroom.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
– How creativity and joy can transform science learning
– Why music works as a powerful tool for teaching and remembering content
– The role of humor, storytelling, and pop culture in science communication
– How social media can help educators build trust and connection with learners
– Why intention matters when teachers create content online
– The difference between creating for engagement and creating for meaningful learning
– How educators can use social media to extend conversations beyond the classroom
– Why students benefit when learning feels playful, creative, and personal
– The importance of creating spaces where students feel safe expressing themselves
– How creative projects can reveal talents and understanding traditional assessments may miss
– Why adults need more opportunities for whimsy, delight, and creative expression
– How small creative shifts can completely change students’ relationship with learning
Raven also shares inspiring classroom examples, including students creating songs, paintings, theater performances, and even mechanical models to demonstrate their understanding of science concepts.
If you are an educator interested in creativity, science communication, or student engagement, this episode offers practical ideas for making learning more human, memorable, and joyful.
About the GuestDr. Raven Baxter, known as Dr. Raven the Science Maven, is a molecular biologist, science communicator, and learning scientist whose work focuses on the intersection of science, culture, and creative expression. Her research explores how hip hop pedagogy and creative communication can transform science learning and public understanding of science. She is also the founder of The Science Haven, a nonprofit focused on expanding access to science education, and has partnered with organizations including NASA, Netflix, Pfizer, and the White House on STEM initiatives.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Who are the creative students in your classroom? And how might your definition of creativity be shaping who you notice and who you overlook?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Gerard Puccio and Cheri Sterman to explore a new way of understanding creativity through the Crayola Creative Styles Tool.
Listen in as the conversation explores how creativity shows up differently in each learner and why recognizing those differences matters. Gerard and Cheri introduce a framework built around three key areas, how we think, how we perceive, and how we engage, and explain how this approach can help educators better understand themselves and their students.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
– Why many educators struggle with creative confidence and how that impacts teaching
– The importance of helping people see themselves as creative in their own way
– How creativity goes beyond thinking and includes perception and engagement
– The difference between seeing details and seeing connections in the creative process
– Why some people prefer to act quickly while others need time to reflect
– How understanding your own creative style can improve collaboration with others
– The role of self-awareness in building creative confidence and agency
– Why creativity should not be reduced to labels or fixed identities
– How this tool can help teachers better support different types of learners
– The connection between environment, experience, and creative preferences
– Why students rarely get the chance to learn about themselves as creative thinkers
– How a shared language around creativity can strengthen classroom culture
Gerard and Cheri also discuss how this tool can open up important conversations in schools, helping both educators and students better understand how they approach problems, ideas, and learning.
If you are an educator or school leader, this episode offers a new lens for recognizing creativity in your classroom and supporting it in more intentional ways.
About the GuestsDr. Gerard Puccio is a distinguished professor at Buffalo State University and a leading voice in creativity research. He serves as chair of the Center for Applied Imagination and has published extensively on creative thinking and innovation. His work has received multiple awards, including recognition for research excellence and contributions to the field of creativity.
Cheri Sterman is the Director of Education at Crayola, where she works with educators, families, and communities to deepen their understanding of creativity. She leads professional learning programs and helps design global initiatives such as Crayola Creativity Week, which reaches millions of students and teachers worldwide.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Is game-based learning just about making lessons more fun? Or can it actually deepen how students think, learn, and solve problems? And what happens when students are given space to fail, try again, and learn through play?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Adam Watson, an educator and author who explores how tabletop role-playing games can transform learning in the classroom.
Listen in as the conversation breaks down what game-based learning really means, how it differs from gamification, and why games can be powerful tools for creativity, collaboration, and deeper understanding across subjects.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
– The difference between gamification and true game-based learning
– Why games need to be used with clear purpose, not just for engagement
– How tabletop role-playing games can support learning across subjects, including science and math
– Why failure in games helps students learn without fear
– How games encourage problem solving, collaboration, and communication
– The role of imagination and storytelling in building understanding
– Why simple changes can turn an existing lesson into a game-based experience
– How constraints and rules can actually support creativity
– The importance of helping students learn at their own pace
– Why play is often misunderstood and undervalued in education
– How teachers can start small by rethinking one lesson or unit
– The connection between games, creativity, and meaningful learning
Adam also shares practical examples of how teachers can bring game-based learning into the classroom, including a science lesson where students design animals and test how they survive in different environments.
If you are an educator looking for new ways to engage students and deepen learning, this episode offers simple ideas you can start using right away.
About the GuestAdam Watson is an award-winning educator from Kentucky who began his career as a high school English teacher. He has served as a district digital learning coordinator and now works as a regional digital learning consultant supporting multiple school districts. He is also the author of Tabletop Role-Playing Games in the Classroom and works with educators to explore how game-based learning can support student growth across subjects.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
🎉 Celebrating 5 Years of Fueling Creativity in EducationSpecial Anniversary Episode | World Creativity and Innovation Day
What happens when two educators set out to bridge research and practice in creativity… and simply keep going?
In this special anniversary episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on five years of conversations, growth, and creative exploration. Released on World Creativity and Innovation Day, this milestone marks not just longevity, but impact: over 130 guests, countless ideas, and a global community committed to bringing creativity into classrooms.
From early scripted interviews to authentic, unscripted conversations, this episode pulls back the curtain on how the podcast has evolved and what it has taught both hosts along the way.
What if the challenge in education is not a lack of creativity, but how we choose to prioritize it?
In this reflective debrief episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit three conversations from Season 12, featuring Susan Riley, Dana Henrickson, and Emma Watson. Together, these discussions raise a deeper question. Is creativity truly missing in schools, or is it already there, just not fully recognized or supported?
Rather than pointing to a single barrier, this episode explores a more layered reality. Funding matters, but it is not the full story. Time, priorities, and expectations often shape what actually happens in the classroom. Creativity may exist in small, everyday moments, but without space and intention, it can easily be overlooked.
The conversation also dives into the relationship between engagement and creativity. Do students need to be engaged before they can think creatively, or does creativity spark engagement in the first place? The answer is not simple, and that is exactly the point. Teaching is not about choosing one over the other, but understanding how they work together in real classroom conditions.
Another key theme is the idea that teachers are already designing creative learning experiences, even if they do not always label them that way. With the right language and awareness, educators can begin to see their own practices differently and build from what is already working.
The episode also highlights the concept of Wonder Museums, inspired by Emma Watson’s work. These experiences invite students to explore what they care about, create something meaningful, and share it with others. It is a reminder that creativity does not always require something new. Sometimes it starts by reimagining what is already possible.
Finally, this debrief offers a shift in perspective. Instead of calling for a complete overhaul of the education system, it suggests something more realistic. Progress may come from small, intentional changes, a clearer understanding of creativity, and a willingness to rethink what we value in learning.
If you have ever questioned whether creativity needs more resources or simply more attention, this episode offers a thoughtful and grounded perspective.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What happens when learning feels more like exploring a museum than sitting in a classroom? And how can we create spaces where students are driven by curiosity instead of routine?In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Emma Widmer, an educator who brought the idea of a “Wonder Museum” into her school to create hands-on, curiosity-driven learning experiences for all students.
Listen in as the conversation explores how Emma transforms familiar school spaces into immersive environments where students can move freely, follow their interests, and engage with learning in a more meaningful way.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
– What it looks like to bring a museum-style experience into a school
– How the Wonder Museum shifted from structured stations to open exploration
– Why giving students choice helps increase curiosity and engagement
– The role of collaboration in making big ideas possible
– How small changes, like themed learning days, can work in any classroom
– Why time and flexibility matter when trying new approaches
– How to connect learning to student interests and local culture
– The importance of knowing students and building strong relationships
– How afterschool clubs can extend learning in a natural way
– The opportunities and challenges within gifted education
– Why creativity often grows when teachers balance structure and freedom
– How immersive experiences can make learning feel natural and enjoyable
Emma also shares how her own experience as a student shaped her teaching, including a memorable Titanic simulation that showed her how powerful immersive learning can be.
If you are an educator, school leader, or someone thinking about how to make learning more engaging, this episode offers practical ideas you can try in your own setting.
About the GuestEmma Widmer is an educator based in Western New York with over a decade of teaching experience. She currently serves as a gifted programming specialist at Dodge Elementary School, where she collaborates with teachers to design school-wide creative learning experiences, including the Wonder Museum. In addition to her work in K–12 education, she also teaches college-level courses and is passionate about fostering curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning in students.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Does creativity make learning more engaging? Or does engagement create the conditions for creativity? What might we be overlooking when we assume we can easily tell when students are engaged?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Danah Henriksen to explore what research reveals about the connection between creativity and engagement in the classroom.
Listen in as the conversation unpacks how creative learning environments can increase student motivation, curiosity, and participation. Danah shares why engagement is not always visible, and how what looks like attention or compliance may not reflect what students are actually thinking or learning.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
- Why creativity and engagement work in both directions, not just one
- How psychological safety helps students take risks and try new ideas
- The difference between true engagement and simple compliance
- Why students may appear focused but still hold misconceptions
- How creative teachers model thinking and influence student behavior
- Why small shifts in teaching can make a big difference in engagement
- How questioning, discussion, and exploration make learning more visible
- The tension between engaging students and meeting learning goals
- How technology can both support and interrupt engagement
- Why teaching is really a process of design, not just delivery
Danah also shares insights from her research with award-winning teachers, highlighting how creativity shows up in everyday classroom practice and how it can be developed over time.
If you are an educator, instructional designer, or school leader, this episode offers practical and research-based insights on how to think differently about engagement and create learning experiences that invite deeper participation.
About the GuestDr. Danah Henriksen is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation. Her research focuses on creativity, design thinking, and technology in education. She has published widely in the field, serves as Associate Editor for Thinking Skills and Creativity, and is co-author of Explaining Creativity (3rd edition).
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What helps educators move creativity from the margins to the center of teaching and learning? And what systems might be quietly shaping what’s possible in our classrooms?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett speak with Susan Riley, founder of the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM and author of Creativity’s Edge: Unleashing Humanity’s Greatest Advantage in the Age of AI.
Together, they explore why creativity, despite being widely valued, often remains underprioritized in schools—and how factors like funding, time, teacher preparation, and leadership all play a role in shaping what actually happens in classrooms.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why creativity in education is fundamentally an equity issue tied to funding and access
- How “money buys time” and why time is one of the biggest barriers to creative teaching
- The tension between stated values (creativity matters) and actual priorities (testing, curriculum pacing, college admissions)
- Why even well-funded schools may overlook creativity due to competing goals and systemic pressures
- How teacher preparation programs often miss foundational skills like lesson design and creative integration
- The role of leadership and school culture in fostering or constraining creativity
- Simple, practical ways to embed creativity into everyday classroom routines without overhauling curriculum
- The importance of habits and small shifts, such as questioning routines and curiosity-driven practices
- The connection between creativity and curiosity as mutually reinforcing forces in learning
- The “212-degree” metaphor for creativity as a transformational force that is often invisible but deeply impactful
- The challenges and possibilities of assessing creativity across skills, thinking, application, and expression
- Why creativity is both a communal experience and an individual act that extends beyond the classroom
About Our Guest
Susan Riley is an internationally recognized educator, author, and founder of the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM, the largest online professional development provider focused on arts-integrated approaches. She has presented at the U.S. Department of Education, National Public Radio, and Americans for the Arts, and her work has been featured in publications worldwide. Her latest book, Creativity’s Edge, explores how creativity can serve as a critical advantage in the age of AI.
This episode invites educators and leaders to take a deeper look at the systems, priorities, and daily practices that shape creativity in schools—and to consider how small, intentional shifts can lead to meaningful change over time.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What if the problem in education is not a lack of creativity, but how we prioritize it?In this reflective debrief episode, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett revisit three powerful conversations from Season 12, exploring creativity through the lenses of AI, constructive dialogue, and educational research. Rather than calling for a complete overhaul of the system, they challenge a common narrative and suggest something more nuanced: creativity is already present in our classrooms, but it may not always be given the space or attention it deserves.
The discussion dives into the difference between productivity and creativity in the age of AI, and how educators can use emerging tools to reclaim time without sacrificing deep thinking. The hosts also unpack the role of constructive dialogue as a foundation for creative problem solving, emphasizing the importance of curiosity, relationships, and shared understanding in the classroom.
Finally, they reflect on research around whether schools truly hinder creativity, offering a more balanced perspective. Instead of revolution, they propose evolution, supported by mindset shifts, better use of tools, and a renewed commitment to student creative agency.
If you have ever wondered how to navigate creativity, AI, and meaningful learning without burning everything down, this episode offers a thoughtful and practical perspective.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What helps students believe they can shape the world with their ideas? And what might quietly discourage them from trying?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett speak with creativity researcher Dr. Maciej Karwowski, Professor of Psychology at the University of Warsaw and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Creative Behavior.
Together, they explore creative agency and why students need more than creative ability to turn ideas into action.
In this episode, we discuss:* What a creative agency is and why it matters for student creativity * The four key elements of creative agency: confidence, creative identity, risk-taking, and self-regulation * Why many teachers and students underestimate their own creativity * How beliefs about creativity influence whether students act on their ideas * Whether schools actually suppress creativity or help it develop * The role of knowledge in supporting creative thinking and learning * How students’ creative confidence can shift as they gain expertise * The opportunities and concerns surrounding AI and creativity in education * How AI might support creativity through feedback rather than idea generation
About Our GuestDr. Maciej Karwowski is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Warsaw and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Creative Behavior. His research focuses on the educational psychology of creativity, particularly creative agency and how classroom environments influence students’ creative development.
This episode invites educators to reconsider how creativity develops in schools and how teachers can nurture the confidence, identity, and motivation students need to act on their ideas.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
In a time marked by strong emotion and deep polarization, how do we help students stay in conversation rather than shut down or attack?In this episode, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Caroline Mehl, co founder and executive director of the Constructive Dialogue Institute.
Caroline explains that constructive dialogue is not about changing minds or abandoning beliefs. It is about fostering mutual understanding across differences. She shares how mindset and skillset work together, highlighting the importance of curiosity, open mindedness, and intellectual humility.
Together, they discuss:
– The difference between debate and dialogue
– How emotions influence polarized conversations
– Why classroom trust and shared norms must come first
– Practical strategies such as storytelling, role play, and structured turn taking
– How the “illusion of explanatory depth” reveals gaps in our own understanding
This episode offers practical guidance for educators who want to create classrooms where difficult conversations are handled with care, clarity, and courage.
About the GuestCaroline Mehl is the co founder and executive director of the Constructive Dialogue Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit that partners with colleges and universities to build cultures of inquiry and dialogue. Since 2017, CDI has worked with more than 150 campuses across the United States.
Caroline’s writing has appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Time, and Harvard Business Review. She serves on advisory boards focused on strengthening civic culture and helping communities disagree better.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
How is AI changing creative work right now? And what does that mean for the way we teach and assess students?In this episode, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett talk with James Taylor about what he is seeing on the front lines of business and innovation.
James shares his idea of “super creativity,” which is simply the idea that humans and machines can work together to create better ideas than either could alone. He offers real examples from industry and then helps us think through what those changes mean for schools.
Together, they discuss:
– The difference between using AI to automate work and using it to support thinking
– Whether students should use AI in the early stages of idea development
– What original work means when AI tools are widely available
– Why critical thinking may matter more than ever
– The role of persuasion and communication in bringing ideas to life
– The ethical questions educators cannot ignore
The conversation also explores an important tension. In business, the focus is often on the final product. In education, the focus must remain on the learning process. As AI becomes more common, teachers may need to rethink what they assess and how they assess it.
If you are trying to make sense of AI without swinging to either extreme, this episode offers a thoughtful and balanced perspective.
About the GuestJames Taylor is an award-winning keynote speaker and internationally recognized expert on creativity, innovation, and artificial intelligence. He has interviewed more than 750 leading creative thinkers on his Super Creativity Podcast and works with global organizations to help them unlock innovation through human and machine collaboration.
His latest book, Super Creativity: Accelerating Innovation in the Age of AI, explores how individuals and organizations can thrive in a rapidly changing technological landscape.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What happens when we lose handwriting as a form of creative expression? What do we miss when we limit creativity to the sports field? And what would change if schools clearly identified their non-negotiables and truly lived by them?
In this first debrief of Season 12, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on insights from recent conversations with Carlos Moreno of Big Picture Learning, handwriting specialist Holly Britton, and sports researcher Dr. Daniel Memmert.
Together, they explore:
– Why schools should be designed around students, not systems
– The importance of identifying a few clear non-negotiables that reflect core values
– What may be lost as handwriting disappears from classrooms
– How tactical creativity, defined as unexpected and appropriate action, applies beyond sports
– Why language matters, especially when we replace “you must” with more open phrasing
This reflective episode invites educators to consider what might be unintentionally fading from practice and how we can better protect the conditions that support creativity.
Dr. Matthew and Dr. Cyndi also invite listeners to share ideas as the podcast approaches its five-year anniversary and begins planning future professional learning opportunities.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Is creativity only about coming up with lots of ideas? Or does it also involve choosing the right idea in the right moment? What can sport teach us about thinking under pressure?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome sports psychologist Dr. Daniel Memmert to explore how creativity shows up on the field.
Listen in as the conversation explores tactical creativity, which combines generating many possible plays with selecting the most effective one. Daniel explains why creativity in sport is not about being flashy, but about making decisions that are both unexpected and appropriate.
In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:
– The difference between generating options and choosing the best one
– Why young athletes need freedom to experiment
– How fear of mistakes can shut down creativity
– Why coaches should be mindful of when and how they give feedback
– How early training should focus more on exploration than rigid systems
Daniel also shares research showing that at elite levels, physical skills often level out. What makes the difference is how players think, notice patterns, and respond in the moment.
If you are a coach, educator, or parent involved in youth sports, this episode offers practical insights on nurturing creative thinking while still supporting strong performance.
About the Guest
Dr. Daniel Memmert is a professor at the German Sport University Cologne. He has published more than 300 research articles and over 40 books on creativity, attention, and performance in sport. He also holds coaching licenses in several sports, bringing both research and real world experience to his work.
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Is handwriting still relevant in a world of screens, tablets, and AI? What role does writing by hand play in creativity, learning, and thinking?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cindy Burnett welcome handwriting instruction specialist Holly Britton, M.Ed to explore why handwriting still matters — especially for developing minds.
Holly brings over 26 years of experience in education, from classroom teacher to curriculum director, kindergarten coach, and founder of Squiggle Squad Handwriting. Her work focuses on helping children, teachers, and parents understand handwriting not as “pretty penmanship,” but as a meaningful tool for learning and self-expression.
Listen in as the conversation explores how handwriting supports thinking, language development, and creativity — particularly in young learners. Holly shares why writing by hand helps children make sense of letters, sounds, and ideas, and what can happen when students are expected to write without ever being properly taught how.
Together, the trio discusses:
- How handwriting has slowly faded from classrooms
- Why writing by hand supports learning in ways typing cannot fully replace
- The connection between movement, memory, and understanding
- Why handwriting should be seen as a tool, not just a finished product
- How teachers can support handwriting without adding pressure or stress
Holly also offers practical insights for educators who feel overwhelmed by packed curriculums but still want to honor handwriting as part of meaningful learning.
If you’ve ever wondered whether handwriting still has a place in today’s digital classrooms — or worried about what students might be losing as screens take over — this episode will give you plenty to think about.
About the GuestHolly Britton, M.Ed is a handwriting instruction specialist with more than 26 years of experience in education. She has worked as a classroom teacher, curriculum director, and kindergarten coach, and is the founder of Squiggle Squad Handwriting, a unique approach to teaching letter and number formation for early writers.
Holly works with diverse learners who experience a wide range of learning challenges and speaks nationally about handwriting as a kinesthetic connection to language — one that supports creativity, learning, and self-expression.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
As we kick off Season 12 of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, we explore a question that sits at the heart of education reform. What does it actually look like to design a school around preparing young people for the real world?
In this episode, we welcome Carlos Moreno, educator, author, and Executive Director of Big Picture Learning. Carlos brings a systems-level perspective shaped by his work as a teacher, principal, district leader, and national education executive.
Together, we examine why creativity often gets squeezed out of traditional school models, how fear and compliance shape decision-making, and where untapped creative potential lives in public education. Carlos shares the core design principles behind Big Picture schools, including advisory systems, real-world learning, student exhibitions, and the powerful idea of educating one student at a time.
We also discuss leadership, relationships, and the role of love, care, and vulnerability in building creative school cultures, drawing from Carlos’s book Finding Your Leadership Soul. This conversation challenges us to rethink control, trust educators and students, and design schools that help young people discover purpose, agency, and voice.
Guest BioCarlos Moreno is an educator, author, and national education leader who currently serves as Executive Director of Big Picture Learning. He has worked as a teacher, principal, and district leader, and co-founded the Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship. Carlos is the author of Finding Your Leadership Soul and is widely recognized for his work supporting equity-centered, relationship-driven school design.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Welcome to Season 12 of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast! In this special preview episode, co-hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on major milestones—five years of podcasting and 250 published episodes—and offer a glimpse into the conversations ahead.
This season dives deep into Teaching Creativity, where it is most challenged: within systems, under pressure, and through the everyday decisions educators and learners make. With a strong foundation now in place, Season 12 focuses on building from within the system—exploring how creativity can be nurtured, sustained, and expanded in real-world educational contexts.
What to Expect This SeasonDrs. Matt and Cyndi preview several early episodes that highlight new and timely dimensions of Creativity in Education, including:
- Creativity in Sport
How do athletes make creative decisions under pressure? A conversation with pioneering researcher Daniel Memmert explores creativity, play, constraints, and risk-taking in high-stakes environments. - Pushing the Boundaries of Public Education
Kicking off the season is Carlos Moreno, Co-Executive Director of Big Picture Learning, who shares an unconventional yet scalable model of public education rooted in student agency, real-world learning, and creative self-direction. - Creative Self-Belief and Identity
An upcoming episode with Michał Kowalski examines creative self-efficacy, identity, and motivation—especially for today’s learners—raising important questions about passion, agency, and growth. - Constructive Dialogue in the Classroom
With Caroline Mehl from the Constructive Dialogue Institute, the hosts explore why meaningful dialogue is essential for creativity, empathy, and learning—and how educators can intentionally cultivate it.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Recorded live at the National Association for Gifted and Talented (NAGC) Conference in Pittsburgh, this final episode of the Winter 2026 Listen & Learn series brings together Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett with emerging scholar Jimmy Wilson and researcher Dr. Julie Delgado.
Together, they explore how creativity can become a powerful pathway for twice-exceptional (2e) learners—particularly students with autism spectrum disorder—by centering passion, projects, peers, and play.
This conversation bridges research and practice, drawing from Project 2EASD and the Lifelong Kindergarten Lab’s Four P’s Framework (Passion, Play, Projects, Peers) to reimagine how schools and universities can support neurodiverse learners.
Episode Highlights What twice-exceptional (2e) really means—and why creativity matters * How Project 2EASD reshapes professional learning for teachers * The Four P’s* of creative learning: Passion, Play, Projects, and Peers * Why interest-based peers matter more than same-age peers * The role of extracurriculars, clubs, and mentorship in student growth * Moving beyond deficit-based views of neurodiversity * How passion fuels perseverance—and when it’s okay to pivot * “Hard fun” as a catalyst for leadership, confidence, and real-world skills
From launching clubs to hosting dorm-room tea parties, the stories shared highlight how creative environments empower students to thrive—academically, socially, and personally.
About the GuestsJimmy WilsonJimmy Wilson is an emerging scholar and resident expert in gifted education, specializing in twice-exceptional (2e) learners. His research focuses on supporting neurodiverse students—particularly those on the autism spectrum—through creative learning experiences, mentorship, and interest-based peer connections. Jimmy brings both scholarly insight and practical strategies for implementing programs that help 2e learners thrive academically, socially, and personally.
Julie Delgado, Ph.D.Julie Delgado is a tenure-track researcher in gifted education, having recently completed her dissertation on Project 2EASD (Twice-Exceptional Autism Spectrum Disorder). Her work centers on professional development for teachers, integrating creativity into learning, and helping educators cultivate meaningful experiences for neurodiverse students. Julie’s research emphasizes passion-driven projects, mentorship, and leveraging extracurricular activities to promote leadership, collaboration, and real-world skill development.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
In this special on-location recording at the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett sit down with Sarah Caroleo, Ph.D. to explore the powerful role of professional learning in advancing gifted education.
Together, they unpack how thoughtfully designed professional learning (PL) can elevate teacher practice, strengthen advanced learning opportunities, and help close long-standing excellence gaps within schools and districts.
About the Guest
Sarah Caroleo is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Annenberg Institute, Brown University. She researches professional learning in gifted education, sharing evidence-based strategies to help teachers support high-potential students and close excellence gaps.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
In this Winter 2026 episode of the Listen and Learn series, Dr. Jennifer Riedl Cross joins Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett to challenge traditional views of giftedness. Moving beyond IQ and high achievement, she introduces Transformational Giftedness—the idea that intelligence and talent are most meaningful when used to tackle societal challenges and create positive change.
The conversation explores the “Rage for Justice,” the moral intensity often found in gifted individuals, and how it can be channeled into effective activism. Animal justice emerges as a compelling entry point for young activists, highlighting how concern for animals often sparks broader social awareness and motivates action for the common good. She shares the work she has done in this area conducted in collaboration with Barbara J. King.
Dr. Worwood and Dr. Burnett discuss practical strategies for nurturing young changemakers. From persuasive writing and public speaking to strategic thinking, they emphasize how educators and parents can help students transform passion into real-world impact. Creativity is central, with activism framed as an imaginative act—envisioning worlds that do not yet exist and taking steps to bring them to life.
If you are interested in this topic, you might also want to check out Barbara J. King's TED talk on grief and love in the animal kingdom!
About the Guest:
Dr. Jennifer Riedl Cross is a Research Professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her research focuses on the social and emotional development of gifted students, particularly those who use their talents for social justice and advocacy.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
In this special end-of-year episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cindy Burnett and Dr. Matthew Warwood reflect on their accomplishments throughout 2025, sharing candid insights into the goals they've met and the challenges they've faced. From launching their YouTube channel and refining their website, to penning an almost-complete book titled "The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education." They discuss the importance of aiming for "B plus work" in a busy world and celebrate the creative experiments with video shorts, newsletter outreach, and organizing over 200 interviews into meaningful collections. The hosts also express heartfelt appreciation for their growing community and the feedback they've received from listeners and past guests.
Looking ahead, Dr. Cindy Burnett and Dr. Matthew Warwood invite listeners to shape the future of the podcast by sharing feedback, suggesting topics, and exploring new ways to connect around their forthcoming book. Exciting plans for 2026 include a five-year anniversary celebration—potentially a live or virtual party for VIP listeners who engage with their call to action. The episode concludes with personal reflections on how their mission has evolved: focusing on educating the whole person to foster transformational creativity that makes the world a better place. Tune in for a thoughtful recap, a glimpse into what’s next, and a sincere thank you to the Fueling Creativity community!
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
In the season finale of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Matthew Worwood, and Cyndi Burnett welcome their emerging scholar in residence, Jimmy Wilson, for a dynamic exploration of micro schools and alternative educational models. Drawing from Jimmy's personal experiences and research, the episode dives deep into the benefits and trade-offs of innovative school structures versus traditional public education. Key topics include the autonomy and specialization offered by micro schools, challenges around resources, the impact of test-focused environments, and the essential role of creative teaching and learning in student development.
Listeners will hear thoughtful debate about whether high school students should specialize or diversify their studies, and how environments can foster agency, collaboration, and transformational creativity. The episode also highlights research on established alternative models like Montessori and Waldorf, discussing their effects on creativity and student well-being. With references to real case studies and expert research, the hosts encourage educators and parents to consider the "best fit" for every child, emphasizing the importance of meaningful experiences, lifelong learning, and ongoing action research. Tune in for practical insights, personal stories, and a sneak peek at Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood's upcoming book, all focused on fueling creativity for the future of education.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
In this debrief episode marking the end of season 11 and 2025, hosts Dr. Matthew Warwood and Dr. Cindy Burnett dive into three pivotal topics they explored with recent guests: AI’s impact on student creativity, the reframing of creativity through “innovation-ish” thinking, and the power of game-based learning for creative and critical thinking in education. Reflecting on discussions with experts like Dr. Florin Vinshon, Tessa Forshaw, Richard Cox Braden, Steven Slota, and Trent Hergenrader, they weigh the nuances of treating AI as a tool versus a collaborator, underscore the importance of mindset over process in creative problem-solving, and unpack how playful learning and world-building foster creativity in the classroom.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Matthew Warwood and Dr. Cindy Burnett connect research, personal insights, and classroom experiences, emphasizing that meaningful connections—central to creativity—cannot be replicated by technology alone. They highlight the evolving role of educators in nurturing creative mindsets, champion playful learning strategies, and advocate for innovative approaches to schooling, including micro schools and systemic “revolutions” in education. The episode wraps with a look forward to the upcoming season and a special research recap, continuing their commitment to fueling creativity in education.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What if students saw themselves not just as learners, but as world builders, empowered to design, problem-solve, and imagine new possibilities through playful learning?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cindy Burnett and Dr. Matthew Warwood dive into the dynamic potential of game-based learning and world-building with guests Stephen Slota and Trent Hergenrader. Together, they unpack how treating students as designers—rather than passive recipients of information—fosters creativity, critical thinking, and authentic engagement. Drawing from their experiences as educators and co-authors of The World Building Workshop, Stephen Slota and Trent Hergenrader share insights on leveraging narrative, choice, and playful contexts to deepen learning, regardless of technology access or subject area.
The conversation explores the difference between true game-based learning and surface-level gamification, emphasizing the power of agency, narrative, and exploring “messy,” real-world problems. Listeners will gain practical insights on aligning classroom activities with learning goals, infusing creativity, and adopting a facilitator mindset. Whether you’re game-curious or an experienced educator, this episode highlights how world building can transform classrooms—and help students make meaningful connections to their own lives.
Guest BiosStephen Slota
Stephen Slota is an educational technologist, learning theorist, and interactive storyteller. He has directed major projects for organizations like CVS Health, Pfizer, and Arizona State University, where he explores how game mechanics and narratives can enhance engagement, creativity, and learning. A former high school biology teacher, Stephen Slota draws on years of classroom experience and research at the University of Connecticut to promote playful learning as a transformative tool in education.
Trent Hergenrader
Trent Hergenrader is an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing, and Director of the Center for World Building and Storytelling at Rochester Institute of Technology. He’s the co-editor of "Creative Writing in the Digital Age" and "Creative Writing Innovations," and author of "Collaborative World Building for Writers and Gamers." Trent Hergenrader integrates fiction writing, role-playing, and collaborative design to help students view learning as a creative, participatory process.
For more resources and to connect with the guests, visit theworldbuildingworkshop.com.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
In this captivating episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cindy Burnett and Dr. Matthew Warwood sit down with Dr. Tessa Forshaw and Richard Cox Braden, co-authors of "Innovation Ish," to unpack what it truly means to think and act like an innovator. The discussion dives deep into the often-blurred lines between creativity and innovation, clarifying how creative problem solving underpins real innovation. Dr. Tessa Forshaw and Richard Braden share insights from their research into over 80 creative problem solving methodologies, revealing the common mindsets that drive successful innovation and challenging the myth that innovation is reserved for billion-dollar companies or those with flashy resources.
Listeners will discover practical strategies for fostering creative confidence in the classroom, ways to help students see and solve novel problems, and the critical importance of mindsets like metacognition and awareness of cognitive biases. Whether you’re an educator looking to inspire creativity in your students or a leader striving to integrate innovation into your organization, this episode is packed with actionable advice and fresh perspectives. Don’t miss the hosts’ and guests’ personal stories about their most creative educational experiences—and learn why integrating creativity and innovation is not about following the trendiest processes, but about empowering everyone to notice, empathize, and experiment in everyday life.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
If AI can generate endless ideas, does that mean it's actually more creative than humans—or are we losing something uniquely ours in the process?
In this thought-provoking episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Florent Vinchon, an occupational psychologist and researcher at Paris Nanterre University, to discuss the intersection of artificial intelligence and human creativity. Florian shares insights from his recent research, including his involvement in an AI and creativity manifesto and a new book collaboration. Together, the trio explores pressing questions around whether AI can truly be creative, what originality means in the age of generative AI, and how the concept of co-creativity between humans and machines is evolving. They trace historical perspectives—from Greek mythology to contemporary science fiction—revealing that our fascination with creative machines is far from new, but is now more relevant than ever in educational settings.
The conversation dives deeply into the classroom implications of integrating AI tools, raising important considerations about fostering creativity, critical thinking, and meaningful learning experiences. Florian emphasizes the unique value of human originality and the motivational aspects of creativity that AI cannot replicate. The hosts challenge the notion of using AI purely for ideation, urging educators to encourage students to develop their own ideas before augmenting them with AI-generated inputs. They also engage in a lively discussion on the dangers of anthropomorphizing AI, the importance of seeing these systems as tools rather than collaborators, and strategies for responsibly incorporating AI into student learning. The episode closes with personal reflections on the role of meaning in creativity and an inspiring story about innovative teaching methods.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Is our education system stifling creativity by sticking to labels and standardized solutions—or can we truly unleash the creative potential of every student and teacher?
In this dynamic debrief episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Warwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on three thought-provoking interviews covering the future of gifted education, repurposing technology for creative teaching, and preparing students for the future of work. They revisit Dr. Catherine Little’s insights around needs-based approaches in gifted education, emphasizing the importance of individualized learning rather than labeling, and discuss how this philosophy could be applied from K-12 through university. The conversation also addresses the challenge of balancing student interests with exposure to diverse domains, questioning when and how schools should encourage specialization versus broad exploration.
The hosts then pivot to their discussion with Dr. Punya Mishra about technology’s evolving role in the classroom, highlighting the necessity for teacher creativity and agency when integrating new tools like AI, and noting the potential drawbacks of overly prescriptive tech solutions. Wrapping up with takeaways from Dr. Ronnie Reiter Palman, they delve into the nuances of creative problem solving in an AI-influenced world—exploring how AI often produces “middle of the road” ideas and how educators must coach students to develop and recognize genuinely creative solutions. Don’t miss this lively conversation packed with practical strategies, critical reflections, and insights into creativity, technology, and gifted education’s future.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Are we unknowingly training a generation of students for a “middle of the road” future, where creativity and critical thinking suffer at the hands of automation and convenience?
In this enlightening episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Warwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett sit down with Dr. Roni Reiter-Palmon, a distinguished professor of Industrial Organizational Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. They dive deep into the world of creativity in education, exploring the essential skills students need for the future workplace, such as problem identification, empathy, and critical thinking. Dr. Roni Reiter-Palmon shares practical examples and research-backed strategies, highlighting the importance of framing problems from multiple perspectives and understanding how creativity and critical thinking are intertwined. The conversation also touches on measuring creativity, the role of AI in assessment and idea generation, and the risks and rewards of integrating technology into creative educational processes.
Listeners will also gain insight into current trends shaping the field of creativity research, including team creativity, creativity with constraints, and innovative approaches to fostering creative skills in students. As the current President of the APA Division 10, Dr. Roni Reiter-Palmon offers a unique perspective on emerging topics for 2025 and emphasizes the necessity of expertise and deep domain knowledge for meaningful creative work. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or creativity enthusiast, this episode provides actionable advice and thought-provoking questions to help fuel your teaching journey in the age of AI and collaborative innovation. Be sure to check out the show notes for conference links and additional resources!
Guest BioDr. Roni Reiter-Palmon is the John Holland Distinguished Professor of Industrial Organizational Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. With nearly 40 years in the field, her research zeroes in on creativity and innovation in workplaces, focusing especially on cognitive and social processes, creativity measurement, skill development, and the intersection of creativity with AI and teamwork. With over 200 publications in leading journals and books, Dr. Reiter-Palmon is a central figure in creativity research, currently editing the APA Handbook on the Psychology of Creativity and serving as the president of APA Division 10. In 2024, she was honored with the Arnheim Lifetime Achievement Award for her influential contributions to the study of creativity.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Can teachers truly be creative if they’re told exactly what tools to use—and how to use them?
In this thought-provoking episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Punya Mishra, Associate Dean of Scholarship and Innovation at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. Dr. Mishra delves deep into the concept of “teachers as designers,” drawing on the foundational design theories of Herb Simon and his own background in engineering and design. He explains how teachers, much like designers, operate in complex, ambiguous environments where creativity, improvisation, and reflection in action are essential. Dr. Mishra introduces listeners to the TPACK framework, highlighting the intersections between content, pedagogy, technology, and context, and discusses how educators can transform everyday tools—from textbooks to cell phones—into powerful vehicles for creative learning.
The conversation expands into the pressing challenges and opportunities presented by technology, particularly artificial intelligence, in today’s classrooms. Dr. Mishra shares both his excitement and concerns about AI, emphasizing the importance of teacher agency, the risks of top-down, one-size-fits-all edtech solutions, and the need to recognize the implicit learning theories embedded in every technology. He offers examples of AI as a creative partner in both the classroom and his personal creative pursuits, while also warning about issues like bias and over-reliance on technology-generated content. The episode closes with Dr. Mishra’s personal reflections on transformative learning experiences, the vital role of teacher creativity, and a call to retain a critical, questioning stance as technology continues to reshape education.
Guest BioDr. Punya Mishra is Associate Dean of Scholarship and Innovation at Arizona State University's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. He wears many hats—learning engineer, professor, researcher, author, artist, and designer—and his research explores how creativity, design, and technology intersect to transform education. Known for his engaging talks and prolific scholarship, Punya inspires educators to embrace innovation while staying firmly rooted in the art and science of teaching. He believes in empowering teachers as creative professionals and gives voice to the importance of context, flexibility, and genuine care in shaping meaningful learning experiences.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
In this thought-provoking episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett sit down with Dr. Catherine Little, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut and President of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC).
Catherine reflects on how the field of gifted education has evolved—where meaningful progress has been made and where key challenges still persist, especially in ensuring all students have opportunities to engage in deeper, more creative thinking. Drawing from her extensive research, she shares practical strategies for integrating gifted education into the everyday curriculum, highlighting the power of facilitating student conversations around open-ended questions to promote curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity.
This episode offers rich insights for teachers, gifted coordinators, and education leaders seeking new approaches to creative teaching, teaching creativity, and supporting creativity in education through inclusive and inquiry-driven practices.
Plus, a special shout-out to the upcoming National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—a must-attend event for anyone passionate about gifted and creative education!
About the GuestDr. Catherine Little is a professor at the University of Connecticut specializing in giftedness, creativity, and talent development. Her research focuses on professional learning, differentiated instruction, and questioning practices for advanced learners. She has led several national initiatives, including Project Spark, Project LIFT, and Project Focus, aimed at recognizing and responding to academic potential, especially in elementary students from underserved populations. Dr. Little currently serves as the president of the Board of Directors for the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), supporting educators in developing resources and strategies for nurturing the talents of all students.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Are serendipitous surprises the secret ingredient to sparking creativity in your classroom?
In this lively debrief episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cindy Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on the past three episodes by digging into the stories, experiments, and aha moments that emerged around micro schools, creativity assessments, and the value of surprise in the classroom. Matt kicks things off with a humorous and messy retelling of his Marshmallow Challenge without masking tape, sparking a discussion about embracing serendipity and disruption to foster authentic creativity among students. Cyndi and Matt build on this idea by recalling insights from guests like Jason Blair, who advocated for serendipitous moments and playful engagement, and Dr. Wendy Ross, who highlighted the magic of unexpected classroom surprises.
The conversation then pivots to the world of micro schools, inspired by David Richards’ episode, where Matt proposes an innovative idea for teacher training programs to establish their own experimental micro schools. Cyndi weighs in on how such flexible environments can inspire both pre-service teachers and lifelong learners. The episode wraps up with a hands-on demo of Dr. Selcuk Acar’s new open-source creativity assessment tool, MOTES, as Matt takes the test on-air and they discuss practical ways educators can use such tools to track and nurture originality in students. The hosts encourage embracing the unexpected, prototyping new approaches to education, and continually creating opportunities for creative growth both in schools and beyond.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What happens when you mix creativity with the freedom and flexibility of micro schools?
In this enlightening episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett dive into the world of micro schools with special guest David Richards, founder and CEO of ChangeMakeredU. David breaks down what micro schools are—intimate learning environments with 5 to 150 students—and explains how their structure harkens back to the one-room schoolhouse model. He discusses the rapid growth of micro schools in response to rising parental demand for flexible, creativity-driven education, highlighting that 60% of micro schools use self-directed learning models. Throughout the episode, David shares real-world examples of micro schools focused on the arts, STEAM, neuroscience, and social-emotional learning, illustrating how these small, community-centered schools empower teachers to build the creative learning experiences they've always dreamed of.
Listeners will gain insights into launching a micro school, including the business and operational steps, potential funding models, and the importance of tailoring offerings to the needs and values of local communities. David details how the micro school model creates space for true creativity, collaborative multi-age learning, and active parent involvement—environments that traditional schools often struggle to provide. The hosts express their excitement about the potential of micro schools to usher in a revolution in education, and David shares his most creative educational experience—designing a new school model with students using design thinking principles. If you're an educator, parent, or community leader interested in fostering creativity and reimagining learning, this episode offers a roadmap to getting started and highlights the resources available through ChangeMakeredU.
About the GuestDavid Richards is the founder and CEO of ChangeMakeredU, an innovative national network of affiliate micro schools and an incubator supporting aspiring school founders. With over 25 years of leadership in education reform—as a teacher, principal, executive, and board member—David has opened multiple charter and micro schools across the United States. Known for his expertise in launching educational ventures, David is passionate about transforming learning environments to center creativity, student empowerment, and community-driven values. Through ChangeMakeredU, he aims to catalyze a new paradigm for education, helping teachers and families break free from the constraints of traditional schooling and design learning spaces that truly reflect their visions and needs.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Can we really measure creativity in the classroom—or are we missing the bigger picture?
In this engaging episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett sit down with Dr. Selçuk Acar, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of North Texas and a leading voice in creativity assessment. Together, they dive deep into the complexities of measuring creativity in educational settings, examining the ongoing debate between domain-general and domain-specific creativity, and discussing the challenges teachers face in recognizing and nurturing creative potential among students. Dr. Acar offers practical advice for educators, emphasizing the importance of open-ended, ill-defined questions to encourage creative thought, and highlights emerging tools and strategies for integrating creativity assessment directly into classroom content.
A central focus of the discussion is Dr. Acar’s work on MOTES, a groundbreaking new measure of original thinking that leverages AI technology to objectively and efficiently score creative responses. The conversation explores how AI is revolutionizing creativity assessment, making it more accessible and scalable in educational environments, and the broader implications this holds for teaching and learning. Dr. Acar reflects on his own formative creative experiences as both a student and educator, underscoring the lifelong value of cultivating curiosity and original thinking. Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or researcher, this episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiring perspectives on the future of creativity in schools.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down with innovative art educator Jason Blair to explore the often overlooked discomfort adults feel around "real creativity"—something Jason dubs "inconvenient creativity." Jason shares powerful personal stories, from creative chaos in his daughter's room to spontaneous, student-driven art projects in his classroom, illustrating how true creativity frequently emerges in unexpected moments that disrupt the status quo. He explains why adults and educators can be unsettled by these uncontrollable, messy instances and emphasizes the importance of leaning into these opportunities instead of suppressing them.
The conversation delves into strategies for infusing creativity across all classrooms, not just the arts, with Jason offering practical ideas for sparking student imagination and engagement in any subject area. The hosts and Jason also explore the need for an educational revolution, not just evolution, highlighting the urgency to shift focus from content and efficiency to nurturing the dispositions and mindsets that help students thrive in a rapidly changing world. The episode wraps with a memorable account of a cross-age, student-led project that encapsulates authentic learning, collaboration, and the joy of creating for others, leaving listeners inspired to invite more serendipity and creativity into their own teaching practice.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Is it time to completely tear down the education system and start over if we truly want creativity to thrive in our schools?
In the first debrief episode of Season 11, hosts Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood take a reflective dive into insights from their most recent three guests on the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast. The discussion begins with Dr. Henry Smith from Johns Hopkins University, who explored the intersection of creativity and education policy, notably discussing the controversial topic of school vouchers and advocating for a revolutionary approach to education reform—“tearing down the house” to build a truly creative system from the ground up. Cyndi and Matt examine both the promise and concerns of vouchers, especially their impact on equity, and tease an upcoming episode on micro-schools that further expands the conversation.
The hosts then turn to classroom creativity with Emily Jamison, an elementary teacher known for fostering a family-like atmosphere and utilizing clever, agency-giving feedback strategies to empower students. They reflect on the importance of playful, positive feedback—even down to students choosing the color of their feedback pen—and discuss how creating a safe, supportive environment nurtures creative expression at any grade level. Wrapping up, Cyndi and Matt share their takeaways from an interview with renowned creativity researcher Dr. Keith Sawyer, unpacking ideas from his latest book, "Learning to See." They discuss the importance of perspective in creativity, the value of “studio talk” for reflection and creative growth, and creative exercises—like photographic challenges—that can deepen both student engagement and teacher understanding. The episode closes with personal stories, anticipatory teasers for future guests, and a fun nod to trying new things—even learning to “shuffle” on YouTube!
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What if creativity doesn’t start with inventing new things, but with learning to see and interpret the world differently?
In this engaging episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down with Dr. Keith Sawyer, a leading creativity researcher, jazz pianist, and professor at UNC Chapel Hill. The conversation centers on Sawyer’s new book, Learning to See, which explores the idea that true creativity begins with learning to notice, perceive, and interpret the world—and oneself—in new ways. Together, they unpack how artistic and design educators approach fostering creativity, often avoiding the very word itself, instead focusing on guiding students through iterative processes that develop their ability to “see” and think critically. Keith shares insights from more than a decade of interviews with art and design professors, highlighting the deliberate, teachable practices and mindsets that underpin creative achievement.
The discussion broadens to consider how these principles translate across disciplines, from the arts to the sciences and humanities. The hosts and Keith emphasize the importance of process over outcome—encouraging experimentation, feedback, and reflection as keys to creative growth. The episode also delves into the concept of “studio talk,” where educators model their own thinking and decision-making out loud, providing students with a window into expert creative processes. Listeners will come away inspired to infuse their teaching with opportunities for personal transformation, risk-taking, and iterative exploration, regardless of subject area. Plus, Keith offers a preview of his upcoming book focused on personal creative transformation, making this episode a must-listen for educators and creativity enthusiasts alike.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
How can an elementary classroom feel more like a family than a traditional learning space—and why does that matter for creativity and learning?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett sit down with Emily Jamieson, an elementary school teacher renowned for creating classroom communities that feel more like families. Emily, currently preparing to teach second grade at St. Gregory the Great School in Connecticut, shares her journey from aspiring landscape designer to passionate educator. She discusses how formative experiences working in a children's garden ignited her love for connecting students with nature and hands-on learning, and reveals how those early lessons continue to influence her classroom approach today. The conversation delves into the value of integrating outdoor experiences, like field trips and Earth Day activities, to build curiosity and stewardship in young learners.
Throughout the episode, Emily emphasizes the importance of nurturing students’ interests and adapting assignments to individual needs, particularly in developing writing skills and encouraging creative expression. She explains her unique strategies for providing feedback in supportive and empowering ways, fostering an environment where children are not only unafraid to make mistakes but also eager to share their authentic selves. The hosts and Emily also explore the challenges and rewards of building a classroom culture rooted in psychological safety, trust, and mutual respect, allowing every child’s strengths and personality to shine. The episode wraps up with Emily reflecting on her own most memorable creative learning experience—a collaborative video project about the Oregon Trail—which inspired her belief in making education personal, meaningful, and joyfully creative.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
What can the challenges of the public schooling system teach us about re-prioritizing creativity in education?
Season 11 of Fueling Creativity in Education launches with Dr. Henry M. Smith, EdD, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education under President Clinton. Co-hosts Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett dive into the realities of America’s public schooling system—its entrenched challenges, how those challenges influence what we prioritize in classrooms, and the consequences for creative teaching and teaching creativity.
Together, they consider why creativity so often feels absent from the system itself and explore whether alternative models, such as school vouchers and independent schools, might offer more fertile ground for innovation. At the same time, they grapple with the tough equity questions these alternatives raise, asking how educators and policymakers can support creativity without widening existing gaps.
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform and sign up for our Extra Fuel newsletter for more resources and inspiration.
Visit FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more information or email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Welcome to Season 11 of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast! Co-hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood are back—and this season, we’re excited to offer video episodes on YouTube in addition to our regular audio format.
To kick off the new school year, Matt and Cyndi each share three go-to activities they use to set the stage for creative teaching and teaching creativity from day one. These activities help students build trust, take creative risks, and tap into their own curiosity—whether they’re in an elementary classroom or a college seminar.
🎒 In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How Matt uses the Marshmallow Challenge to spark conversations about the creative process
- How Cyndi’s short creativity prompts build momentum and engagement early in the semester
- Practical ways to embed creativity in education while supporting classroom community
📝 Read Matt’s blog post: Using the Marshmallow Challenge to Kickstart the Creative Process
📺 Explore Cyndi’s YouTube channel
🌐 Visit us at FuelingCreativityPodcast.com for more resources and to subscribe to our Extra Fuel newsletter.
Whether you're a seasoned educator or just starting your teaching journey, this episode offers meaningful, ready-to-use strategies to inspire creative thinking and start the year strong.
As part of our Fueling Creativity in Education Throwback Series, co-hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood selected this episode to help educators reignite their passion for creative teaching as they prepare for the new school year.
In this powerful conversation, they welcome back Dr. Ron Beghetto and Laura McBain, Co-Director of the K12 Lab at the Stanford d.school, to explore the lessons behind their book, My Favorite Failure: How Setbacks Can Lead to Learning and Growth. Together, they dive into how educators can reframe failure as a catalyst for learning, growth, and teaching creativity in a more human-centered way.
Discover how personal stories of failure, classroom strategies, and emotional vulnerability can be used to foster creativity in education. Learn the difference between mistakes and failures, and why acknowledging emotions, expectations, and risk-taking is essential for both teachers and students.
Whether you're a new teacher or a veteran looking to try something bold this year, this episode will inspire you to see failure as a starting point—not an ending.
As part of our Fueling Creativity in Education Throwback Series, co-hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood selected this episode to help educators reignite their passion for creative teaching as they prepare for the new school year.
In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Frank LaBanca—educator, researcher, and founding principal of Westside Middle School Academy Magnet—shares his powerful approach to inquiry-based learning. As one of the few principals in the country who still teaches in the classroom, Frank offers a unique lens on how to cultivate creativity and problem-solving through student-driven exploration.
Discover how teaching students to ask better questions can transform learning, why project-based learning empowers both teachers and students, and how real-world feedback—not just teacher evaluation—deepens creative growth. From developing faculty to embracing uncertainty, Frank’s insights offer practical and philosophical guidance for educators committed to teaching creativity in meaningful, lasting ways.
As part of our Fueling Creativity in Education Throwback Series, co-hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood handpicked this episode to help educators gear up for a new school year with fresh ideas for teaching creativity in the classroom.
In this conversation, elementary STEAM teacher Andrea Mango shares how she brings creative teaching to life by connecting creativity research with everyday classroom strategies. From building student choice into projects to creating a safe environment for risk-taking, Andrea offers practical insights on engaging all learners—including those reluctant to participate.
Whether you’re teaching STEAM or looking to kickstart creativity across the curriculum, this episode is filled with back-to-school inspiration for cultivating creative thinking from day one.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this special summer edition of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Matthew Worwood and Peter Reynolds welcome renowned children’s author, illustrator, and songwriter Barney Saltzberg. Best known for his playful, heartfelt stories like Beautiful Oops and Crazy Hair Day, Barney shares insights into his two newest books: Just a Banana and Rabbit's Feet. The episode explores how Just a Banana uses humor and interactive surprises to encourage children and educators to see everyday objects—like a banana—in new and creative ways, reminding listeners of the value in play, divergent thinking, and finding joy in imagination both at home and in the classroom.
The conversation then shifts to Barney’s second new release, Rabbit’s Feet, a thoughtful story born from artistic experimentation that ultimately champions selfless acts and doing what’s right without seeking recognition. Whether you’re a parent or an educator, this episode provides inspiration for nurturing creativity in children, and practical ideas for promoting a growth mindset through creative storytelling and play-based activities. Don’t forget to check out the show notes for links to Barney’s books, his YouTube creativity challenges, and further resources to enrich your summer reading and professional development journey.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this special Listen and Learn episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome back Katie Trowbridge, an educator with over 20 years of experience and the creator of the CREATE method. Katie discusses her newly released book, Deeper Thinking in the Classroom, which is designed to guide educators in weaving creative and critical thinking strategies into existing K-12 curricula. She emphasizes that creativity is not just for the arts—debunking the myth that it’s a classroom “add-on”—and showcases how curiosity forms the foundation of deeper thinking across all subjects. The CREATE method (Curiosity, Risk-taking, Experience, Attitude, Team building, and Evaluation) provides teachers with practical steps and a clear structure for nurturing student creativity and critical thinking.
Katie also talks about her companion book, aimed at helping teachers recognize and cultivate their own creativity both personally and professionally. The conversation highlights the importance of evaluating creativity in classrooms, not just through traditional rubrics, but by involving students in co-creating assessment criteria, fostering self-reflection, peer evaluation, and metacognitive skills. Practical tips and resources are shared, reinforcing the book’s hands-on approach, and connecting to topics discussed in previous episodes—making this episode a valuable resource for educators seeking to reinvigorate their teaching with strategies for deeper, measurable creative engagement.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this special summer Listen and Learn episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome back the inspiring Principal EL to discuss his new book, "Meet Their Needs and They'll Succeed." Principal EL, a celebrated educator and chess coach, shares the heartfelt story behind his book—highlighting how a personal hospital experience inspired him to reflect on the importance of meeting every child’s individual needs with care, compassion, and love. He introduces his “four C’s of school success”: being crazy about kids, curious about their lives, providing consistent support, and cultivating a culture of love, resilience, and creativity in schools so that every student feels seen, heard, and valued.
Throughout the episode, Principal EL addresses the misconception that joy and learning cannot coexist and passionately advocates for the vital role positive relationships and community partnerships play in transforming students' lives. He shares practical strategies from his book, including trauma-informed teaching, creative teaching practices, and fostering a school environment where both educators and students thrive. By emphasizing the power of teaching creativity alongside emotional well-being, this conversation offers inspiration for building dynamic, supportive classrooms. Whether you’re an experienced school leader or new to education, this episode will leave you motivated to create a meaningful impact through daily acts of joy, encouragement, and belief in every child's potential. Don’t miss out on this energizing conversation and check out the full summer reading list at Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this special summer Listen and Learn episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood welcome back Dr. Anna Abraham, the E. Paul Torrance Professor and Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at UGA. Dr. Abraham introduces her new book, The Creative Myths and Truths, which explores seven enduring myths—or “myth truths”—about the creative brain.
The conversation unpacks popular misconceptions, such as the oversimplified notion of the "creative right brain," the perceived link between creativity and madness, and the influence of dopamine, intelligence, psychedelics, and even brain injuries on creative thinking. Dr. Abraham explains that while these ideas often contain a kernel of truth, they are frequently exaggerated or distorted—especially in educational settings.
This episode is essential listening for educators passionate about Creative Teaching and teaching creativity in meaningful ways. Dr. Abraham emphasizes the importance of moving beyond appealing but inaccurate narratives and instead grounding classroom practice in scientific research. She offers practical strategies for those looking to cultivate creativity in education, including how to use accessible language while still honoring the complexity of the science.
Be sure to check out the episode for thought-provoking perspectives, and visit the show’s summer reading list for more resources—including where to find Dr. Abraham’s book in Kindle format.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this special summer edition of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome back Dr. Zorana Pringle, senior research scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, to discuss her new book, "The Creativity Choice." In a concise, listen-and-learn format, Dr. Pringle offers a compelling overview of her book, which explores what happens after we've come up with creative ideas—emphasizing the process of transforming those ideas into tangible outcomes.
The conversation highlights that creativity isn't limited to the arts; it's a multifaceted process relevant to lesson planning, curriculum design, and problem-solving in any educational context. Dr. Pringle also addresses common misconceptions about Teaching Creativity, such as the belief that it requires complete freedom or is only about idea generation, emphasizing instead the importance of constraints and the emotional journey involved in creative work.
Listeners will gain practical insights into how emotions impact different stages of the creative process, from playful ideation to critical evaluation. Dr. Pringle shares actionable advice, encouraging educators (and anyone cultivating creativity) to recognize their own emotional patterns and leverage them—using energized moods for brainstorming and more subdued moods for critical review.
The episode not only introduces inspiring new perspectives on creativity in education but also serves as a sneak peek into Dr. Pringle’s book, recommended for educators, leaders, and coaches alike. Be sure to visit the podcast website for the complete summer reading list, and stay tuned for more enriching episodes in this summer professional development series.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
In this special on-location recording, co-hosts Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett reunite in person for only the sixth time to introduce the Fueling Creativity in Education Summer 2025 Listen & Learn Reading Series.
This unique summer series features short interviews with past podcast guests, who return to discuss their most recent books—all selected to support creative teaching and the teaching of creativity in classrooms and learning environments.
Matt and Cyndi also share exciting updates about the podcast, including a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process and a preview of the new curated episode collections now live on the podcast website. These collections are designed to help listeners easily explore key topics such as Creativity and the Arts, The Science of Creativity, Creativity and STEM, and more.
Whether you're listening on the go, planning for the school year, or simply seeking inspiration, this summer series will help you recharge your creative energy.
🔗 Learn More:Visit www.fuelingcreativitypodcast.com/summerreading2025 for a full list of featured books, guest interviews, and new thematic collections.
In this special episode, co-host Cyndi Burnett turns the microphone toward fellow host Matthew Worwood to discuss his latest Teacher Roundtable film, Riding the First AI Wave. As the second installment in the Teacher Roundtable series, this project captures another pivotal moment in education—this time focused on the early reactions of educators to the emergence of generative AI.
The episode opens with a short interview in which Matthew shares what inspired him to document how teachers responded to the release of ChatGPT 3.5 in November 2022. He discusses the range of emotions—from curiosity to cautious optimism—that shaped educators’ first experiences with large language models.
Following the interview, listeners are invited to experience the roundtable film itself. Riding the First AI Wave features a candid and thought-provoking conversation among six voices—K–12 teachers, university faculty, and undergraduate students—reflecting on the evolving impact of AI on teaching and learning.
The film opens with personal reflections on encountering ChatGPT for the first time, offering insight into the uncertainty and excitement that followed. The conversation then explores how generative AI is reshaping classrooms and institutions. Two powerful teaching scenarios guide the group through the ethical complexities of AI integration, offering a rich dialogue on what it means to teach and learn in an AI-powered world.
Key Topics Covered:
- Educator and student reactions to ChatGPT’s release
- The shifting role of teachers in the age of AI
- Opportunities and challenges in AI-assisted learning
- Ethical considerations of AI use in the classroom
- Real-world teaching scenarios and the future of education
Watch the full roundtable film and explore additional resources at: www.teacherroundtables.com.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this special end-of-year recap, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on the biggest shifts and ongoing challenges in education as the 2024-2025 academic year comes to a close. They revisit the evolution of conversations around what skills and experiences students truly need in an age of rapid technological disruption, especially with the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence in schools. Topics include the purpose and intent behind field trips, balancing foundational content with experiential learning, and the growing importance of real-world skills such as collaboration, communication, and adaptability. The hosts debate whether today's students receive enough hands-on, physical learning opportunities and how educators might intentionally integrate these into the curriculum despite logistical and budgetary barriers.
As they look toward the future, Matthew and Cyndi also consider the impact of digital communication on relationship-building and life skills, questioning whether today’s students might be missing out on essential interpersonal experiences. They discuss the challenges teachers face in “keeping doors open” for students—maintaining exposure to diverse subjects—while acknowledging the impossibility of covering every topic in depth. The episode rounds out with a call to reimagine the role of the teacher as mentor and guide, supporting real-world learning and personal growth in an increasingly AI-driven world. Listeners are invited to join the ongoing conversation about essential skills for the next generation over on the Fueling Creativity in Education LinkedIn group, and to look forward to the upcoming Listen and Learn summer book series.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
Are we missing an essential ingredient for creativity in education—like sleep?
In the Season 10 finale of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett hand over the mic to their resident scholar, Jimmy Wilson, for an in-depth reflection on the standout moments and innovative insights from an eclectic season. Jimmy draws connections between classroom creativity and essential factors we often overlook, like the power of sleep and the importance of understanding our own creative process.
The discussion dives into research showing how just a few minutes of rest can double or even triple creative problem-solving, and why productive struggle—not just instant success—is critical for growth. The hosts and Jimmy also grapple with how students can find their purpose in an AI-driven world, and why fostering community and authentic connections in the classroom are more important than ever. With highlights from luminaries like Teresa Amabile, Leo Burd, and Robert Sternberg, this episode asks educators to reconsider not only the tools they give students, but also the passion and purpose fueling the next generation.
Noteworthy Mentions* The Role of Sleep: Research cited showed that brief periods of sleep or even twilight rest significantly improve creative problem-solving. * Metacognition in the Classroom: Guests discussed the growing importance of helping students understand their own learning and thinking processes, especially amid the rise of AI. * Feedback & Incremental Growth: Celebrating small wins and providing clear, iterative feedback is more motivating than focusing solely on the end product. * Purpose and Passion: Transformational creativity comes from students connecting their work to a bigger purpose—benefiting themselves and their communities. * Productive Struggle: Perseverance and learning from failure are reframed as keys to creative development. * Authentic Audience: The impact of students seeing their work valued in the real world proves to be a major motivator.
About Jimmy WilsonJimmy Wilson is a doctoral candidate specializing in creativity and education at the University of Connecticut, currently completing a prestigious NSF fellowship in educational neuroscience. As the show's resident scholar, Jimmy brings a unique blend of fresh academic research and practical classroom insight. His work focuses on how biology, environment, and emerging technologies intersect to shape creativity at all levels of education. Passionate about connecting theory to practice, Jimmy is dedicated to helping educators foster greater creativity, resilience, and purpose in children and young adults alike.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
Are today’s students losing their passion and sense of purpose—and how can educators help reignite it?In this final debrief episode of Season 10, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on their standout interviews with a trio of trailblazers in creativity: astrobio futurist Billy Almon, MIT Media Lab’s Dr. Leo Burd, and the legendary Dr. Teresa Amabile. The conversation dives deep into the value of biomimicry—learning from nature to solve classroom challenges, the importance of finding purpose and passion in creative learning, and how small wins can fuel motivation for both teachers and students. Matt and Cyndi also explore whether influences like the pandemic and increased screen time are dampening young people's intrinsic motivation, and discuss how creativity can play a key role in happiness throughout all stages of life, including retirement. This lively, insightful wrap-up invites educators to ask themselves and their students thought-provoking questions about what inspires them, what matters most, and how to foster environments where creativity thrives.
Noteworthy Mentions* Biomimicry in Education: Drawing inspiration from nature—like the calculated strike of a scorpion—to foster creativity and problem-solving in classroom environments. * Five Ps of Creative Learning: A model discussed by Dr. Leo Burd, focusing on Passion, Project, Play, Peers and the crucial addition of Purpose in creative learning settings. * Purpose and Passion: A pressing concern about whether today’s students are struggling to find their "why," potentially due to pandemic disruptions, over-accommodation, or screen time overload. * Progress Principle: Dr. Teresa Amabile’s research on the power of recognizing small wins to sustain motivation and creativity—a strategy for both teachers and learners. * Creativity Across the Lifespan: The empowering idea that creativity isn’t just for the classroom—it's vital for happiness and fulfillment into retirement and beyond. * Conversation Starters: Encouragement for teachers to ask students what matters to them and what they’re passionate about, to help spark deeper engagement.
Episodes Discussed:Billy Almon is an astrobio futurist known for his work in biomimicry and innovative approaches to creativity.
Dr. Leo Burd is a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, where he explores creative learning frameworks and the integration of purpose into educational experiences.
Dr. Teresa Amabile is a renowned scholar in the fields of creativity, motivation, and organizational behavior, widely recognized for her work on the progress principle and for championing creativity at every stage of life.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
Listen to Part One of the Double Expresso here!
In this exceptional double espresso of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett are joined by Dr. Teresa Amabile for part two of a discussion on creativity in education. The three explore the application of Dr. Amabile's Progress Principle, a concept that emphasizes how small wins drive motivation and creativity, even in classroom environments. Dr. Amabile shares insights from her research involving R&D teams at corporations, revealing how a positive inner work life, driven by progress in meaningful work, fosters creativity and productivity. The discussion expands into the significance of learning from setbacks and mistakes, a practice essential for both children and adults, and how celebrating failures can lead to further progress and creativity in education.
The episode also touches upon the intriguing topic of creativity in retirement, where Dr. Amabile shares findings from her recent research on life satisfaction of retirees, highlighting the importance of creative opportunities during the later years of one's career. Additionally, the episode addresses the potential impact of generative AI on creativity, sparking thoughts on its potential to support or hinder human creativity. Throughout the conversation, Dr. Amabile weaves personal stories and insights that add a warm, engaging touch to the academic discussion, offering listeners a fusion of inspiration and practical applications for fostering creativity in various stages of life and work.
The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work
Retiring: Creating a Life that Works for You
About Dr. Teresa Amabile:
Dr. Teresa Amabile is a world-renowned expert in creativity research, with 50 years of groundbreaking work in the field. She is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor, Emerita, at Harvard Business School and originally trained as a chemist before earning her Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University. Her research has explored the intersection of creativity, motivation, and the work environment, shaping how we understand and foster innovation. Dr. Amabile is the author of several influential books, including Growing Up Creative, Creativity in Context, The Progress Principle, and most recently, Retiring: Creating a Life that Works for You, as well as over 100 research articles and scholarly chapters. Her work continues to inspire educators, leaders, and organizations to cultivate environments that nurture creativity and innovation.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
Listen to Part Two of the Double Expresso here!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett engage in an enlightening conversation with Dr. Teresa Amabile, a world-renowned expert in creativity research. Teresa shares fascinating insights from her impressive 50-year career, discussing her journey and the many chapters of her groundbreaking work. The conversation begins into her early interests in childhood creativity, sparked during her time in kindergarten, and how these experiences led her to study motivation and its effects on creativity. Teresa emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation and reflects on how extrinsic factors can sometimes bolster creativity, sharing practical tips for teachers and administrators.
The episode also highlights Teresa's reflections on creativity within educational environments, stressing that creativity is not solely an individual trait but is significantly influenced by context. The discussion touches on her book "Creativity in Context" and explores how school environments can either nurture or stifle creative potential. Teresa advocates for a flexible, personalized approach to education, where students are encouraged to explore and play without the constraints of rigid, standardized assessments. Throughout the episode, Matthew and Cyndi explore these themes with Teresa, drawing valuable connections between research and practical application in educational settings.
Creativity in Context
About Dr. Teresa Amabile:
Dr. Teresa Amabile is a world-renowned expert in creativity research, with 50 years of groundbreaking work in the field. She is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor, Emerita, at Harvard Business School and originally trained as a chemist before earning her Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University. Her research has explored the intersection of creativity, motivation, and the work environment, shaping how we understand and foster innovation. Dr. Amabile is the author of several influential books, including Growing Up Creative, Creativity in Context, The Progress Principle, and most recently, Retiring: Creating a Life that Works for You, as well as over 100 research articles and scholarly chapters. Her work continues to inspire educators, leaders, and organizations to cultivate environments that nurture creativity and innovation.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
Can technology truly foster creativity and social change, or does it sometimes hinder the freedom to explore and express?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood delve into the role of technology in creative education with guest Dr. Leo Burd from MIT's Media Lab. Leo discusses the concept of technology fluency as opposed to merely learning about technology itself, emphasizing its critical understanding and meaningful application in life. He shares his journey from Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he was inspired by stark social inequalities and sought to use technology as a tool for empowerment.
The conversation covers the challenges and successes of the Brazilian Creative Learning Network, where Scratch has been leveraged to promote creative learning rather than just technological skill. Additionally, Leo shares his insights into the four Ps of creative learning: Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play, with an added P of Purpose from Brazil's experience. Engage with this thought-provoking discussion that questions how technology, especially generative AI, can be integrated meaningfully into educational experiences without overshadowing the objective of learning.
Noteworthy Mentions:
- Technology Fluency vs. Literacy: Understanding technology's impact and using it meaningfully.
- Brazilian Creative Learning Network: Using Scratch to foster creative learning in Brazil.
-
Five Ps of Creative Learning:
- Projects: Learning through creating tangible outcomes.
- Passion: Engaging with personally meaningful projects.
- Peers: Collaborative environments promoting idea exchange.
- Play: Encouraging playful, exploratory use of materials.
- Purpose: Connecting learning with community and societal context.
- Generative AI in Education: Challenges and potential as a tool for enhancing creative learning.
Guest Bio:
Dr. Leo Burd is a researcher at MIT's Media Lab, focusing on designing technologies that empower marginalized communities. With a background in computer science and a passion for civic engagement, Leo has spearheaded numerous initiatives that harness digital tools for social impact. His work in participatory design, education, and grassroots innovation is shaping a future where technology serves as a force for equity and empowerment. Raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Leo's journey into technology's transformative power began amidst societal inequalities, driving his dedication to fostering a more inclusive digital age.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
How can observing a simple creature lead to groundbreaking innovations in education and technology?
In this engaging episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, co-hosts Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett dive into a compelling conversation with Billy Almon, an astrobiofuturist and expert in biomimicry. Billy shares his unique journey from a disruptive "D student" to a creative leader in STEM education, highlighting how curiosity and non-traditional thinking can transform learning experiences. He discusses the power of biomimicry—drawing inspiration from nature to solve human challenges—by detailing how educators can leverage natural observations to encourage creativity and innovation in students. Billy also introduces his Dream and Adapt framework, emphasizing the potential to achieve big dreams by recognizing possibilities within our current realities. Throughout the episode, Billy's vibrant anecdotes and passion for mixing science with creativity shine, inspiring educators to see the natural world as a vast library of solutions waiting to be discovered.
Noteworthy Mentions:
- Billy Almon's backstory as a "D student" with a creative edge.
- The concept of biomimicry: Imitating nature to solve human problems.
- How educators can use natural observations to spark student curiosity.
- The Dream and Adapt framework for recognizing potential in existing realities.
- Personal story of learning from an otter's scat as a creative learning moment.
- Encouragement to incorporate more nature-based observations in classrooms.
About Billy Almon
Billy Almon is an astrobiofuturist and a leader in the field of biomimicry, design, and storytelling. With a background as a former creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, Billy has a rich history of applying creative and natural insights to education and innovation. He is also the co-host of "Little Giants" on Animal Planet and Discovery Plus. Through his work, Billy empowers educators and students to reimagine learning via creativity, curiosity, and world-building, aiming to inspire the next generation to tackle real-world challenges with bold and big ideas.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this mid-season debrief episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on the past three interviews that brought a diverse set of perspectives on fostering creativity within educational spaces. They revisit key moments with Jamie Celia Tosi from the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Jaap Haartsen—the inventor of Bluetooth, Dr. Jo Boaler from Stanford University, and Buffalo public school teacher Jonathan Guerra. The hosts discuss topics ranging from the fusion of creativity skills with domain expertise, the importance of providing students real opportunities to invent and problem-solve, and the practicalities of applying creativity in both large and small classroom moments. They emphasize that creativity training should go hand-in-hand with meaningful experiences, and introduce actionable ideas for educators aiming to incorporate creative learning into everyday teaching.
The conversation also delves deep into the role of metacognition, as highlighted by Dr. Boaler, and why teaching students to think about their thinking is crucial—particularly in an age of rapid technological change and the rise of generative AI. Cyndi and Matthew further explore issues of student well-being, such as the impact of sleep and trauma on learning and creativity, and the essential need for psychological safety in the classroom. Through anecdotes and research connections, they underline the importance of mentorship and personalized support, making a strong case for educators to recognize contextual factors that affect a student’s readiness to engage creatively. With season ten halfway through, the hosts tease upcoming initiatives and encourage feedback as they continue building a community committed to enriching educational practice through creativity.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
How does the focus on relationships and trauma-informed care revolutionize the approach to creativity in education?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood are joined by educator Jonathan Garra to explore the crucial role of relationships, trauma-informed teaching, and student readiness in fostering creativity. Jonathan shares his insights from 17 years of teaching experience spanning both independent and public schools. The discussion explores the foundational importance of relationships in education and how recognizing students as whole individuals can empower them to become confident learners and creative thinkers.
Jonathan emphasizes the importance of creating a positive classroom climate, where simple actions like greeting students and learning their names can have a significant impact. The conversation also touches on the challenges of integrating creativity into the curriculum in diverse educational settings and the pivotal role of sleep in student readiness. As they navigate these educational landscapes, the hosts and guest reflect on how creativity can serve as a powerful tool for healing and empowerment.
About Jonathan Garra:
Jonathan Garra brings 17 years of teaching experience, spanning independent and urban public schools, along with eight years of experience mentoring incoming freshmen at SUNY Buffalo State University in the Educational Opportunity Program. His commitment to student success is rooted in a passion for fostering confidence and creativity, particularly for those overcoming socioeconomic challenges, through dynamic and engaging instruction.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
Can math truly be a canvas for creativity in the educational landscape, reshaping mindsets and unlocking diverse potentials?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Jo Boaler delves into transforming the way we perceive and teach math, advocating for a more creative, equitable, and connected approach. Dr. Boaler, a professor at Stanford, emphasizes the importance of moving beyond traditional methods that focus solely on numerical calculation towards fostering a more holistic understanding of math's visual and interdisciplinary nature. She highlights the significant barriers of current math education systems, which often stifle diversity in STEM fields.
By introducing big ideas and encouraging visual and creative problem-solving, Dr. Boaler argues for a learning process where students actively engage, reflect, and grow through struggle. This approach not only boosts math achievement but also reflects positively on other academic areas. The discussion touches on practical classroom strategies, the importance of struggle in learning, and broader implications for educational diversity.
About Dr. Jo Boaler:
Dr. Jo Boaler is a Professor of Education at Stanford University and previously held the title of Marie Curie Professor of Mathematics Education in England. With a career that began in teaching mathematics in London, Dr. Boaler has become an influential figure in math education, authoring 19 books and numerous articles. Her innovative work has been recognized by the BBC as one of eight educators transforming education and by delivering presentations at the White House on Women and Girls in Education. She actively engages in projects aimed at reshaping math education, notably co-founding the You Cubed platform and contributing as a writer to the California Mathematics Framework.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
Listen to Part One of this Double Expresso here!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood continue their dynamic conversation with their guests, Jaap Haartsen, known for his pioneering development of Bluetooth technology, and Jayme Cellitoci, the Senior Director of Education for the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The discussion delves into the implications of technology in society, highlighting the ethical considerations and unintended consequences that accompany technological advancements. Jaap shares his insights on the dual nature of innovations, emphasizing the importance of educating people to use technology responsibly, while Jayme discusses the importance of invention education and the role of creativity in problem-solving and innovation.
As the conversation unfolds, the guests share personal anecdotes that illustrate the positive impact of hands-on learning experiences and the exploration of technology with young learners. Jayme narrates a touching story about a child creatively repurposing a camp invention project to aid his family during a storm-induced blackout, underscoring the practical and empowering nature of creative education. The episode closes with both guests sharing their most memorable creative educational experiences, reinforcing the podcast’s mission to enrich and inspire educators, students, and innovators to harness creativity for positive change.
Guest Bios:
Jaap Haartsen: A pivotal figure in the development of Bluetooth technology, Jaap offers invaluable insights into the ethical considerations and responsibilities inventors face in today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape. His reflections highlight the importance of educating future innovators on the potential repercussions of their creations.
Jayme Cellitoci: As the Senior Director of Education for the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Jayme passionately discusses the role invention education plays in fostering creativity and ethical decision-making in young learners. Her work focuses on empowering students to see everyday materials as potential innovations and to question the ethical dimensions of their creative endeavors.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
Listen to Part Two of the Double Expresso here!
In this exciting episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett dive into a stimulating conversation with Jaap Haartsen, the inventor behind Bluetooth wireless technology, and Jayme Cellitioci, the Senior Director of Education for the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Together, they explore the intricate relationship between creativity and innovation, emphasizing the critical role that skills play in transforming creative ideas into practical innovations. Throughout the discussion, the guests share insightful anecdotes on the journey of invention and reflect on the significance of inspiring creativity and problem-solving in educational settings.
Listeners are treated to a fascinating tale of how Bluetooth became a ubiquitous technology, with Jaap sharing his experiences and lessons learned from leading innovation projects. The episode also highlights the power of mentorship and role models, as Jayme shares inspiring stories of how students are impacted by learning from real-life inventors like Jaap. This conversation offers educators valuable insights on promoting research, fostering curiosity, and engaging students in invention education, ultimately preparing the next generation for a future of creativity and innovation. Don't miss out on this compelling episode that fuels inspiring ideas and possibilities in education.
Guest Bio
Jaap Haartsen is a 2015 inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and is celebrated for leading the development of Bluetooth wireless technology. Originating from Holland, Jaap began his groundbreaking work in 1994, and his invention has since revolutionized modern connectivity, enabling billions of devices to communicate wirelessly worldwide.
Jayme Cellitioci is the Senior Director of Education for the National Inventors Hall of Fame, where she leads the strategy and vision for dynamic invention education experiences that impact hundreds of thousands annually. With a background in marine science and authorship, Jayme plays a crucial role in integrating insights from top innovators into education, holding patents herself, and inspiring students and educators alike.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this debrief episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on their fourth anniversary of the show and dive into discussions around three insightful interviews from the current season. They cover key takeaways from conversations with Miriam Scott about storytelling and social activism, Amanda Bickerstaff on AI literacy, and Santosh Zachariah’s experiences with technology in education. Reflecting on these episodes, Matthew and Cyndi explore the role of creativity in addressing real-world challenges, the importance of empowering students, and the integration of AI literacy into the educational landscape.
The hosts ponder the future of AI education, discussing whether AI literacy will be a standalone course or integrated across curriculums, and emphasize the need for innovative teaching approaches. They also touch on developing personalized learning frameworks that focus on student growth and individual goals rather than traditional grades. As they connect these themes to broader educational trends, Matthew and Cyndi encourage listeners to engage with the Creative Visions website for practical inspiration and to commemorate World Creativity and Innovation Day by fostering creative problem-solving in classrooms. Please tune in for an engaging discussion that promises to inspire educators to fuel creativity and innovation in their teaching practices.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor, Curiosity2Create.org, and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett are joined by Santosh Zachariah, an educator with a rich background in STEM fields and a passion for fostering creativity in his students. Santosh shares insights from his journey from civil engineering and software development to teaching and educational technology coordination. He underscores the importance of intrinsic motivation and the power of removing grades to cultivate meaningful learning experiences. The conversation delves into the challenges and strategies of creating grade-free environments, emphasizing student reflection and metacognition as tools to fuel curiosity and creativity. Santosh offers practical examples from his experience at the Evergreen School, where intrinsic motivation is prioritized to help students explore their interests and develop skills rather than simply achieving grades.
The episode explores broader themes around how educators can nurture creativity by promoting metacognitive strategies and fostering engagement through meaning-driven tasks. Santosh reflects on the challenges of assessing process over product and the importance of scaffolding learning to support creativity in any content area. The discussion touches on examples of real-world creativity, such as the innovative responses of teachers during the pandemic and the impact of a professional development experience at Western Kentucky University that emphasized creativity in teaching. Santosh's insights highlight the ongoing need for educators to adapt their approaches to inspire meaningful learning and creativity in the classroom. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on how these strategies might be applied in their own educational settings to enrich teaching and learning experiences.
About Santosh Zachariah:
Santosh Zachariah has happily found himself in late elementary and middle school STEM classrooms at The Evergreen School for the past 15 years, having first meandered from Civil Engineering to clincal Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to Biomechanics research to software engineering. At The Evergreen School, he is involved in their Strategic Growth Initiative whose goal is "To educate students to develop the competence of Creativity."
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this insightful episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett engage with Amanda Bickerstaff, the co-founder and CEO of AI for Education. With her extensive background as a high school biology teacher and EdTech executive, Amanda provides a nuanced perspective on the transformative role of AI in education. She emphasizes the importance of AI literacy, urging schools to integrate comprehensive AI literacy programs. Amanda highlights the necessity for educators, leaders, students, and community members to gain a robust understanding of generative AI to effectively navigate its challenges and opportunities. The discussion explores how AI can enhance creativity, personalize learning, and address digital equity, while Amanda reassures educators that AI is here to augment rather than replace their invaluable roles.
Throughout the episode, Amanda discusses the rapid adoption of generative AI technologies like ChatGPT and the potential disconnect between students and these tools as they integrate into everyday life. She underscores the need for responsible guidelines and the development of durable skills such as creativity and critical thinking. Amanda envisions a future where educators and students collaborate with AI to enhance educational experiences rather than viewing it as a threat. The episode serves as a critical reminder of the ongoing evolution in education technology and the importance of a proactive approach to responsibly integrating AI into teaching and learning processes. The conversation is filled with practical insights and suggestions for educators eager to embrace this technological shift.
About Amanda Bickerstaff:
Amanda is the Co-Founder and CEO of AI for Education. A former high school biology teacher and EdTech executive with over 20 years of experience in the education sector. She has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that AI can offer. She is a frequent consultant, speaker, and writer on the topic of AI in education, leading workshops and professional learning across both K12 and Higher Ed. Amanda is committed to helping schools and teachers maximize their potential through the ethical and equitable adoption of AI.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this engaging episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Miriam Scott, the Director of Youth and Educator Engagement at Creative Visions, to discuss the transformative power of creative expression in education. Miriam outlines the work of Creative Visions, particularly focusing on their Creative Change Makers program, which empowers students by allowing them to explore issues within their communities and choose how they can creatively express their concerns. This approach, she explains, is designed to grant students a sense of agency and ensure their voices are heard. Miriam shares diverse stories from students who have used their skills in filmmaking, visual arts, poetry, and other creative mediums to raise awareness and instigate change in their communities, highlighting the potential impact of integrating creative methods into educational settings.
Further emphasizing the importance of creativity, Miriam discusses the educational resources available through Creative Visions that are designed to help teachers and students engage with social and environmental issues. She also talks about the broader application of their work, linking it to universal topics like mental health and global citizenship. The hosts and Miriam explore the intersection of creativity, education, and agency, urging educators to incorporate these elements into teaching to foster both personal and community transformation. Additionally, Miriam shares her personal experience growing up with limited resources but a rich exposure to the arts, illustrating the lasting impact of creativity in her life. Listeners are encouraged to access Creative Visions' tools and methodologies to deepen students’ engagement with their work and passions, driving both localized and global change.
About Miriam Scott:
Miriam was born in Germany and moved to the United States during her teenage years. She received her BA in English from Northern Arizona University. While completing her MFA in creative writing, Miriam stumbled upon teaching. What began as a means to pay the bills, became a lifelong passion. In the last twenty years, she has taught a variety of English classes, including AP literature and creative writing, in middle school and high school classrooms. While teaching, she realized the importance of incorporating both visual and performing arts into the academic classroom, as well as teaching students how to find their voices and their places in their communities and in the world at large.
Miriam has been an adjunct composition and literature instructor at numerous colleges and universities, including Northern Virginia Community Colleges and the City University of New York. She has also, in the last decade, created curricula for several organizations, such as Pearson and Arizona State University Digital Prep, exploring and developing innovative and effective methods of digital teaching that meet the needs of a wide and diverse body of teachers and students. As the Director of Youth and Educator Engagement, Miriam is thrilled to combine her experience in curriculum development with her love of teaching and art to help young creative activists achieve their goals.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Check out all of our episodes related to Creativity and Gifted Education!Sign up for our weekly newsletter here! In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett provide a comprehensive debrief of Season 10’s special mini-series on gifted education and creativity. The hosts reflect on their experiences attending the National Association for Gifted and Talented conference in Seattle, where they conducted insightful interviews with three experts in the field. The guests included Dr. Jeb Puryear, who discussed creativity, metacognition, and gifted education; Dr. Austina De Bonte, who explored creativity and twice-exceptional students; and Dr. Erinn F. Floyd, who emphasized diversity and equity within gifted education. The hosts share their key takeaways, including the importance of assessing giftedness through multiple measures, understanding twice-exceptional learners, and the need for more robust training for educators in identifying gifted students.
Throughout the episode, Matthew and Cyndi underscore the necessity of national mandates and better policies to support gifted education while also highlighting the role biases and stereotypes play in how we perceive gifted students. They stress the importance of making creativity accessible to all students and the significance of reducing barriers in identifying and nurturing gifted learners. The hosts encourage educators and parents to challenge their preconceptions and actively engage in conversations with gifted coordinators in schools. Listeners are invited to delve deeper into the podcast’s collection of episodes on gifted education available on their website, providing a pathway to expand knowledge and improve practices in supporting gifted and highly capable students in educational environments.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
How can teachers move from a "deficit mindset" to a "dynamic mindset" when recognizing creativity and intelligence in diverse learners?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood engage in a rich dialogue with Dr. Erin F. Floyd, a renowned scholar specializing in gifted education, diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. Dr. Floyd, who serves as the Director of Training and Partnership Development for the Consortium for Inclusion of Underrepresented Racial Groups in gifted education, discusses the historical and ongoing challenges of identifying and supporting gifted students, particularly those from underrepresented populations. Drawing from her own personal journey and extensive professional experience, Dr. Floyd explores how systemic changes and a more inclusive approach can enhance the identification process and lead to greater racial equity within gifted education. The conversation takes a deep dive into the importance of moving from deficit thinking towards dynamic thinking, emphasizing the need for a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders to ensure that all high-ability students receive appropriate educational opportunities.
Throughout the episode, Dr. Floyd highlights various strategies for educators to more effectively recognize and nurture giftedness in students from diverse backgrounds. She shares insights into the historical context of gifted education, including the impact of the eugenics movement and the importance of multiple criteria in identifying gifted students. With a focus on real-world application, Dr. Floyd discusses her development of online learning modules designed to train educators on recognizing gifted behaviors among minority students. As the conversation wraps up, Dr. Floyd shares her vision for the future of gifted education, calling for a more uniform, equitable policy across the nation and the inclusion of gifted education training in teacher preparation programs. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of the intrinsic value of inclusivity in education and be empowered to advocate for necessary changes that uphold the diverse needs of gifted students.
About Dr. Erinn F. Floyd: Founder/CEO of Equity and Excellence in Education, LLC, provides culturally relevant professional learning and advocacy for educators, organizations, parents, and students. Special Populations in Gifted Education and Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading are online badging courses for educators of all content areas/levels. Dr. Floyd many roles over 32 years include classroom teacher, Gifted and School Improvement Specialist, District Gifted Education Coordinator, Assistant Principal, Director of Professional Learning for NAGC, and State Director of Gifted Education for the Alabama Department of Education. She has served as lecturer and professor at Texas State University, The University of Maryland, The University of Georgia, and Alabama State University.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
In this episode of the "Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast," hosts Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood engage in a thought-provoking discussion with Dr. Austina De Bonte, an expert in gifted education. Austina who transitioned from a successful career in technology at Microsoft to pursue her passion for gifted education, shares her multifaceted experiences and research. She highlights the challenges and strategies associated with equitable identification of gifted students, particularly focusing on twice exceptional students—those who are both gifted and have a learning difference or disability. Dr. De Bonte emphasizes the importance of using methods such as local norms and or-based rules in testing to provide a more inclusive and accurate identification process. She also addresses the stereotypes and assumptions associated with giftedness and the need for a broader understanding of the complexities involved.
Throughout the episode, Dr. De Bonte explores the significance of re-evaluating the terminology used in gifted education, supporting the shift from "gifted" to "highly capable" to mitigate misconceptions. Additionally, she offers valuable insights for parents navigating the educational system with twice exceptional children, encouraging a deeper exploration of underlying issues that may affect a child's performance. Listeners will gain an understanding of how Austina's approach intertwines creative educational experiences with systematic solutions, ultimately advocating for a more comprehensive and equitable gifted education landscape. The episode provides valuable perspectives for educators, parents, and administrators seeking to enhance their understanding of gifted education and foster creativity in the classroom.
About Dr. Austina De Bonte:
Dr. Austina De Bonte is President of WA Coalition for Gifted Education, Past President of NW Gifted Child Association, Advisor to The G Word documentary, and a consultant at Smart is not Easy. She specializes in helping families get to the root cause(s) of their kids’ twice exceptional challenges. Her signature style combines her experience as a parent of grown 2e students and family consultant along with synthesized research, current district practices across Washington State, and cutting-edge neuroscience. She has a Masters degree from MIT (1998), and an Ed.D. from Bridges Graduate School (2024), where her dissertation was titled “Beyond Universal Screening: Practices and Attitudes that Promote Equity in an Accelerated Program.”
Learn more about her at Smart is Not Easy.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
Welcome to an exciting new episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast as we kick off season 10 with a compelling mini-series on diversity, creativity and gifted education, recorded live at the 2024 National Association for Gifted and Talented Conference in Seattle, Washington. In this episode, our hosts, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down with Dr. Jeb Puryear, an associate professor at the University of Montana. Dr. Puryear imparts his extensive knowledge on the intersection of creativity, talent development, and education. They delve into how creativity research can help address systemic inequities in education and explore intriguing topics such as divergent thinking and creative metacognition, providing invaluable insights for teachers endeavoring to integrate creativity into their classrooms effectively.
Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of ways to contextualize creative assignments for students, linking them to real-world problems and encouraging students to develop a capacity for evaluating ideas critically. The conversation also covers the challenges of equitable education for gifted students and explores intervention strategies rather than relying solely on identification practices. Dr. Puryear emphasizes the importance of recognizing and nurturing creativity in students and teachers alike, and presents an array of strategies to empower educators in fostering a more inclusive and innovative learning environment. Tune in to explore these pivotal themes and to glean inspiration from Dr. Puryear’s creative educational experiences and insights, aimed at transforming how we approach gifted education and creativity in K-12 settings.
About Dr. Jeb Puryear:
Dr.Jeb Puryear is an Associate Professor of Gifted Education at the University of Montana and a former Research Associate at the National Center for Research on Gifted Education. Additionally, he has spent two decades as a teacher and educational administrator. Jeb is an active member of NAGC networks, current chair-elect of the Research & Evaluation network, and routinely serves the gifted education community through editorial work for journals and as a conference proposal reviewer. Jeb has had his work published across top outlets in both the gifted education and creativity fields. His research interests center on creativity, underserved populations in gifted education, and the psychology of talent development.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!
We are back for Season 10 of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast! In this episode, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood announce a unique and exciting start with episodes recorded on location at the National Association for Gifted and Talented Conference in Seattle. This season also features a special miniseries that explores gifted education alongside diversity, equity, and inclusion topics, kicking off with three insightful episodes.
The episode also highlights several developments aimed at amplifying the podcast's reach and resources. Cyndi shares her endeavor to launch a weekly newsletter featuring episodes and updates from past guests, labeled as "extra fuel." Meanwhile, Matthew discusses the extensive redesign and organization of their website, which now hosts over 200 episodes sorted into collections like STEM, theater education, and creativity research. Additionally, they introduce Jimmy Wilson, an emerging scholar who will contribute cutting-edge research insights, and Katherine Fu, their new creative producer. The hosts conclude with an appetizer of what’s to come, including a new concluding question for guests about creative educational experiences, setting the stage for an engaging and resourceful season.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and join their Creativity Network for Educators at Curiosity2Connect!
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
For more information on Creativity in Education, check out:
Cyndi's Website: Creativity and Education
Matt's Website: Worwood Classroom
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Download the Debrief Handout to this episode here!
In this final episode of the Winter 2025 Listen and Learn Series of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett delve into the concept of uncertainty in the learning process. Revisiting a profound conversation with renowned creativity expert Dr. Ron Beghetto, they explore how embracing uncertainty and acknowledging negative emotions can enhance creativity and learning outcomes in the classroom.
Episode Highlights:
- Understanding Productive Uncertainty: How uncertainty can be a catalyst for creativity and deeper learning.
- Embracing Negative Emotions: The importance of recognizing and supporting students through feelings of anger, frustration, and doubt.
- "My Favorite Failure" Project: Dr. Beghetto's approach to reframing failure as a positive learning experience.
- Strategies for Educators: Practical ways teachers can create environments that allow students to navigate uncertainty and develop resilience.
Key Quote from Dr. Ron Beghetto:
"Why isn't it okay for young people to have negative emotions in school when they're really doing difficult work? Why isn't it okay for them to get angry and frustrated? I think it's okay to recognize it. And in fact, it's supportive to let a teacher say... 'I see that you're angry. I can understand that you're angry. Do you need help? Can we support you in kind of working through this?'"
Discussion Questions for Professional Learning Communities (PLCs):
- Navigating Uncertainty:
- Reflect on a time when uncertainty in your classroom led to productive learning. What factors contributed to this positive outcome?
- How can you intentionally incorporate uncertainty to foster creativity and problem-solving skills?
Supporting Negative Emotions:
- How do you currently respond when students express frustration or anger during challenging tasks?
- What strategies can you implement to validate these emotions and guide students through them?
Differentiating Uncertainty:
- How can you distinguish between productive and unproductive uncertainty in your teaching practices?
- What steps can you take to minimize unnecessary frustration while still challenging your students?
Tools and Strategies:
- What tools can you provide students to help them navigate uncertainty and failure?
- How can you model resilience and a growth mindset in the face of challenges?
Reflecting on Practice:
- How might acknowledging and discussing your own failures benefit your students?
- In what ways can sharing stories of overcoming obstacles inspire and motivate learners?
Resources Mentioned:
- Curiosity to Create Network: A nonprofit organization offering professional development, online courses, and a creative thinking network for educators.
- Website: https://curiositytocreate.org
- Fueling Creativity Podcast Website: Access all episodes and resources.
- Website: https://fuelingcreativitypodcast.com
Join the Conversation:
Don't have a professional learning community? Join the Curiosity to Connect Network to participate in monthly webinars, access creative lesson plans, and be part of a supportive community focused on fostering creativity in education
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Downloadable Discussion Questions for PLCs.
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett highlight insights from their interview with Dr. Kulvarn Atwal, an innovative headteacher and thought leader in education. Together, they explore the transformative power of questioning assumptions and aligning classroom practices with core values to foster creativity and flexibility in schools.
Episode Highlights:
- Real-world examples of how questioning classroom norms can unlock dialogue and creativity.
- The role of teacher autonomy and flexibility in promoting student engagement.
- Actionable strategies for creating shared values and expectations with students.
Key Quote from Dr. Kulvarn Atwal:
"I went into the second school, and the culture was: 'Everybody has to do the same thing because that's what they think consistency is.' That is not consistency. Consistency is consistency of values, consistency of expectations, consistency of aspirations—not consistency of doing the same thing. You're not going to get the outcomes for the children if everyone is doing the same thing."
Discussion Questions for PLCs:
- What values guide your teaching practice, and how do they manifest in your classroom?
- Are there any routines or assumptions in your school that could benefit from being questioned?
- How can autonomy and flexibility inspire both educators and students?
- How do you define "consistency" in your school or classroom? How does this definition impact creativity?
- What strategies can you use to collaboratively set expectations and values with students at the start of the year?
Resources Mentioned:
- YouTube Video on Crafting Classroom Contracts by Dr. Cyndi Burnett
- Downloadable Discussion Questions for PLCs.
Join the Conversation:
Don’t have a professional learning community? Join the Curiosity to Connect Network for resources, webinars, and a supportive community of creative educators. Learn more here.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Downloadable Discussion Questions for PLCs
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cindy Burnett continue their Winter 2025 Listen and Learn Series by revisiting a compelling conversation with Dr. Marta Ockluy. Known for her groundbreaking work on redefining creativity, Dr. Ockluy shares a human-centered perspective on creativity and contrasts it with computational creativity, a timely topic in the age of generative AI.
Episode Highlights:
- Dr. Marta Ockluy’s human-centered definition of creativity: "Creativity is the person-centered process of imagining possibilities and taking embodied expressive action that makes your ideas real."
- The role of openness, curiosity, and authenticity in creative thinking.
- How computational creativity challenges traditional views of human creativity.
- Actionable prompts to facilitate meaningful discussions about creativity in schools and professional learning communities (PLCs).
Key Discussion Questions for PLCs:
- How do you define creativity in your classroom or school community?
- What does creativity “look like” and “sound like” in your teaching environment?
- How can openness and curiosity foster creativity among students and educators?
- What role does computational creativity and generative AI play in reshaping our understanding of creativity?
- How do shared definitions of creativity help build a supportive and innovative school culture?
Resources Mentioned:
- Downloadable Discussion Questions for PLCs
Join the Conversation:
Don’t have a professional learning community? Join the Curiosity to Connect Network for monthly webinars, creative lesson plans, and a supportive community of like-minded educators. Learn more here.
Subscribe and Stay Connected:
Subscribe to Fueling Creativity in Education on your favorite podcast platform and follow us for updates, discussions, and resources to inspire creativity in your teaching.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Download the Discussion Questions
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett kick off their Winter 2025 Listen and Learn Series with a deep dive into the role of joy in creative teaching. Drawing inspiration from their interview with Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers, the conversation explores how teachers can rekindle joy, overcome burnout, and design flexible, engaging learning experiences for their students.
Episode Highlights:
- Why joy is a key ingredient in creative teaching.
- Strategies for navigating burnout and reigniting passion for teaching.
- The importance of flexibility in lesson planning and adapting to challenges.
- Practical questions for professional learning communities (PLCs) to discuss and reflect on their practices.
Key Quote from Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers:
"Creative teaching is about your craft. It is about you as a teacher becoming more creative. And what that looks like is you are bringing more joy, more motivating activities, more curiosity to your own thinking about your lessons. It can lead a teacher on the path to burnout, to rejuvenating who they are and why they came into the profession."
Discussion Questions for PLCs:
- When have you experienced joy in your teaching, and what contributed to it?
- What barriers do you encounter that hinder joy in your classroom?
- How do you intentionally incorporate joy and creativity into your lessons?
- What strategies can you use to rekindle joy when burnout occurs?
Join the Conversation:
Don’t have a professional learning community? Join the Curiosity to Connect Network for webinars, lesson plans, and a supportive community of creative educators.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
Please complete our short 2024 survey to help us build season ten!
In this special New Year's episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett take a reflective look back on their goals and achievements from 2024 while setting new objectives for 2025. With an air of playful banter, they celebrate their successes, such as updating the podcast's cover art, launching a comprehensive website with organized collections of episodes, and reaching the milestone of 193 episodes with 100 guest appearances. They also delve into the partial completion of their anticipated book and their exciting foray into live episode recordings and professional presentations, emphasizing that goals sometimes require flexibility and adaptability.
As they turn their focus to 2025, Matthew and Cyndi articulate their ambitious plans, which include finishing their book manuscript and enhancing professional learning through the podcast. They introduce episodes highlighting key moments from seasons one and two, designed to support educators' professional development. The hosts also invite listeners to engage by filling out a quick survey to help shape the future content of the podcast, with opportunities to win books and prizes. Listeners are encouraged to form professional learning communities, either in person or through online platforms like LinkedIn, to foster a collaborative environment centered on creativity in education. Happy New Year from the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast team!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
How can brainwriting transform divergent thinking sessions?
Please complete our short 2024 survey to help us build season ten!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett chat with emerging scholar Jimmy Wilson about the connections between creativity research and education. They dive into the growing use of brainwriting in creative thinking sessions, explaining how it benefits different types of learners. Cyndi shares her experiences and research, emphasizing the value of teaching students how to think creatively by delaying judgment and encouraging originality and fluency.
Jimmy highlights a study involving Italian elementary students and refugees, suggesting that college admissions should consider creativity to reflect diverse backgrounds. Together, they explore a fun exercise where participants take on different personas to think more creatively and brainstorm new uses for everyday objects. They also discuss how varying the timing of feedback can enhance the creative process and share practical examples, like Neil Bergenroth’s use of rowing machines to teach STEM concepts.
The conversation touches on equity in creativity, pointing out how cultural sensitivity and diverse environments can inspire new ideas. The hosts stress the importance of flexible and inclusive teaching methods to meet the needs of all learners. Wrapping up, they reflect on how creativity can drive positive change and help address challenges in education.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
Check out our new website at FuelingCreativitypodcast.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Are you looking for more Creativity and Education Resources, Check out CreativityandEducation.com
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Please complete our short survey to help us prepare for Season Ten of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast!
In this final Season Nine debrief of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett celebrate the contributions of season nine's guests, including Colin Seale, Dr. Talia Goldstein, and Dr. Robert Sternberg, whose insights have enriched conversations on creativity in education.
Cyndi and Matthew underscore the value of viewing the world through multiple perspectives, using theater education as a compelling example. They illustrate how theater fosters creativity by encouraging students to fill in gaps, embrace ambiguity, and empathize with diverse viewpoints. They also draw connections between theater and the field of law, highlighting the essential skill of embodying multiple perspectives as a critical competency.
The conversation expands to explore the role of creative intelligence in education. Matthew emphasizes the importance of creative thinking in generating, refining, and applying ideas, noting that non-conformity often plays a pivotal role in nurturing creativity. This perspective is contrasted with the social pressures children face to conform, prompting a thought-provoking discussion about balancing adherence to norms with the courage to challenge them.
Cyndi shares her personal experiences as a self-identified rule-follower, emphasizing the need to navigate this balance thoughtfully in different contexts. Together, the hosts delve into the environments where breaking rules may be more appropriate and how education can equip students to make informed decisions about when to push boundaries. Drawing on Sternberg's research, they explore the connection between creativity and academic success, particularly in helping students adapt to new life stages, such as the transition from high school to college.
Check out our new website- Fueling Creativity in Education!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
What is transformational creativity, and how does it apply to the field of education?
In the second part of the double expresso episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, world-renowned creativity scholar Dr. Robert Sternberg dives into the evolving perceptions and applications of creativity over his 50-year career.
Together, they engage in a critical discourse on how modern education and standardized testing fail to genuinely value creativity. Sternberg's insightful critique highlights the misuse of creativity for personal and financial gain rather than societal benefit, introducing the concept of "pseudo transformational creativity," where leadership appears transformational but serves self-interests. He emphasizes the importance of learning from history to recognize and combat deceptive leadership, advocating for "true transformational creativity" that positively impacts society. Additionally, Sternberg discusses the alarming decline in moral and civic education in favor of test preparation, arguing for a balanced, value-integrated approach to teaching creativity.
The episode also tackles the implications of generative AI on creativity and cognitive abilities. Sternberg shares his concerns that excessive reliance on AI could erode human creativity and critical thinking, mentioning real-world incidents where students depended on AI against academic integrity guidelines. Sternberg offers valuable tips for educators, including promoting moral values, varying teaching styles, and encouraging independent thinking.
About Dr. Robert Sternberg:
Dr. Robert J. Sternberg is a Professor of Psychology in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University and an Honorary Professor of Psychology at Heidelberg University, Germany. Sternberg is a Past President of the American Psychological Association, the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the Eastern Psychological Association, and the International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology. Dr. Sternberg holds 13 honorary doctorates from 11 countries and has won more than two dozen awards for his work.
For a more extensive bio, click here.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
Check out the new Fueling Creativity website!
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Are you ready for a double expresso with Dr. Robert Sternberg?
In the first expresso of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett speak with world-renowned psychologist Dr. Robert Sternberg to explore his research and theories on creativity. Sternberg delves into his pioneering work with the Rainbow Project at Yale, which demonstrated that adding creativity and practical intelligence tests to traditional analytical intelligence measures could better predict college success and reduce group differences. Despite successful results, Sternberg faced the challenge of sustaining funding when his findings contradicted the narrow focus of his sponsors, prompting him to shift to academic administration. He eventually implemented his ideas at Tufts University through the Kaleidoscope Project, emphasizing the importance of persistence, self-belief, and overcoming obstacles in the journey of creativity.
The episode also dives deep into Sternberg's theories on intelligence and creativity, including his definition of intelligence as adaptability and his "investment theory" of creativity. He underscores the need to defy societal pressures and personal biases to foster true innovation, sharing anecdotes from his own academic and professional experiences. Sternberg highlights the invaluable role of passion in learning, the benefits of a broad education, and the importance of balancing creative and practical intelligence. The conversation touches on the challenges educators face in engaging students and remaining open to new teaching methods, offering advice on overcoming institutional constraints. Stay tuned for Part 2, where Sternberg will discuss his latest theory on creativity and the future state of creativity in education.
About Dr. Robert Sternberg:
Dr. Robert J. Sternberg is a Professor of Psychology in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University and an Honorary Professor of Psychology at Heidelberg University, Germany. Sternberg is a Past President of the American Psychological Association, the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the Eastern Psychological Association, and the International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology. Dr. Sternberg holds 13 honorary doctorates from 11 countries and has won more than two dozen awards for his work.
For a more extensive bio, click here.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
Check out the new Fueling Creativity website!
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Why does theatre education matter?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood engage with Dr. Thalia Goldstein to explore the enriching world of theater education. Dr. Goldstein begins with the concept of a "consequence-free environment" in theater classrooms, where playfulness and the freedom to make mistakes foster both intra- and interpersonal skills that students can carry into various areas of their lives. Highlighting her three-year qualitative research, Dr. Goldstein introduces listeners to the "Acting Habits of Mind," vital psychological skills cultivated through theater, such as body awareness, emotional regulation, releasing inhibitions, and developing empathy. Through anecdotes and practical tips, she emphasizes the importance of incorporating physical activity, role play, and constructive peer critique in classroom settings to boost engagement and metacognitive thinking.
Dr. Goldstein shares the adaptability of theater education across developmental stages, from creative play in young children to complex role exploration in high school, underscoring the necessity of informed guidance from teachers. This episode serves as a compelling testament to theater's expansive role in fostering lifelong creative and critical thinking abilities.
About Dr. Thalia Goldstein:
Dr. Thalia Goldstein is an associate professor and director of the applied developmental psychology program at George Mason University, where she directs the Play, Learning, Arts, and Youth Lab, and co-directs the Mason Arts Research Center (a National Endowment for the Arts Lab). She is the co-editor of the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, and is a fellow of the American Psychological Association. Her research focuses on children’s and adolescent’s creative, social, and emotional development through engagement with pretend play and the arts. Goldstein’s academic work has been published in more than 75 articles, and funded by The National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and The John Templeton Foundation. She earned her BA from Cornell University, her MA and PhD from Boston College and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University. Her most recent book is “Why Theatre Education Matters: Understanding its Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Benefits”.
Check out our new website: FuelingCreativityPodcast.com
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
A Special Thanksgiving Episode: Creativity, Community, and Gratitude
In this special Thanksgiving episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood visit Dedham, Massachusetts, just outside Boston, to record live from the newly opened TLC Studios. TLC, short for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity, is the inspired creation of authors and educators Peter and Paul Reynolds, along with their sister Jane.
This episode is a celebration of creative learning, featuring guest Donna Luther, a Montessori school principal, and highlighting the exciting Big Noise Summit. Together, the group reflects on the importance of gathering in person to discuss how creative learning spaces can transform education. They emphasize the power of community and the innovative approaches that reimagine what classrooms can be.
Peter and Paul Reynolds share the vision behind TLC Studios: a vibrant, flexible space designed to spark collaboration and creativity. Unlike traditional classrooms, TLC Studios features modular, interactive areas filled with color and possibility. The conversation also highlights the crucial role parents play in fostering creativity and encourages educators to build strong connections with their communities.
The episode ends on a high note—literally—with a symbolic “big noise,” representing the collective energy and commitment to spreading creativity in education.
Full of heartfelt gratitude, this episode invites listeners to embrace creativity in their teaching and to cherish the community bonds that make education thrive. Tune in to be inspired to transform your own learning spaces!
TLC- Teaching, Learning and Creativity Studios
Our Guests:
Donna Luther:
An arts and creativity educator, Donna Luther is currently Head of Inly School, an all-gender independent, Montessori based day school in Massachusetts for students ages 2 – 14. She is a member of the Leadership Development faculty for the Creative Education Foundation, where she teaches Creativity in the 21st Century Classroom, Advanced Strategies for Educators, Facilitation through the Arts, and Integrating Creativity and Leadership to educators and business professionals worldwide. As an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University, she has taught in the national and international M.Ed. program for Creative Arts in Learning. She has presented at conferences throughout the United States and in Brazil, China, South Africa and Israel. Donna is founding director of Summer Stars Camp for the Performing Arts.
Peter H. Reynolds
Peter H. Reynolds is a renowned author, illustrator, and creativity advocate, celebrated for beloved books such as The Dot, Ish, Happy Dreamer, and The Word Collector. His collaborations include Someday with Alisan McGhee, the Judy Moody series with Megan McDonald, Going Places with his twin brother Paul, and the I AM series with Susan Verde.
As the founder of FableVision, a Boston-based children’s media company, Peter is dedicated to crafting "stories that matter, stories that move." Through FableVision Learning, he develops creativity tools that inspire educators and students to embrace imagination and innovation in the classroom.
Deeply committed to fostering community and creativity, Peter co-founded The Blue Bunny, an independent bookshop in Dedham Square, MA, alongside his twin brother, Paul. Through his work, Peter continues to empower people of all ages to find their voice, make their mark, and share their unique stories with the world. Learn more at www.bluebunnybooks.com.
Paul Reynolds:
Paul is the CEO and Co-Founder of Boston-based FableVision, which creates and distributes educational media, mobile games, and apps aimed at improving the world. Under his leadership, FableVision has become a multimillion-dollar, internationally recognized multimedia developer and publisher with partnerships across various industries, including broadcast, museums, education, and technology.
Paul also oversees FableVision Learning, the company's K12 edtech publishing group, and The Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning & Creativity. He has collaborated with numerous organizations such as PBS KIDS, National Academy of Sciences, The Jim Henson Company, MIT Education Arcade, CDC, New York Hall of Science, and Carnegie Hall to inspire lifelong learning.
In addition to his role at FableVision, Paul teaches digital media production at Boston College, where he has been adjunct faculty for over two decades. He is also a children's book author, collaborating with his twin brother, Peter H. Reynolds, on books such as "Going Places" and the "Sydney & Simon: Full STEAM Ahead!" series.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might we infuse critical thinking into the classroom?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Colin Seale, a seasoned educator, attorney, and the founder of Think Law. Colin delves into how educators can ignite creative thinking in their classrooms through open-ended questions, fostering student creativity, and navigating existing educational systems while pushing for change. He emphasizes the need to maintain and nurture the innate curiosity each student possesses, challenging the conventional educational structures that often stifle imagination and innovative thinking. With captivating examples from his book "Thinking Like a Lawyer," Colin illustrates how everyday scenarios, such as questioning the value of traditions or analyzing courtroom cases, can develop critical and creative thinking skills in students of all backgrounds.
The discussion further explores the profound connection between creativity, educational equity, and the necessary visionary goals to tackle systemic issues like redlining and underinvestment in education. Seale underscores the importance of empowering students to visualize and work toward what "ought to be," fostering a sense of agency and problem-solving. From an inspiring classroom activity in Louisville to a teacher in Dayton ingeniously utilizing storytelling to teach historical events, Colin's insights provide a practical and transformative framework for educators. Colin also tackles the significance of mistake analysis and how understanding students' reasoning can enhance creative thinking.
About Colin Seale:
Colin Seale was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where struggles in his upbringing gave birth to his passion for educational equity. Tracked early into gifted and talented programs, Colin was afforded opportunities his neighborhood peers were not. Using lessons from his experience as a math teacher, later as an attorney, and now as a keynote speaker, contributor to Forbes, The 74, Edutopia and Education Post and author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students (Prufrock Press, 2020) and Tangible Equity: A Guide for Leveraging Student Identity, Culture, and Power to Unlock Excellence In and Beyond the Classroom (Routledge, 2022), Colin founded thinkLaw, a multi-award-winning organization to help educators leverage inquiry-based instructional strategies to close the critical thinking gap and ensure they teach and reach all students, regardless of race, zip code or what side of the poverty line they are born into.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this latest episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on their journey through Season 9. They discuss the rapid pace of the semester and how balancing responsibilities can be a challenge without deliberate efforts to slow down. The hosts kick off their debrief by revisiting recent episodes, including conversations with Corey Gray on culturally responsive teaching, Dr. Edward Clapp on participatory creativity in education, and Dorta Nielsen from the Center for Creative Thinking in Denmark. They delve into key insights from these episodes, reflecting on the importance of recognizing diverse student backgrounds and contributions in the learning environment, as well as the instructional strategies that can foster a creative mindset.
Matthew and Cyndi acknowledge the value of seeing every student and encourage the adoption of a participatory creativity framework to celebrate individual contributions while fostering a collective creative process. This episode underscores the powerful impact of a creative mindset, sharing personal anecdotes and practical applications. Furthermore, the hosts tease upcoming episodes, including the much-anticipated conversations with creativity expert Dr. Robert Sternberg and a special Thanksgiving episode, promising an exciting conclusion to Season 9. For more in-depth discussions and to access over 100 interviews archived to date, visit the podcast's comprehensive website at fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might we cultivate a creative mindset in our classrooms?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, join hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood as they delve into transforming educational settings to foster creativity with special guest, Dorte Nielsen. Dorte is the founder of Creative Thinker and the Center for Creative Thinking in Copenhagen, with an impressive background in advertising and education. She has authored 10 books and has been a driving force behind integrating creative thinking into primary school curricula. Through her work, Dorte has introduced innovative programs that encourage creative thinking across all subjects and age groups.
Throughout this insightful conversation, Dorte shares her observations of how traditional educational environments often lack the support needed for creative minds to thrive. She highlights the successes of her initiatives—such as improved student engagement, reduced absenteeism, and enhanced classroom dynamics. Dorte discusses the importance of fostering an open-ended, growth-oriented mindset and provides actionable tips for educators, emphasizing the need to celebrate diverse thinking styles. This episode brings to light the transformative power of creativity in education, offering valuable takeaways for teachers, administrators, and anyone passionate about nurturing creativity in the classroom.
The Secret of the Highly Creative Thinker
Little Creative Thinker’s Exercise Book
About Dorte Nielsen:
Dorte is the founder of Creative Thinker and the Center for Creative Thinking in Copenhagen. She has dedicated her life to helping others become better creative thinkers. After her advertising career in London, she has been teaching and researching creativity. She founded a bachelor degree program for conceptual thinkers and made it one of the most award-winning creative bachelors programs in the world. After her success in training creativity at the university level, Dorte took her uniquely effective creativity curriculum to primary schools. Dorte Nielsen is the author of 10 books, 3 games and thinking tools. Her books are published in 11 languages and are sold in 65 countries.
Check out our website at FuelingCreativityPodcast.com
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Our Sound Engineer for this episode was David Dragozov
What happens when we start viewing creativity through the lens of participatory contributions rather than individual brilliance?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome back to the show Dr. Edward Clapp, principal investigator at Project Zero and a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, to delve into the concept of participatory creativity. Clapp challenges the traditional view of creativity as an individual trait and advocates for a more inclusive and networked approach. He introduces the idea of "profiles of participation," which recognizes the unique ways individuals contribute to group projects The episode provides valuable insights for educators on how to shift focus from individual genius to collaborative idea development, reducing the emotional impact of failure and fostering a growth mindset.
Additionally, the conversation touches upon the dynamic roles individuals can play in participatory creativity, drawing analogies to team sports like soccer. The discussion also explores the role of AI in the creative process, broadening the understanding of how technology can contribute to group projects. Practical tools such as the Participation Tracker and Stakeholder Mapping are highlighted, offering educators tangible methods to integrate participatory creativity into their classrooms. Clapp's new book serves as a comprehensive guide for educators, presenting strategies and real-world examples to cultivate a more democratic and collaborative approach to creativity. This episode underscores the importance of emphasizing ideas over individuals, encouraging students to see themselves as part of a larger creative network.
Order the Participatory Creativity Guide for Educators here!
About Edward Clapp:
Edward P. Clapp, Ed.D. is a Principal Investigator at Project Zero interested in exploring creativity and innovation, design and maker-centered learning, contemporary approaches to arts teaching and learning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in education. In addition to his work as a researcher, Edward is also a Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Edward’s most recent books include Participatory Creativity: Introducing Access and Equity to the Creative Classroom (Routledge, 2016) and Maker-Centered Learning: Empowering Young People to Shape their Worlds (with Jessica Ross, Jennifer Oxman Ryan, and Shari Tishman, Jossey-Bass, 2016). @edwardpclapp
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school?
Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Do you want to weave creative thinking into your curriculum?
Check out CreativityandEducation.com
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Check out our new website: Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast
How can educators teach for creativity through a culturally responsive lens?
In this week's episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett introduce Corey Gray, a PhD candidate at the University of Georgia specializing in educational psychology and gifted education. The insightful conversation delves into key factors that shape creative schooling, such as instructional design, teacher engagement, and collaborative learning environments. Corey provides a comprehensive look at culturally responsive teaching, an approach that honors students' cultural identities while enhancing their creativity and academic skills. The discussion highlights the systemic underrepresentation of Black and Brown students in gifted programs, largely due to implicit biases in existing policies and practices, and explores creative methods to address these disparities.
Corey shares his vision for creative schools and his belief in the transformative power of culturally responsive creativity. He outlines practical strategies for educators, such as utilizing non-traditional classroom setups, project-based learning, and developing custom curriculums tailored to students' needs.
About Corey Gray:
Corey Gray is a third-year Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Georgia, studying Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Gifted and Creative Education. Corey is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education. As a resident of Atlanta, Corey has taught in a variety of educational roles, such as elementary educator, cooperating teacher, gifted education mentor teacher, middle school math teacher, special education teacher, department head, and adjunct instructor. He has also taught in traditional neighborhood public schools, charter schools, and independent schools. Corey currently serves as the Communication Chair for the Creativity Network in the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) and the Vice President of the UGA chapter of Graduate Researchers in Educational Psychology. His research interests include teaching for creativity, culturally responsive pedagogy, abolitionist teaching, excellence gaps in culturally diverse communities, and creative schools.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
Check out our Podcast Website to dive deeper into Creativity in Education!
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Are schools designed for learning? Or are schools designed for schooling?
In our latest episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett dive into these questions as they debrief three compelling conversations from Season 9.
Here's what you can expect:
- Will Richardson: They explore his thought-provoking ideas on whether our current education model needs an evolution or a revolution. Are schools designed for schooling rather than genuine learning? The hosts debate and reflect on what it means to truly engage students.
- Raya Bidshahri: They discuss the inspiring story of building a community-centered, project-based online high school. Raya shares her entrepreneurial journey and emphasizes the importance of tailoring education to individual passions and real-world issues.
- Dr. Marci Klein: They examine how a pediatrician-turned-entrepreneur integrates hands-on, creative learning through her company, 3DuxDesign. Dr. Klein challenges the hosts to reconsider the balance between traditional hands-on learning and the increasing reliance on technology in the classroom.
Join Matt and Cyndi as they navigate these diverse yet interconnected perspectives! And let's continue the conversation about how we can best fuel creativity and learning in our schools on Linkedin!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
What are "irresistible futures" in education, and why are they important for motivating systemic change?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Warwood engage in a thought-provoking discussion with Will Richardson. They delve into how the transition from the third to the fourth industrial revolution is shaping education, emphasizing the need to anticipate and adapt to disruptive technologies like AI. Will reflects on the historical patterns of technological advancements leading to unintended consequences and critiques the current profit-driven focus of AI development. He underscores the significant gap in long-term strategic thinking in education compared to indigenous cultures that consider impacts on future generations. This conversation invites educators to reimagine education, highlighting the critical moment of transformation we are in and the potential to create "irresistible futures" by envisioning positive, aspirational changes.
Additionally, they tackle various pressing issues like misinformation, disinformation, and the imperatives of engaging students in conversations about their educational experiences. They discuss the emergence of alternative educational models, such as micro-schools, that blend inquiry-based learning with real-world applications, contrasting them with traditional methods overly focused on test scores. Will advocates for a revolutionary change in education, shifting the focus from mere schooling to genuine learning.
About Will Richardson:
A former public school educator of 22 years, Will has spent the last 18 years developing an international reputation as a leading thinker and writer about the intersection of social online learning networks, education, and systemic change. Most recently, Will is a co-founder of The Big Questions Institute which was created to help educators use "fearless inquiry" to make sense of this complex moment and an uncertain future.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
What would a personalized high school curriculum centered around global challenges look like?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett sit down with Raya Bidshahri, an accomplished entrepreneur and educator who is the founder and CEO of the School of Humanity. Raya sheds light on her frustration with traditional education systems and shares her innovative approach to personalized, project-based learning, which forms the backbone of her school. Unlike conventional methods reliant on standardized tests, the School of Humanity emphasizes low-stakes knowledge checks and project-based assessments, encouraging students to engage in interdisciplinary challenges such as food security and the future of the internet. Raya's passion for education reform, grounded in her own positive experiences with project-based learning and entrepreneurship, fuels her vision to create a more effective, curiosity-driven educational system.
The episode dives deep into the implementation of challenge-based learning and how AI can play a constructive role in education, with Raya differentiating between its ethical uses and potential for misuse. A techno-optimist at heart, she discusses a structured AI policy that encourages AI for tasks like brainstorming while banning it from generating entire essays to avoid academic dishonesty. The conversation is enriched with insights on flexible learning environments, the importance of scaffolded assessments, and the Human Literacies Framework that integrates traditional and innovative skills. With around 60 students and plans to double enrollment, Raya's School of Humanity is a testament to her effective educational approach.
About Raya Bidshahri:
Raya Bidshahri is a serial entrepreneur and award-winning educator. Raya is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the School of Humanity, an award-winning online high school with an innovative learning model and interdisciplinary curriculum. At School of Humanity, learners from over 10 countries across 5 continents develop their skills, mindsets, and behaviors by tackling real-world challenges. Raya has been featured by the BBC as one of the 100 most influential and inspiring women globally. She was the main award winner for the Next Generation Foresight Practioner’s Award, organized by the School of International Futures and supported by the Omidyar network. The awards recognize those whose leadership efforts shape the future and improve lives.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might a cardboard box help our students be more creative?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett sit down with Dr. Marci Klein, a pediatrician and founder of 3DuxDesign. Marci sheds light on the pervasive self-centered mindset in society and stresses the need to cultivate empathy and community, both in education and at home. As a champion of project-based learning, she delves into her innovative approach to integrating STEM education with social-emotional development. Marci's unique product—cardboard modeling kits with specially designed hardware connectors—illustrates how creativity and hands-on activities can powerfully engage children, fostering a spirit of collaboration and open-ended play.
Throughout the conversation, Marci and the hosts explore the broader implications of product design and the necessity of considering unintended consequences, referencing innovation diffusion theory. Klein advocates for creating learning experiences that are passion-driven and flexible, giving students the room to explore their interests. The episode calls on educators to rethink traditional methods, prioritize empathy, and foster environments where creativity can flourish.
About Marci:
Marci Klein, MD, is a pediatrician and founder of 3DuxDesign, a certified Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) that creates innovative STEM education solutions. With over 25 years of experience in early childhood development and education, Dr. Klein integrates her expertise in pediatric growth and development to design engaging, hands-on learning projects that connect play with real-world problem-solving. Her work focuses on empowering educators to implement project-based learning (PBL) that supports academic growth and social-emotional development. Under her leadership, 3DuxDesign has expanded its reach globally, offering educators tools and resources that inspire the next generation of thinkers and changemakers. Dr. Klein is passionate about creating inclusive learning environments and has presented at numerous educational conferences, sharing her insights on the intersection of STEM, SEL, and community-centered design.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
This is the first debrief episode of Season 9 of the "Fueling Creativity in Education” podcast! Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett dive into their key takeaways from the first three episodes of the season, featuring guests Dr. Ruth Richards, Ann Jacoby, and Neil Bergenroth. Topics range from normalizing feedback in the classroom to blending personal passions with teaching methods. The concept of everyday creativity, its role in fostering a meaningful and joyful educational experience, and the emotional resilience needed to navigate feedback are thoroughly explored. Wrapping up, Cyndi and Matthew reflect on the importance of finding micro-moments of joy and mindfulness in teaching, as well as the value of building authentic connections with students through passion-driven projects. Stay tuned for more enriching episodes and insightful debriefs, and be sure to check out additional content on their website, fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood are joined by Neil Bergenroth, an innovative educator and coach passionate about integrating rowing and STEM education. Neil discusses how his programs leverage rowing machines funded by a grant to provide every student with the opportunity to experience and choose rowing as an elective. He shares his emphasis on authenticity, passion, and building confidence in students through the fusion of teaching and technology. Neil's initiative demonstrates a unique method of engaging students in physics principles by using real-time data from rowing machines, thereby creating tactile learning experiences that bridge physical activity and academic concepts.
Neil highlights the importance of nutrition, sleep, and strong relationships for success in both sports and life, aligning these factors with the process of creativity and innovation. The episode concludes with valuable tips for educators on integrating passion, creating safe learning spaces, and bringing authenticity into their teaching practices.
About Neil Bergenroth
Neil Bergenroth is a life-long educator/rowing coach, award-winning app developer, entrepreneur, and USRowing Level III rowing coach who values community service and developing innovative learning environments. Bergenroth is the Director of the Upper School Technology department and the Pauline McFarlin Walter Upper School Master Teacher Chair at Holland Hall, an Episcopal School in Tulsa, OK. Bergenroth also currently serves as Director of Outreach at Tulsa Youth Rowing Association. Bergenroth has combined his passions and created a curriculum integrating rowing and STEM. He also manages programs that have been established to provide more access to the sport of rowing in under-resourced communities. With over twenty-five years of classroom teaching and coaching experience, Bergenroth aspires to develop student-athletes who strive to impact their communities.
Follow Neil:
www.coachbergenroth.com
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Do you want to weave creativity into your content?
Check out CreativityandEducation.com
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might we provide feedback to build creative confidence in our students?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett dive into an engaging conversation with Anne Jacoby, founder of the culture consultancy Spring Street. The discussion centers on the importance of effective feedback in promoting creative thinking within the classroom environment. Anne elaborates on her unique approach to cultivating creativity in professional spaces through cultural assessments, leadership programs, and coaching.
Anne shares her educational journey, reflecting on how her experiences in creative and arts-intensive environments, including the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, fostered her own creative confidence. She emphasizes the importance of providing students with specific, immediate feedback, drawing parallels between her experiences in the arts and her observations in the corporate world. The conversation highlights how environments that support creativity contribute to lifelong skills of accepting and utilizing constructive criticism.
The speakers delve into the idea of "passing notes" as a method for providing effective feedback. They focus on creating a culture where feedback is integral to the learning process rather than a critiquing mechanism that induces defensiveness. Anne recounts how receiving notes in a public setting within theater and dance classes fosters a norm of continuous improvement and collaborative growth. lenges and benefits of this feedback method.
Anne shares creativity boosters from her book "Born to Create" to provide listeners with actionable strategies. The hosts challenge each other with a playful activity using clay to create awards for their colleagues, demonstrating a practical way for educators to engage students in creative thinking. This episode provides insights into effective feedback and tangible methods for educators to incorporate creative thinking into their teaching practices.
Check out Fueling Creativity in Education Website!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Do you want to infuse creative thinking into your classroom? Check out CreativityandEducation.com
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have we lost our everyday creativity?
In the latest episode of the "Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast," hosts Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood engage in a thought-provoking conversation with esteemed guest Dr. Ruth Richards, an expert on everyday creativity. The trio delves into the concept of emergence, highlighting its unpredictable nature and its parallels to learning, growth, and societal development. Dr. Richards challenges the traditional reliance on IQ testing as the sole measure of creativity, referencing the historical context provided by psychologist Abraham Maslow and his collaboration with Thorndike on the idea of self-actualization. This conversation emphasizes the importance of nurturing individual strengths and interests to foster a more inclusive and creative educational environment.
The episode also touches on practical ways to integrate creativity into the classroom. Dr. Richards suggests three actionable tips for educators: ask questions to provoke thought, explore the creativity inherent in nature, and cultivate a mindful state of creativity. These methods aim to encourage a new normal in education—one that embraces diversity, individuality, and dynamic change.
Learn more about Ruth Richards here!
Book: Everyday Creativity and the Healthy Mind
Check out our Fueling Creativity in Education website!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
What is everyday creativity, and how does it contribute to well-being and resilience in the classroom?
Welcome to Season Nine of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast! In this Double Expresso of the "Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast," hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome educational psychologist and board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Ruth Richards to discuss the profound concept of everyday creativity. Dr. Richards, known for her extensive work in creativity studies and mental health, delves into how creativity manifests in daily life through various activities, from cooking to landscaping, and its critical role in promoting mental well-being. The conversation underscores the significance of mindfulness and authenticity in the classroom and explores practical ways that educators can integrate everyday creativity into their teaching practices. With examples of hands-on discovery lessons and personal anecdotes, the hosts and Dr. Richards emphasize the joy and engagement students experience when they are allowed to explore and create, highlighting the delicate balance between structured curriculum and creative freedom.
Additionally, the episode tackles the challenges educators face in fostering creativity within the constraints of traditional education systems. Dr. Richards and the hosts discuss the potential healing aspects of creativity, especially in individuals with mental health issues, elucidating how everyday creativity can serve as a therapeutic tool. The episode also touches on the role of teachers’ creative approaches and the importance of recognizing and valuing creative expressions in all forms. Sponsored by Curiosity to Create, this insightful discussion prompts educators to rethink their approach to teaching and consider the broader impacts of nurturing a creative mindset in their students. Be sure to tune in for a rich conversation and stay tuned for a special follow-up episode to further explore the dynamics of everyday creativity in educational settings.
Learn more about Ruth Richards here!
Book: Everyday Creativity and the Healthy Mind
Have you seen our new website? Fuelingcreativitypodcast.com
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Welcome back to another exciting academic year of the "Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast"! In this special episode, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett kick off Season 9 with new features designed to enrich the dialogue around creativity in education. This season, they introduce Emerging Scholar in Residence Jimmy Wilson, who's a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut. Jimmy brings invaluable insights into neurodiverse learners' creativity, aiming to provide both research-backed and practical strategies for educators. The team has also expanded their multi-platform presence, including debrief videos available on their YouTube channel, ensuring a richer, comprehensive engagement with the audience.
This episode also revisits the recently concluded "Listen and Learn" series focused on classical creativity literature, encouraging listeners to explore these short, insightful episodes and participate in the ongoing interactive contest. Don't miss next week’s engaging episode with Dr. Ruth Richards, promising to deliver innovative exercises that intersect mental health and creativity for the classroom.
Check out our website: FuelingCreativityPodcast.com
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Teacher Roundtables: Teaching during the Pandemic" offers a deep dive into the challenges and triumphs of six educators during the pandemic.
In this episode Matt and Cyndi introduce a documentary film, titled Teaching During the Pandemic. The film unfolds through a roundtable discussion that facilitates personal anecdotes about the emotional and professional hurdles teachers faced as they worked to connect and engage with their students during the initial lockdown and the personal toll of navigating their health and well-being once schools returned the following year.
The story showcases the remarkable ways teachers went above and beyond to support their students and the innovative strategies that emerged from the experience.
In this final episode of the 2024 Listen and Learn series, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood conclude their exploration of classic literature in the field of creativity. They discuss the importance of studying these foundational works to gain a historical perspective and bridge connections between research and creative teaching and learning environments.
Together, they dive into the Creative Studies Project, a research study conducted by Sid Parnes and Ruth Noller in 1972 at Buffalo State University. The project aimed to determine if the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process could be taught and its impact on creativity, academics, and life. The study involved 350 students divided into experimental and control groups, with notable figures such as J.P. Guilford, E. Paul Torrance, and Don MacKinnon serving on the research board.
The results of the two-year Creative Studies Project showed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in their ability to cope with real-life situations, produce and evaluate new ideas, and engage in productive, creative behavior. The findings also revealed that 90% of the students believed they would apply what they learned in the program to their future lives and found it valuable compared to other college courses. The hosts emphasize the importance of teaching creativity and its potential to foster psychological health and well-being.
To conclude the episode, Cyndi Burnett leads an activity from the original Creative Studies Project curriculum, challenging listeners to generate impossible ideas for improving something and then modify them to make them work. The hosts encourage listeners to submit their solutions along with the final code word for the Listen-and-Learn series to questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com
Check out our website at fuelingcreativitypodcast.com
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Can we teach students to think creatively?
In the latest episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett delve into the work of E. Paul Torrance,the father of creativity in education. This fourth installment of the Listen and Learn series continues the exploration of classic literature in the field of creativity, providing a historical perspective that bridges the gap between research and teaching practices. Beginning with Torrance's groundbreaking paper, "Can We Teach Children to Think Creatively?" published in 1972, Cyndi and Matthew discuss the evolution of creativity studies from Guilford's pioneering speech in 1950 to Torrance's influential theories and tests. Cyndi emphasizes Torrance's vulnerability and the qualitative evidence he presented, while Matthew shares his personal journey into creativity, inspired by Sir Ken Robinson and furthered through applying Torrance's principles in his own classroom.
The episode also spotlights the variety of strategies and modalities Torrance examined for teaching creativity, from creative problem-solving to motivation and environmental factors. Cyndi reflects on her own transformative experience with Dr. Roger Firestein's course and the profound impact it had on her life. Meanwhile, Matthew recounts his early career challenges and eventual discovery of the importance of originality in student projects, leading to a dedicated focus on teaching creative thinking skills.
Check out our Fueling Creativity in Education Website!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this fourth episode of the Listen and Learn Classic Literature series for summer 2024, co-hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett delve into the enduring work of Donald MacKinnon and his seminal article, "Nature and Nurture of Creative Talent," published in 1962. This episode unpacks MacKinnon's findings on the characteristics that define creative individuals, highlighting the balance between intellectual mastery and non-intellectual traits, such as openness to emotions and diverse experiences. The discussion also brings forth the importance of identifying and nurturing creative potential, drawing parallels to the challenges and practices of contemporary education. Matthew and Cyndi reflect on MacKinnon's emphasis on supporting creativity beyond traditional intelligence measures and explore how these historical perspectives are still very much relevant in today's teaching and learning environments.
Midway through the episode, the hosts share anecdotes and insights about the pressures of modern parenting and the importance of fostering an environment that encourages diverse experiences and interests. Bearing in mind MacKinnon's findings regarding the impact of varied life experiences on creative development, Matthew and Cyndi discuss practical ways educators and parents alike can support children's creative growth outside academic achievements. They wrap up by connecting these theories to real-life scenarios and current educational practices, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in the intricate dynamics of nurturing creativity in education.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
What is your definition of creativity?
In this second episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast Listen and Learn Series, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood dive into the profound work of Mel Rhodes with a focus on his influential 1961 article, "The Analysis of Creativity." The discussion elaborates on Rhodes' quest to define creativity, exploring how his attempt gave rise to the seminal framework known as the "Four P's" of creativity: Person, Process, Press, and Product. Cyndi and Matthew dissect each P, relating them to various thought-provoking episodes from their extensive podcast library. From the creative traits studied by researchers like James Kaufman to the deliberate acts of creativity discussed in the processes of design thinking and creative problem solving, this episode intricately weaves theoretical insights with practical applications in educational settings.
Moreover, the hosts highlight the relevance of environmental and sociocultural factors (Press) and celebrate creative outcomes (Product) through memorable podcast episodes involving global issues and innovative projects. As a special treat, listeners are invited to participate in a fun-filled codebreaking challenge, with a chance to win a creative prize pack! With historical context and actionable insights, this episode serves as both a deep dive into creativity research and an inspiring call to action for educators striving to foster creativity in their classrooms.
Mel Rhodes article.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
It's summer! Join hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett on this first episode of the Listen and Learn Series as they delve into the seminal work of Joy Paul Guilford, often regarded as one of the foundational figures in creativity research. Set against the backdrop of the 1950s, Guilford's influential address as head of the American Psychological Association called attention to the alarming neglect of creativity in psychological studies and education. This episode explores Guilford's differentiation between convergent and divergent thinking and discusses how his ideas laid the groundwork for the structured study of creativity.
Matthew and Cyndi also highlight the historical context, noting the United States' post-Sputnik focus on bolstering its educational systems to produce more creative scientists and engineers. They draw intriguing parallels between Guilford's observations about early "thinking machines" and today's discussions about generative AI and its impact on human cognition. Concluding with reflections on the cyclical challenges in education and a humorous take on the special code letter for this series, this episode offers listeners a concise yet rich exploration of creativity research's past and its implications for the future. Don't miss out on hearing about the Fueling Creativity in Education summer contest and how you could win a special Fueling Creativity in Education podcast prize pack!
Find the original article "Creativity" by J.P. Guilford here.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Welcome to the kickoff of our "Listen & Learn" summer series for 2024 on the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast! Hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood, Dr. Cyndi Burnett, and our newest addition, Scholar in Residence Jimmy Wilson, are here to bring you a unique blend of creativity research and practical classroom insights. With sunglasses on and excitement in the air, this introduction episode sets the stage for a six-week journey through classical literature of creativity, selected to enhance your professional learning. Cyndi and Matthew highlight the importance of making these episodes short and insightful—perfect for those of you enjoying a relaxing summer while staying committed to educational growth.
Jimmy Wilson, a doctoral student from the University of Connecticut, joins the team as a scholar-in-residence to inject fresh, emerging perspectives into the conversation. Jimmy brings a wealth of experience from his years of teaching and a deep-rooted passion for neurodiverse learners in creativity and education. He shares his process of connecting scholarly research with practical classroom application, offering a sneak peek into his blog contributions on the podcast's website. The episode wraps up with a fun, interactive game where listeners collect letters at the end of each episode to form a secret code word, leading to fabulous prizes and the chance to join the podcast as a special guest. Don't miss out on this vibrant start to a summer of learning and creativity!
Let's wrap up this academic year!
In this special episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr.Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett dive into an intriguing discussion inspired by the last nine months! Exciting updates include the unveiling of their new website, FuelingCreativityPodcast.Com, which will house past episodes, debriefs, and upcoming enhancements like transcripts. In a forward-looking segment, they preview their "Listen and Learn" summer series, aimed at offering light professional development for educators during the break. Matthew and Cyndi also celebrate their favorite podcast moments, including insightful conversations with creativity experts.
The episode features discussions on the successful merge of teacher creativity frameworks with existing assessment systems at the Teacher Innovation Studio, citing both challenges and remarkable growth. Cyndi reflects on her accomplishment of co-authoring the book "Infusing Creative Thinking in Education," while Matthew shares highlights from his teaching journey and work with teachers on creative frameworks. The hosts delve into the necessity of infusing creative thinking skills into higher education for better engagement and learning outcomes. They also explore the impact of AI technologies on education, forecasting more personalized learning tools and ethical implementation practices in the coming academic year. Finally, they emphasize the importance of real-world connections post-pandemic and share innovative strategies for integrating AI into creative classroom activities.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this special episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood, Dr. Cyndi Burnett, guests Dr. James Kaufman, and musical theater composer Dana Rowe delve deep into the intersection of theater, creativity, and education. Matthew opens up about his personal journey and how embracing his true self has enhanced his ability to foster creativity in others. Dana shares invaluable tips for educators to rekindle the spark of creativity within their classrooms, including creating a safe environment for emotional exploration and integrating musical theater exercises to help students experiment with various identities. The hosts also emphasize the collaborative essence of theater, exemplified by stories of on-stage mishaps and improvisational adaptability, which not only entertain but also underscore the importance of skills like active listening and quick thinking.
James shares his wide-ranging insights on creativity, touching on how theater intersects with domains such as music, storytelling, science, and technology. Dana and James discuss their collaborative effort on a book that draws inspiration from musical theater characters. The hosts and guests share personal anecdotes about the profound impact of theater on their own lives, careers, and family experiences. This heartwarming episode fosters a deeper understanding of how creativity and collaboration in theater can enrich educational experiences, empowering educators to unlock their students' unique gifts and strengths.
Lessons in Creativity from Musical Theatre Characters book
Teacher Round Table Documentary
About Our Guests:
Dr. James Kaufman is aProfessor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. He is one of the leading researchers in the field of creativity, authoring, and editing over 50 books. He has published more than 300 papers, and three well-known theories of creativity, including the Four-C Model of Creativity. He has co-authored several books for educators including Teaching for Creativity in the Common Core Classroom, Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom, and Being Creative Inside and Outside of the Classroom. Recently he published the book lessons in creativity from musical theatre characters with Dana Rowe.
Dana P. Rowe is a New York-based American composer and musical director whose works have been performed in NYC, the West End and around the world. His off-Broadway musical, Zombie Prom, has reached cult status and was filmed starring RuPaul and Katy Mixon. There have been more than 3,500 different productions around the world. Dana is also a certified professional development coach who specializes in working with creative professionals!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
What are some quick and easy activities that could help you bring creativity into your life?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett are joined by guests Josh Seidenfeld and Mark Lion in a special discussion centered on overcoming creative blocks and integrating playful, creative practices into education. Josh and Mark, founders of the Messier platform, share their journey of creating a space for consistent creative practice and how they collaborated with creativity scholars like Dr. James Kaufman to develop their innovative app. The conversation delves into the significance of retaining a sense of play and the necessity of looking at creativity beyond traditional arts. A unique exercise, coming up with excuses for not attending a friend's wedding, serves as a practical and amusing demonstration of divergent thinking. The episode also highlights the importance of facilitating fun experiences in educational settings and the role of skills such as shifting perspectives and staying curious.
Listeners are introduced to various creative exercises, including taking pictures from different perspectives, creating thematic playlists, and writing poems from unique viewpoints, illustrating practical ways to foster creativity in classrooms. Mark emphasizes that even five-minute creative activities can prompt deeper creative exploration, and Josh underscores the value of incremental creativity in our daily lives and the app's role in encouraging these moments. This final pre-summer episode encourages educators to use the discussed exercises and resources over the break to cultivate a lifelong commitment to creativity.
Download the Messier App here for free!
About Josh Seidenfeld and Mark Lion:
Josh Seidenfeld and Mark Lion are founders of Messier, a platform to help people enjoy the benefits of a consistent creative practice. Messier advisors include some of the leaders in creativity psychology research, including James C. Kaufman, Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, and Roni Reiter-Palmon.
Josh is a longtime creative person, having produced two albums with his band, Boy in the Bubble. Day jobs most recently included climate projects at Apple and Meta. He lives in Oakland with his wife and two daughters, whose creativity constantly inspires him.
Mark founded and led Lion Interactive, a digital design agency in the San Francisco area, for 25 years. Clients have included McKinsey and the Asian Art Museum. Notable projects include design leadership in Texture, which was acquired by Apple and incorporated into Apple News. Mark (also) lives in Oakland with his wife and son, where their weekends are usually filled with maker projects.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might we teach more creatively and teach for creativity in higher education?
In this special higher education episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett delve into the vital role of creativity in higher education with special guest Dr. John Cabra. They discuss the challenges faced in cultivating original ideas and creative thinking skills among students, highlighting the need to integrate creativity into curriculum and activities. They emphasize the transferability of creative thinking skills into various aspects of students' lives and stress the importance of infusing creativity into teaching and learning without adding extra time.
Throughout the episode, examples are shared of successfully incorporating creativity skills into different classroom settings within higher education. They explore the impact of implementing creative thinking techniques, such as curiosity exercises and divergent thinking, to engage students in the learning process effectively.
John Cabra, drawing from his experience teaching creativity in a business context, underscores the significance of interactive teaching methods in fostering creativity among students. They touch upon the interdisciplinary approach to creativity in education, encouraging contributions from various fields beyond just fine arts.
John Cabra shares valuable tips for infusing creativity into the classroom, including encouraging students to take risks and employing mind maps to manage complex information. The episode also introduces Cyndi and John's new book, Infusing Creative Thinking into Higher Education, which underscores the need for instructors to integrate creative thinking skills into both themselves and their teaching methods.
Order a copy of Infusing Creative Thinking into Higher Education here!
About Dr. John Fitzergald Cabra:
John is a Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York at Buffalo State University’s Center for Applied Imagination. He also served as a visiting professor at two universities in Colombia.
Previously, John served as the Program Director for Buffalo State University’s Service-Learning and Civic Engagement program in Myanmar. He co-founded a nonprofit organization to support Myanmar’s education reform and assist teachers in hiding due to their involvement in the civil disobedience movement. His dedication extends to collaborating with Myanmar’s National Unity Government Ministry of Education to catalyze transformative changes in the country’s education system.
Recognized as a Fulbright Scholar, John completed his Fulbright assignment at the Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga (UNAB) in Colombia. His influence was instrumental in reshaping UNAB’s organizational culture, leading to the university becoming the first creative campus in Latin America. This transformation helped to propel UNAB to claim the title of the most innovative university in Colombia in 2023. As a testament to his excellence in teaching, John received the State University of New York Chancellor’s and Buffalo State University President’s Awards.
John also contributes his expertise as an innovation facilitator at Knowinnovation, a consulting firm that fosters interdisciplinary discussions among scientists and groundbreaking research. He has provided invaluable training and organizational development services to prominent organizations, including Fisher-Price Toys, American Airlines, Quaker Oats, the British Home Office, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, NASA, Harvard University, the National Oceanographic Laboratory System, the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar, the United States Department of Agriculture, Georgia Tech, and the University of Michigan.
His academic journey includes earning a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Manchester, England, and obtaining an M.S. in Creativity and Change Leadership from the State University of New York. John’s academic contributions are reflected in co-authored articles published in esteemed business, engineering, and innovation journals. He co-authored the book Organizational Creativity: A Practical Guide for Innovators and Entrepreneurs, a testament to his scholarly achievements.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might we build more interdisciplinary learning experiences for students?
In the Season 8 finale of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood delve into a comprehensive debrief of the past season, celebrating the rich array of insights and interdisciplinary connections shared by their diverse guests. They explore key highlights, including discussions on building collaborative cultures with Kathleen Scott and Alyssa Matuchniak, unlocking educators' creative potential with Rosie Leonard-Kane and Alan Morgan, and the intersections of creativity and art visualization with Dr. Cheryle Yin Lo. The hosts reflect on notable themes such as the significance of recognizing that "everything is designed by someone," the importance of interdisciplinary work in education, and the fascinating debate on the semantics of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial mindsets.
Learn more about Matt's Teacher Roundtable documentary and join us for the special Teacher Roundtable premier event here!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Drs. Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett delve into the transformative power of creativity in education with guests Rosie Leonard-Kane and Alan Morgan from the University College Dublin Innovation Academy. Rosie, a facilitation specialist, emphasizes the critical need for a shift towards a more creative educational approach, particularly in systems heavily focused on examinations. Alan, an entrepreneurial specialist and program director, discusses the vital role of developing educators' creative confidence and mindset. Together, they highlight the necessity of embracing and nurturing creativity to rekindle educators' passion for teaching.
Throughout the episode, the conversation covers the challenges and potential solutions for integrating creativity into educational practices. The discussion includes the impact of the pandemic on educational creativity, the shift to online learning, and the opportunity it presents to expand program reach and incorporate experiential learning virtually. The hosts and guests also touch on the importance of developing an entrepreneurial mindset in teachers, employing design thinking, and fostering an environment of innovation and flexibility. Practical tips for educators on starting small with creativity in the classroom and fostering a culture of curiosity and collaboration are shared, making this a must-listen for educators looking to enhance their teaching approach and inspire their students.
About our guests:
Rosie Leonard-Kane
Rosie started her career as a secondary level (high school) maths teacher. She worked in London’s most deprived areas where educational outcomes are still closely linked to socio-economic background. Amidst a culture of high-stakes exam pressure, Rosie found joy in finding creative ways to engage her students in learning and loving maths, and soon found herself sharing her approaches with other colleagues. This led to a move into teacher training and development where Rosie’s passion for supporting others to unleash their own creativity and innovation in their teaching grew. She now works as a Facilitation Specialist at the UCD Innovation Academy where she has, what she describes as, the ‘absolute privilege’ of working with Educators across all levels of education to develop creative confidence and adapt their approach to teaching and learning so that their students get the kind of education that they all deserve, not just focused on passing the test.
Alan Morgan
Alan Joined the UCD Innovation Academy in 2019 and he now holds positions as an Entrepreneurial Specialist, Facilitator and Programme Director for The Professional Diploma in Creativity & Innovation in Education (Educators Programme for short). Before joining the Academy, Alan held key positions at Kaplan Dublin Business School (DBS) including Course Director for Marketing and various lecturing roles in Marketing subjects. While working at DBS, Alan studied Entrepreneurial Education at The Innovation Academy - and this change his life..! It was at this time that he developed a passion for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking in education. Winning two awards at DBS for ‘Above & Beyond’ in his work with students, Alan then moved on and joined the UCD Innovation Academy where he became Programme Director for the course that changed his life..! Alan has built and developed the Educators Programme, particularly through the Pandemic years, to it now being an internationally recognised programme for educators at all levels. Alan is currently in the final stages of a Doctorate of Education with The University of Wales Trinity Saint David – his research topic is centred around the Cultivation of an Entrepreneurial Mindset in Primary School in Ireland. Before his days working in education, Alan had a successful career as an International Retail Buyer.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might visual literacy foster everyday creativity and curiosity in students?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Drs. Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett are joined by Dr. Cheryle Yin Lo, an expert in arts education and creativity, who shares her insights on the interconnectedness of art and science. Cheryl emphasizes the importance of visual literacy and the emotional connections that foster creativity, urging educators to incorporate these elements into their teaching. She discusses her involvement with the Global Changemakers Program at the United Nations Association of Australia, which aims to engage students in creative projects that address the UN’s sustainable development goals. Highlighting successful projects such as a knowledge center for flood relief and a song about sustainability, Cheryl underscores the need for creative approaches to solve global issues.
Cheryl challenges traditional educational norms by discussing non-western art theories and the integration of sustainability in various subjects. Through a spirited discussion with the hosts, the episode highlights how merging different disciplines can enhance students’ understanding and capabilities, preparing them to navigate an increasingly uncertain and interconnected world.
About Dr. Cheryle Yin Lo
Dr. Cheryl Yin Lo challenges traditional educational norms by discussing non-western art theories and the integration of sustainability in various subjects. Through a spirited discussion with the hosts, the episode highlights how merging different disciplines can enhance students’ understanding and capabilities, preparing them to navigate an increasingly uncertain and interconnected world.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How does interdisciplinary learning help enchance creative thinking?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett speak with interdisciplinary educator Alyssa Matuchniak and School Principal Cathleen Scott about the innovative approaches at Three Springs High School. The discussion highlights how creativity and flexibility in curriculum design can address diverse student needs and foster an environment where every student thrives. Alyssa shares inspiring examples from her teaching experience, including projects where students explore health topics through various art forms, such as songwriting and video game design, demonstrating the school's commitment to student-led learning and expression.
The hosts and guests emphasize the significance of fostering a "culture of yes" within schools, where staff are encouraged to be both prepared and willing to adapt based on student feedback and interests. This philosophy not only supports educational engagement but also builds trust, allowing students to feel valued and understood. The conversation points out the crucial role of collaboration among educators and the importance of principals and teachers working together to cultivate a creative and inclusive school culture that embraces all students, regardless of their backgrounds or challenges.
Further exploring the operational side of creativity in education, the episode covers the logistical and strategic frameworks that support innovative teaching methods at Three Springs High School. Challenges such as scheduling, interdisciplinary collaboration, and maintaining dynamic teaching approaches are discussed. Principal Cathleen Scott elaborates on the strategies for overcoming these challenges, emphasizing the school's community-centric approach that nurtures belonging and care among students and staff.
About our guests:
Catheleen Scott is the principal at Three Springs High School. Her work marries the disciplines of social work and education to create a student-centered learning environment, where kids who need something different from the traditional model of schooling can thrive. In her years since becoming the TSHS principal, Catheleen has spearheaded several significant changes, including a shift from online credit retrieval to project-based learning, a move towards consistent co-teaching, and a shift to interdisciplinary coursework. An advocate for the voices of students at the fringes, Catheleen strives to create a school culture and climate rooted deeply in community, belonging, and care for others.
Alyssa Matuchniak is a multidisciplinary educator-poet at Three Springs High School in Cheney, WA, with six years experience in teaching and professional writing. A South Bay Teacher of the Year award recipient, Alyssa’s pedagogy embodies project-based learning, culturally responsive education, and principles of Universal Design. When not teaching, she slams at open mics and promotes her book, Small Wars, Little Revolutions. She earned her M.A. in Teaching from UC Irvine and her B.A. in Literature from UC Santa Cruz.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Let's bridge the gap!
In this debrief episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood dissect their key takeaways from recent interviews with creative educators. The episode kicks off with reflections on a conversation with Dr. Jim DeVivo, a drama educator, and delves into the impact of theater and improvisation in the classroom. They discuss how theater provides a unique space for students who may not fit into the conventional social groups at school, such as sports or academics, allowing them to express themselves and flourish creatively. The pair also explore the conversation with Kristen Lehman, who introduced the concept of twice-exceptional learners and mathematical artistry. She emphasized the importance of fostering curiosity toward students' unique perspectives, which often leads to a deeper understanding of content.
The episode continues with insights from their discussion with Fuat Ramazanov, a university educator who has been integrating chat GPT-3 into his classroom. Burnett and Worwood ponder the implications of AI in creative education and how it can serve as an aid in brainstorming and idea generation, despite its limitations in judgment and evaluation.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
What are the potential risks and benefits of allowing students to use tools like chat GPT for their assignments?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Fuat Ramazanov joins us to discuss the intricate balance between human creativity and artificial intelligence (AI) in the modern classroom. Fuat advocates for the pivotal role of teaching students to value and understand human creativity as a foundation before exploring the realm of AI-generated creativity. He brings an innovative concept that reimagines education through three lenses: teaching for AI, about AI, and with AI, professing that both creativity and AI are pivotal skills for the 21st-century knowledge economy. Fuat shares his teaching methodology, incorporating generative AI into the curriculum as a co-creative brainstorming tool. By encouraging students to create AI Personas and develop informed prompts, Fuat initiates open dialogues and brainstorming endeavors, which serve as the cornerstone of his pedagogical approach.
About Fuat Ramazanov:
Fuat is the director of the International Business Management Program at the Acsenda School of Management, a private post-secondary institution in Vancouver, Canada. He is an advocate of experiential learning and teaching for and about creativity. As an adult educator, he is passionate about using innovative approaches to teaching that stimulate engagement and learning and boost confidence and creativity in his students. He is a doctoral student at the University of Calgary, with research focused on exploring undergraduate students’ perceptions of the intersection between human and artificial creativity throughout the creative process. Fuat believes that when we talk about artificial intelligence, we should discuss how to use it for creativity along with ethical and other aspects. This is because the output produced with the help of artificial intelligence is co-created. Fuat believes that much like fostering creativity in education, where there is teaching with creativity, for creativity, and about creativity, there should be teaching for AI, with AI, and about AI.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In what ways can creativity be infused into mathematics education, especially for students who may not naturally gravitate toward math?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, host Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett speak with Kristin Lehman, Director of Educational Services at Hewitt Learning. Kristin discusses the concept of twice-exceptional learners, shedding light on the unique challenges and attributes of such students. She shares insights into identifying and supporting these students, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and nurturing their creative potential to ensure they receive the support they need to thrive academically.
The conversation also delves into the concept of "mathematical artistry," sparked by Kristin's exploration of combining math and art. She highlights the potential for integrating math concepts into creative activities to engage students in a hands-on and tangible way, promoting understanding and appreciation for mathematical principles. Kristin also provides valuable tips for educators, emphasizing the importance of fostering creativity across various disciplines, encouraging curiosity, and embracing interdisciplinary learning. The episode offers practical insights for educators and parents looking to infuse creativity into teaching and learning to better support students with diverse learning needs.
About Kristin:
Kristin Layman, an eclectic learner with a rich background in mathematics education, currently serves as the Director of Educational Services at Hewitt Learning. In this role, she implements innovative strategies to enhance learning experiences for all students. With a master's in Math, Kristin's approach goes beyond conventional teaching methods, embracing creativity, innovation, and the interdisciplinary concepts. As a co-founder of the Independent Innovator Challenge and a key contributor to the US National Innovator Challenge, she is committed to encouraging young minds towards innovative thinking. Additionally, Kristin's work as a SENGifted Model Parent Group facilitator reflects her dedication to supporting the holistic growth of Twice Exceptional children and their families. Her diverse interests and commitment to education highlight her role in shaping adaptive and inclusive learning environments.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
What is the connection between theatre and creativity?
In this dynamic and insightful episode of the "Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast," hosts Drs. Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett welcome the award-winning expert in youth-driven theater, Dr. Jim Devivo. The trio dives deep into the transformative role of theater techniques in the classroom, discussing how these techniques not only help students become comfortable with public speaking and expression but also foster an environment where creativity flourishes. Jim shares the intriguing idea of the classroom as a theater, expanding on how storytelling and engaging students in physical space can create a conducive learning experience. Together they explore the significant impact of theater training on effective communication and why students, especially in their high school years, can benefit from acting classes.
Matthew recounts a compelling audition anecdote from his time at the Guild Hood School of Music and Drama, which sets the stage for a discussion on improvisation and its role in developing students' quick thinking and creative problem-solving abilities. Cyndi reflects on the difficulties of encouraging students to step out of their comfort zones and shares a heartening story of a reluctant participant’s transformation. Highlighting strategies to support shy students, Jim provides practical advice and emphasizes the creation of low-pressure participation opportunities. To conclude, the episode provides Jim Devivo's top three tips to promote creativity in the classroom, emphasizing the power of diverse perspectives, student involvement, and the magic of embracing silliness.
About Dr. Jim Devivo:
Dr. Jim DeVivo is a specialist in youth-driven theatre. He teaches middle school and high school theatre for Holmdel Township Schools and is an adjunct professor with the Program in Educational Theatre at NYU. For 15 years, Jim produced the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival for which he received a NJ Governor’s Award for Arts Education and NJ Theatre Alliance Award of Excellence. He continues this work through an online platform called the Young Playwrights Guide. Jim has a B.F.A. in theatre and English and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from New York University. He lives at the Jersey Shore with his wife, Bridget (also an award-winning theatre teacher), and together, they direct a troupe of three children and one pug… some of whom take direction well.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
It's our three year anniversary!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Ciyndi Burnett celebrate three years of producing the podcast. They take a break from their regular episode format to reflect on the impact of the last three years and the insights gained from their conversations with guests. Throughout the episode, they discuss the evolution of their thinking on creativity in education, share personal growth experiences from producing the podcast, and ponder future developments in the field.
The hosts delve into various topics, including the potential need for a revolution in education, the importance of modeling creative behavior in teaching, and the multifaceted nature of creativity. They also touch on the use of generative AI in podcast production and the possibility of expanding their audience globally. Listeners are encouraged to share their predictions for the future of creativity in education and to reach out for potential guest appearances.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Let's bridge the gap!
In this debrief episode, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett discuss key takeaways from the past three episodes of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast. They reflect on insights from guests Dr. Mike Rucker, Dr. Todd Lubart, and Shafina Vohra. The conversation delves into the potential impact of identifying creative potential in students at a young age and the implications it may have on their further development. The hosts also explore the idea of using unconventional materials, such as LEGO® or common household items, to engage students in learning, while also highlighting the importance of educators' love and passion for their work and the potential for ideas to have an impact beyond the classroom.
Listeners are given a glimpse into the hosts' upcoming appearances at the Learning and the Brain Conference in New York City and the Torrance Festival of Ideas Conference, where they will be sharing their expertise on creativity in education.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might you use LEGO® to help transform your teaching?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett are joined by the innovative A-level psychology teacher, Shafina Vohra, to explore the transformative power of creativity in the classroom. Vohra shares her personal journey into teaching, driven by passion following a life-altering car crash, and her subsequent development of a widely acclaimed LEGO® innovation program. This program serves not just as a teaching tool but as an inspiring catalyst for creativity across multiple subjects.
The episode dives deep into the myriad ways teachers can foster a creativity-rich environment, from leveraging LEGO® for teaching fractions in math to enhancing engagement in history lessons. Vohra emphasizes the critical balance between research and practice in education, advocating for teachers to take risks, collaborate outside their silos, and stay in tune with the latest educational research to inform and refine their teaching practices.
About Shafina Vohra:
Shafina Vohra is an A-level psychology teacher in London, where she teaches in an inner city college and is currently doing a PhD in Design Engineering at the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College. Her focus is creativity in the curriculum, and to this end, she has designed and developed a LEGO® Innovation Programme that is student-led, comprising industry projects, teacher training, and play, with a focus on creating workshops for primary schools around solutions for real-world issues. This is now a flagship, free community programme, and the work that she has done earned her spot in the top 10 finalists for the 2023, for the Global Teacher Prize!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might generative AI change the way we engage divergent thinking?
In part two of this double expresso of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Todd Lubart discusses the evolving landscape of creative potential and education. With insights drawn from his extensive research in creativity, Dr. Lubart delves into the changing nature of divergent thinking in the digital age. He examines the impact of generative AI on idea generation and the challenges it presents in selecting and developing the most promising ideas. Additionally, Dr. Lubart explores the future of creativity in education, shedding light on how integrating generative AI and virtual reality can provide tailored, immersive experiences that stimulate creativity.
Listeners gain access to valuable tips for educators, such as investing in creative challenges, enhancing the measurement of creative potential, and focusing on individual learner profiles. As Dr. Lubart emphasizes the importance of personalized approaches, he underscores the significance of educators designing activities that cater to the unique creative needs of their students. Whether you're a teacher looking to enrich the learning experience or an emerging scholar seeking to explore the intersection of creativity and education, this episode provides a compelling understanding of the changing dynamics of creativity in the classroom and beyond.
Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How do you measure the creative potential of your students?
In part one of this double expresso episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Todd Lubart, a distinguished creativity researcher and Professor of Psychology at Université de Paris, joins hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett in an insightful conversation about measuring creative potential in education.
Dr. Lubart shares his expertise in defining creative potential as the ability to produce original and meaningful work and delves into the development of the EPoC (Evaluation of Potential Creativity) battery, a comprehensive tool designed to measure creative potential in children and adolescents across different domains. The discussion touches upon the environmental factors influencing creative potential, the practical implementation of creativity assessments in classrooms, and the responsibility of schools in nurturing and amplifying students' creative potential.
Learn more about the EPoC here.
About Dr. Todd Lubart:
Todd Lubart is a professor of psychology at University Paris Cité. Former director of an applied psychology research laboratory, coordinator of several grants and contracts, he has more than 200 publications in articles, books and psychological tests. His lines of research concern creative potential, creativity assessments, creativity development, environmental support for creativity, the impact of technology on creativity. Todd Lubart serves on the editorial board of several journals concerning creativity and innovation, received the Berlyne award from the American Psychological Association, the NAGC Torrance Award, and was a member of the Institut Universitaire de France. Todd Lubart is president of the non-profit ISSCI (the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation, issci.online).
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might you build more fun into your classroom?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Drs. Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett engage with Dr. Mike Rucker, organizational psychologist and author of "The Fun Habit."
Diving into the necessity of fun and pleasure in educational settings, Mike stresses how essential joy and enjoyment are in the daily routine of both learners and educators. He shares strategies such as "activity bundling," exploring the concept of novelty in learning, and the hedonic flexibility principle—all aimed at revamping the classroom with creative and engaging methods.
The episode unpacks the delicate balance between routine and innovation in learning environments, discusses the effects of burnout on educators, and underscores the power of incorporating student input to co-create exciting educational experiences. Mike, alongside Matthew and Cyndi, also exemplifies how to diagnose and address the absence of enjoyment in schools, driving the conversation toward practical solutions to enhance engagement and enthusiasm from elementary to higher education levels.
About Dr. Michael Rucker
Dr. Mike Rucker is an organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, and charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association. He has been academically published in publications like the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. His ideas about fun and health have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, Vox, Thrive Global, Mindful, mindbodygreen, and more. He currently serves as a senior leader at Active Wellness and is the author of the best-selling book The Fun Habit, which is out now.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Welcome to the Season 8, part one debrief episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast. In this episode, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on three insightful interviews from the season. They share key takeaways from interviews with Dr. Janet Rafner, Dr. Maureen Carroll, and Todd Henry. From exploring the intersection of creativity and artificial intelligence to the importance of restorative practices for teachers, this debrief provides valuable insights and thought-provoking discussions. Join us as we delve into the world of creativity in education and be inspired to infuse creativity into teaching and learning.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How might educators instill a sense of bravery in their classrooms?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Drs. Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett sit down with guest Todd Henry, a self-proclaimed "arms dealer for the creative revolution." Todd shares his insights on the importance of defining the problem effectively in a team to ensure progress and the significance of implementing practices and disciplines to sustain effective work in the workplace. The conversation delves into the concept of bravery, distinct from boldness, and the habit of bravery as a choice made in the moment of need.
The episode explores practical tips for educators based on Henry's "Brave Habit" book, focusing on instilling a vision of what's possible and allowing students agency, along with encouraging students to step beyond their fears and consider a better future. The discussion ends on a note for educators to encourage students to ask uncomfortable questions in order to identify areas where bravery could be warranted. The episode provides valuable takeaways for educators looking to infuse creativity and bravery into their teaching approaches.
Check out Todd's book, Brave Habit, here!
About Todd Henry:
Todd Henry considers himself the “arms dealer for the creative revolution”. He teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of 7 books, including the Brave Habit, which we will talk about today, and speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work. He hosts a podcast called the Daily Creative podcast that has had nearly 20 million downloads.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
What if educators completed a creative residency?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Drs. Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett delve into a captivating discussion with guest Dr. Maureen Carroll about the dynamic landscape of professional development for educators. Maureen Carroll sheds light on different teacher responses and goals within professional development settings, underscoring the imperative of self-reflection in assimilating new knowledge to enhance their teaching methods.
They tackle the concept of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and recognize the value PLCs have in fostering trust and robust relationships among teaching professionals, setting the stage for risk-taking and honest exchanges.
Additionally, they highlight the Creative Residencies program initiated by Carroll, which is aimed at rejuvenating educators by immersing them in creativity through artist-led experiences. The timing and objectives of such creative ventures are also examined, pinpointing their optimal placement within the academic year.
Maureen's Website
Maureen Carroll, Ph.D., is the co-Founder of Lime Design and taught at Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) for over a decade. She was also the Director of REDlab, which conducts research on design and learning and was a lecturer in Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education. Carroll has published work in The Journal of Research in STEM Education, The International Journal of Art & Design Education, The Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research, BASE Innovation Journal, Design Studies, and The National Council of Teachers of English Voices from the Middle Journal. Prior to founding Lime Design, Carroll was the co-Founder of Bay Breeze Educational Resources, a curriculum design firm that integrated content area learning with media, the arts and popular culture. Carroll has a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in Education: Language, Literacy and Culture.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Janet Rafner, a distinguished expert in human-AI interaction and creativity, joins hosts Drs. Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett to delve into the world of computational creativity and human-AI co-creativity. Rafner illuminates the distinction between the two, emphasizing that while computational creativity pertains to algorithms creating independently, human-AI co-creativity celebrates the synergistic partnership between human intellect and algorithmic suggestions in the creative process. Together, they explore the role of generative AI in creative writing, discussing its use in enhancing writing styles, content development, and character creation, as well as its potential to spur imagination through multimodal suggestions like sound bites and images. They stress the importance of educators and students selecting tools that bolster creativity, addressing the critical ethical considerations regarding data privacy, the ethics of AI training, and the ownership of creative output.
The conversation takes a practical turn as Dr. Rafner and the hosts tackle the implications of generative AI usage in education. They advocate for incorporating discussions on the appropriateness of AI tools in different creative phases and emphasize the importance of documenting the AI interaction process for fostering critical analysis and transparency among students. Addressing administrative concerns, they consider the necessity of training in effective AI tool usage and offer insights into the challenges posed by plagiarism detection in AI-assisted work. Moreover, Rafner projects a future job market where AI doesn't replace, but augments, human roles, citing the need for upskilling to adapt to AI integration in fields like radiology and education.
Dr. Janet Rafner:
Dr. Janet Rafner is the Junior Center Director at the Center for Hybrid Intelligence, Department of Management, Aarhus University, and a fellow at the Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies co-funded by SHAPE, the center for shaping digital citizenship. She is known for her interdisciplinary research in human-AI interaction and creativity. Her publications span citizen science, psychometric creativity assessment, hybrid intelligence, game based assessment, and computational co-creativity. Dr. Rafner has received prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Sonophillia Foundation Research Award, a Fulbright Fellowship, and a Salzburg Global Fellowship.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Welcome to Season 8 of the "Fueling Creativity in Education" podcast!
In today's episode, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett set the stage for an exciting lineup of episodes to kick off 2024, including tops around generative AI, writing, and adding more fun and courage into the classroom. Listeners are also encouraged to check out the upcoming Learning and the Brain Conference in NYC and the Torrance Festival of Ideas, where they will present their podcast learnings.
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
🎙️ How much should technology influence the future of education?
In this episode, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett discuss the impact of generative AI on education and how it can shape the future of learning. They dive into the concept of "get glimpses of the future" as a creative thinking skill. They explore AI Scenario Playquests where AI tools can enhance learning events, such as using AI mediators to resolve conflicts within student groups and leveraging instant translation capabilities to facilitate global collaboration between students from different cultures.
The conversation also delves into the potential challenges of integrating AI into education, raising thought-provoking questions about the balance between technology and traditional learning methods, as well as the implications for language learning in a world increasingly reliant on AI translation tools.
Tune in to gain insights on how AI and creativity intersect in education and consider the evolving role of technology in shaping the learning experiences of future generations.
AI Scenario Playquests.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett explore the theme of relationships in the context of generative AI and its potential impact on creativity in education. Drawing from a previous episode with guest Patrícia Alves-Oliveira, the hosts delve into the complex nature of relationships between humans and robots. They emphasize the importance of building meaningful connections with technological tools and the ethical considerations involved. They discuss how students can form engaging relationships with robots, highlighting the potential for social and emotional learning.
The conversation also touches on the future of relationships with technology, prompting reflections on the portrayal of such connections in popular culture, as well as the ethical implications of introducing AI tools to support students. The hosts stress the need for educators to foster positive relationships with generative AI and to be aware of potential negative impacts. The episode concludes with a call to consider the various types of relationships that may exist with technological tools and to approach the integration of AI in education with mindfulness and ethical awareness.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett explore the theme of enhancing the creative process in education. As part of their winter 2023 listen and learn series, the hosts present a snippet of their conversation with guest Dr. David Cropley. Dr. Cropley's insights shed light on the future of creativity and the collaboration between humans and generative AI. He emphasizes the importance of understanding each other's strengths and envisions a future where humans define problems, collaborate with AI for idea generation, and validate solutions themselves. This thought-provoking discussion sets the stage for educators and scholars to consider integrating generative AI into their creative processes.
The hosts reflect on Dr. Cropley's insights, discussing how educators can utilize generative AI to enhance their creative processes. Dr. Burnett shares her personal experience of using generative AI as a writing coach to overcome writer's block and maximize her creative potential. Dr. Worwood emphasizes the personalized nature of utilizing generative AI in various contexts, noting the potential for personalized chatbots to assist individuals based on unique needs. They encourage educators to explore how generative AI tools can be integrated into their classroom environments, fostering creativity and critical thinking.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Happy New Year! In the final episode of 2023, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on their highlights from 2023 and share their main goals for the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast in 2024.
What was YOUR favorite insight or episode from the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast in 2023?
Let us know! Email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com! And don't forget to let us know if you'd like to be a guest on the show.
2023 Highlight Episodes
Special Episode with Dr. Howard Gardner
Interview with Laura Winkler and Marc Franc
Upcoming Conferences
Torrance Festival of Ideas
Mind, Brain, and Learning Conference
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visitingwww.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
To keep us growing, give us a rating/review and share the Podcast with a friend or colleague if you enjoy it! You can find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean.
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett delve into the theme of human creativity and its relationship with generative AI in education. They introduce an interview clip with Dr. Marta Davidovich, who shares her experience and perspective on the definition of creativity, emphasizing the human experience of imagination and expression.
The hosts reflect on the relevance of this discussion in the context of generative AI and its potential for creativity, engaging in a thought-provoking conversation about whether AI can truly exhibit imagination.
The episode continues as the hosts offer a practical tip for educators, encouraging them to initiate discussions with students and colleagues about the creativity of generative AI and its distinctions from human creativity. They highlight the value of fostering robust and thought-provoking conversations that challenge conventional thinking. Additionally, the hosts invite listeners to join the conversation and share their own definitions of creativity as it pertains to generative AI, further expanding the dialogue on this fascinating topic.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In the first episode of the Winter 2023 Listen & Learn series, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett explore the theme of disruption in education, drawing from an interview clip with futurist Bryan Alexander. The clip, recorded in spring 2021, focuses on the impact of generative AI on the future of learning and the potential consequences for educators. As they dissect the interview, Cyndi shares a personal journey, initially fearing self-driving cars but ultimately embracing new technology, emphasizing the importance of gradually embracing change.
The hosts offer a tip for educators: start small. Encouraging educators to experiment with generative AI in manageable ways, such as creating new prompts or course titles, they highlight the significance of reducing ambiguity and developing familiarity with the technology.
The episode also introduces a special giveaway for listeners, involving uncovering a code word across all the Listen & Learn series episodes during winter 2023 to win a prize.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett introduce their second Listen and Learn series, which focuses on generative AI and its future relationship with creativity in education. Throughout the episode, the hosts share their excitement for this new series and reveal the unique feature of the Listen and Learn episodes—the challenge for listeners to decode a special code word by gathering letters shared at the end of each episode.
Join them as they launch this very special listen-and-learn series!
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In today's episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, meet our summer Listen and Learn series winners, Laura Winkler and Mark Frank, two creative educators reshaping their classrooms. Laura, a gifted education specialist, brings creativity alive via storytelling and interactive activities. Meanwhile, Mark leaps into the creative sphere by introducing robotics, coding, and Lego-based activities into his lessons.
Matthew and Cyndi dissect strategies for introducing and nurturing creativity within the classroom, reinforcing the idea of small wins and well-timed innovation. Cyndi emphasizes a 360 feedback approach for evaluation while Matthew focuses on fostering a growth mindset through emphasis on the creative process.
They kept the dialogue going with tips for other educators, future concerns, and their own questions about fostering creativity in more structured lessons.
Finally, don't miss our teaser about our upcoming listen-and-learn series on the intersection of artificial intelligence, creativity, and education.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Welcome to a special Thanksgiving episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast! In this episode, we gather to express our gratitude and appreciation for the things that have fueled our creativity in the classroom. Join hosts Dr. Matthew Werwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett as they welcome special guests Laura Winkler, a gifted and education specialist, and Mark Frank, a STEM educator. They share their stories of gratitude towards their colleagues and innovative practices that have made a difference in their classrooms. From utilizing AI technology to repurposing everyday objects like spoons, these educators show how thinking outside the box can fuel creativity in education. So grab a seat at the table and join us for a heartwarming and inspiring Thanksgiving episode filled with gratitude and creativity.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Join Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett as they share their top five insights from the last five episodes of the podcast! They celebrate reaching 50,000 downloads of their podcast and express gratitude to their listeners.
Dr. Burnett highlights a thought-provoking insight from Colleen Kelly's episode about not letting one course or skill stop someone from achieving their dreams. She discusses the importance of helping students overcome hurdles and challenges to foster their intrinsic motivation and encourage their pursuit of their passions. This insight sparks a discussion on the connection between artistry and teaching, and the need for teachers to have creative outlets to fuel their artistry in the classroom.
Dr. Worwood shares his takeaway from Eric Booth's episode, focusing on the relationship between acting on stage and teaching in the classroom. He reflects on how the novelty and originality that comes with performing for the first time can engage and captivate an audience and relates it to his experience of teaching multiple sections of the same class. He discusses the challenge of maintaining artistry and avoiding staleness when teaching repeated content and suggests the importance of constantly tapping into creativity to bring freshness to the classroom.
The hosts also discuss the importance of technology evaluation and innovative teaching, drawing insights from Jim Diamond's episode. They explore the difference between creativity and innovation in the classroom, highlighting the need for creativity as the upfront process and innovation as the implementation and assessment of creative strategies. They touch upon the role of technology as a catalyst for creativity and the need for teachers to constantly reinvent their instructional approaches.
The episode concludes with a preview of upcoming episodes, including a Thanksgiving special and a mini listen-and-learn series on AI. The hosts express their excitement for the future of the podcast and invite listeners to join the conversation and share their experiences and insights.
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett dive into the fascinating world of technology tools in education with special guest Dr. Jim Diamond.
One of the key themes discussed is the importance of evaluating tools regularly to support student learning. They explore how the context in which these tools are used can significantly vary from place to place, and what works in one educational setting may not work in another. Additionally, they delve into the need for educators to assess the affordances of these tools and determine if they align with their goals and objectives.
Creativity also takes center stage in this episode. They discuss evaluating creativity in tools and techniques that stimulate divergent thinking in students. To recognize and foster creativity in their classrooms, educators are encouraged to define creativity in a specific context and set clear assessment criteria.
Finally, the discussion looks at the potential of AI technologies like Chat GPT and the ethical considerations surrounding their use. Jim shares his thoughts on how Chat GPT can facilitate productive dialogue and brainstorming between educators and students while emphasizing the need for critical thinking and evaluation of AI-produced content.
Tune in to this thought-provoking episode for valuable insights on evaluating and incorporating technology tools and creative thinking in education.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett interview Eric Booth, a thought leader in teaching artistry. He shares his experience as a teaching artist, highlighting the crucial role they play in activating learners' artistry and helping them express themselves in various artistic disciplines. Eric also discusses the need to support the artistry of educators and create a classroom culture that encourages creativity. He proposes practical strategies for incorporating regular creative activities and fostering intrinsic motivation in students.
He shares his insights on activating our creative capacity as a continuous process, similar to exercising a muscle. Eric also discusses the challenges of replicating discussions in different sections of his teaching, recognizing the need to be flexible and open to new approaches.
Overall, this thought-provoking episode explores the intersection of creativity and education, emphasizing the importance of fostering artistry in learners and educators alike. Join us as we dive into the practical strategies, personal experiences, and insightful perspectives shared by Eric Booth.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the "Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast," Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett are joined by Dr. Colleen Kelley, creator and founder of Kids Chemical Solutions, a comic book-based curriculum for ages 8 to 108. Dr. Kelley shares her unique approach to teaching chemistry, emphasizing the importance of incorporating characters and imagination into the classroom. She believes that without these elements, chemistry remains invisible to students, leading to memorization rather than true understanding.
Dr. Kelley highlights the need to nurture students' imagination as an essential skill in science education. She helps students visualize and comprehend complex concepts like molecules by using drawings and characters. She also emphasizes the importance of recognizing that the teacher's level of understanding may not align with their students and provides strategies for creating an "onboarding ramp" to bridge the gap.
Furthermore, Dr. Kelley explores the early introduction of chemistry in education and how it can better prepare students for future pursuits. She discusses the intergenerational aspect of learning and encourages parents to engage in creative activities with their children to foster curiosity and understanding of the world around them.
Lastly, Dr. Kelley shares her experience developing her comic book curriculum and its impact on students and parents. She emphasizes the power of creativity in addressing instructional challenges and encourages educators to explore different disciplines to stimulate their own creativity. Using storytelling and imaginative approaches, she aims to make chemistry more accessible and enjoyable for learners of all ages.
Molecular Literacy Packet
Free Audio Books
Dr. Colleen Kelley
Dr. Colleen Kelley is the Creator and Founder of Kids’ Chemical Solutions (www.kidschemicalsolutions.com), which is a comic-book-based curriculum for kids ages 8 – 108. Her journey as a chemist began at The University of Richmond, where she received her B.S. in Chemistry. She fell in love with the world of discovery and research and wanted to continue to explore more chemistry, so she completed her Ph.D. in chemistry at Penn State University at the age of 24. Fast forward 30 years later to the tail-end of her career teaching chemistry at the University of Arizona, Colleen finds herself captivated by the question, “Why do my students think chemistry is SO hard?” She has discovered that learning chemistry is very much like learning how to read, and she created the term Molecular Literacy to describe how chemistry is best understood.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett have the pleasure of speaking with Anne Rizza, an experienced and dedicated High School English teacher with an impressive 24-year tenure.
Anne attended the Teacher's Innovation Studio, where she learned how to put her creativity into action to help identify a challenge in her classroom. At the time, Anne's students were using Google Slides, but they were simply filling the slides with text, leading to a lack of engagement. Anne decided to introduce Canva to her students and teach them how to use it effectively to captivate their audience.Anne explains that it took small steps to get her students to remove excessive text from their presentations, resulting in a significant improvement in their engagement levels. By the third semester, she noticed that the only text on the screen was the film title and perhaps a term, allowing the students' presentations to focus on visual storytelling rather than relying on written information.
Learn more about Teachers Innovation Studio at Workspace CT, at www.teachersinnovationstudio.org.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district? Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett are joined by Dr. Camille McKayle, who shares her insights on developing creativity in the higher education system at the University of Virgin Islands in her role as Provost.
Camille discusses the importance of teaching Creative Problem Solving (CPS) and promoting a growth mindset to foster creative thinking among students. She highlights the positive impact of these approaches, with students who go through the program achieving higher GPAs in subsequent semesters.
Camille also emphasizes the significance of appointing Igniters, individuals who are resourceful and eager to engage with new ideas. The Igniters receive training in Creative Problem Solving (CPS) and offer guidance to units in their problem-solving efforts. She reveals that the university president has shown support for the Creativity Lab, utilizing its services for sessions and involving the CPS process in the development of an innovative building.
Throughout the episode, Camille delves into her own journey with creativity, from her fascination with number theory and the thinking process of mathematicians to her realization that everyone has the capacity to be creative. She describes the Boost program at the University of the Virgin Islands, which targets students with a GPA of 2.5 or below and focuses on creative problem solving, growth mindset, and entrepreneurial skills.
Overall, this episode delves into the importance of creative thinking in education and how it can empower students to believe in their abilities. The ideas discussed here are not only applicable within the UVI community but also offer valuable insights for educators and institutions worldwide.
About Dr. Camille McKayle:
Dr. Camille A. McKayle is Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). As Provost, she led the development of UVI’s first PhD program in Creative Leadership for Innovation and Change, which graduated its first PhD recipients in 2018. She has also been instrumental in starting a Creativity Lab at UVI, which serves to train faculty, staff and students in creative problem solving, as well as facilitate planning and visioning through a creative approach.
Dr. McKayle received her Ph.D. in Mathematics, from Lehigh University. Additionally, she completed a Master’s Certificate in Creativity and Change Leadership from Buffalo State College’s International Center for Creativity Studies. Her current research interests are in the areas of Creativity Studies, Creativity and Leadership, HBCU Leadership, STEM Education and STEM Leadership.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
It’s that time again! It’s time to debrief the first half of Season 7 of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast. In this episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on the first five episodes of Season 7, highlighting the key takeaways and lessons these discussions have taught them about how they can fuel creativity in school, at home, and beyond.
Listen in to hear Cyndi and Matthew break down the following insights. Then, they challenge you to explore new opportunities for getting involved and facilitating creativity in your community.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this double expresso of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome back to the show Dr. James Kaufman, a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut and one of the leading researchers in the field of creativity. In the second part of this double expresso, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett unpack his recent book, "The Creativity Advantage," with Dr. James Kaufman. The discussion focuses on the five benefits of creativity: self-insight, healing, connection, drive, and legacy. He explains that these areas were developed in response to the lack of emphasis on the practical benefits of creativity and the need to articulate why creativity is important. Kaufman also touches on the anti-creativity bias that exists in society and how it can hinder the recognition and acceptance of creativity. The conversation also touches on the link between creativity and success in different domains, such as education and work performance. Dr. Kaufman acknowledges that while the connection is not always strongly evident, creative thinking can bring unique benefits to individuals and organizations. He also explores the biases and misconceptions surrounding creativity, including the desire for creativity within established frameworks and the resistance to change that can arise.Furthermore, Dr. Kaufman emphasizes the connection between creativity and mental health. He highlights the research on the therapeutic power of creative expression, such as art therapy and writing. Through these insights, the episode aims to challenge preconceived notions about creativity and inspire educators to integrate creativity into teaching and learning practices.About Dr. James Kaufman:Dr. Kaufman is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. He is one of the leading researchers in the field of creativity, authoring and editing over 50 books. He has published more than 300 papers and three well-known theories of creativity, including the Four-C Model of Creativity with Ron Beghetto, who was on an earlier podcast. He has co-authored several books for educators, including Teaching for Creativity in the Common Core Classroom, Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom, and Being Creative Inside and Outside of the Classroom. His most recent book, The Creativity Advantage, focuses on the benefits of bringing creativity into our lives.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this double expresso of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome back to the show Dr. James Kaufman, a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut and one of the leading researchers in the field of creativity.
In the first part of this double expresso, Dr. Kaufman discusses the intersection of creativity and artificial intelligence (AI). He ponders whether AI will enhance or hinder creativity and questions if it will lead to a more equitable distribution of creative advantages. Dr. Kaufman expresses concerns that those with access to resources and technology may benefit the most, further widening the gap. However, he also sees the potential for AI to be a tool for co-creation and boosting people's creative potential.
The conversation expands to include parallels between the advent of the World Wide Web and the potential challenges faced with increased access to information. They discuss the importance of curation in a world flooded with content, where individuals must navigate vast amounts of data to find what is truly valuable.
Overall, this episode explores the complex relationship between creativity, AI, access to information, and the role of curation. Dr. Kaufman's insights give listeners a deeper understanding of these topics and the potential consequences and advantages they may have in the field of education. About Dr. James Kaufman:Dr. Kaufman is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. He is one of the leading researchers in the field of creativity, authoring and editing over 50 books. He has published more than 300 papers and three well-known theories of creativity, including the Four-C Model of Creativity with Ron Beghetto, who was on an earlier podcast. He has co-authored several books for educators, including Teaching for Creativity in the Common Core Classroom, Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom, and Being Creative Inside and Outside of the Classroom. His most recent book, The Creativity Advantage, focuses on the benefits of bringing creativity into our lives. Are you eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor, Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
Do you want to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett interview Peter Wachtel, a teacher at Adolfo Camarillo High School in California. Peter is an experienced teacher of architecture and product innovation design and has a diverse background in the toy and entertainment industry. He was also the winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Teaching Excellence Prize and the California ACTE CTE Teacher of the Year.
The conversation begins with a discussion about Peter's Guinness World Record for creating the longest charcuterie board in the world. He explains that it was a collaborative project with his students, involving careful planning and logistics. The board was 204 feet, 7.8 inches, and featured various cheeses, meats, and appetizers arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way.
Peter then shares his journey into product design and inventing, recounting his early days of tinkering with bicycles and even turning a lawnmower into a go-kart. He emphasized the importance of curiosity and exploration in education, as well as the value of learning from both good and not-so-great teachers. The episode concludes with Peter discussing how he brings creativity into the classroom. He believes that anything around us can be an opportunity for exploration and discovery. Through projects like the charcuterie board, his students learn teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Peter highlights the importance of involving the community and different entities in these projects, giving students a real-world understanding of how businesses operate.
Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into how creativity can be infused into education and the transformative impact it can have on students' learning experiences.
Mentioned in this Episode:
See the largest charcuterie board that broke the record!
Azhelle Wade's Episode on Toy Design
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
About Peter Wachtel: Peter Wachtel teaches architecture and product innovation design at Adolfo Camarillo High School in Camarillo, Calif. He was a 2019 winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Teaching Excellence Prize & 2022 California ACTE CTE Teacher of the Year, 2023 Guinness World Record Holder (Longest Charcuterie Board in the World), taught design at the college level at MIT, Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design and Otis College of Art and Design for more than 20 years. Wachtel, teaching after a 30-year career in the toy & entertainment industry, is the former president of the Southern California Toy Association, a published author of two books and has been a toy and product designer/inventor/ director at companies such as Marvel & Six Flags.
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett sit down with guest Morgan Vien, Co-Founder and CEO of Design for Emergence, to explore the power of design thinking and liberatory design in education. They dive deep into the principles of design thinking, emphasizing the importance of problem finding, generative solutions, and understanding human needs. Morgan shares insights on the emergence strategy approach to change, highlighting the significance of setting conditions for emergence and reflecting on system goals.
The conversation delves into the challenges of implementing design thinking in the classroom, with Morgan discussing the limitations of solely teaching procedural steps and the importance of empathy, reflection, and co-design. She also shares her experiences working on projects with the Mira Fellowship, focusing on cultivating conditions for Stoke - a feeling of anticipation and capacity. The conversation broadens to explore the concepts of liberation and liberatory design, stressing the need for self-awareness, addressing inequities, and co-defining collective liberation and power dynamics.
Throughout the episode, Morgan provides practical examples and insights on how to apply design thinking and liberatory design in education, whether it's redesigning high schools or creating collaborative spaces. They also discuss the importance of conducting user research, deep empathy work, and actively listening to those impacted by the problem. Overall, this episode offers valuable perspectives on fueling creativity and driving change in the education system through the power of design thinking and liberatory design. Eager to bring more creativity into your school district? Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education? Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter! About Morgan Vien Morgan Vien is the co-founder and CEO of Design for Emergence (D4E). She is a systems change designer and facilitator who brings catalytic energy to her work. Morgan has a vision of the world as a place of equity and humanity. She hosts opportunities for people to gather in discovery and design so that they can navigate complexity and create collective ways forward. Using emergent and liberatory practices, she holds space for people to step into their power and exercise radical imagination in making sustainable change. Beyond Design for Emergence, Morgan is a designer with the Stanford d.school and Liberatory Design Faculty at the National Equity Project. She has coached and designed with the Teachers Guild x School Retool at IDEO, been a Deeper Learning Coach with Envision Learning Partners, and incubated ideas with the Mira Fellowship. Morgan was the principal of an arts-integration, expeditionary learning school, a founding teacher in Oakland’s New Small Autonomous Schools movement, and is a member of the board of trustees at Design Tech High School.
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, hosts Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood welcome Izzy Gesell, an organizational alchemist and expert in humor, creativity, improv, and education. Izzy shares his insights on the connections and differences between improvisation, creativity, and humor. He explains that humor is a mindset that creates joy, while improv is a process that fosters creativity through restrictions. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing personal blocks and fears in order to cultivate playfulness and humor in the classroom.
Matthew and Cyndi discuss the role of constraints in the classroom environment and how improvisation can help teachers embrace and navigate these constraints with laughter and flexibility. They also touch on the fear and resistance that some teachers may have towards incorporating humor and improvisation in their teaching. Izzy offers recommendations for teachers, including practicing improv, recognizing personal blocks, and understanding that humor is about creating a positive environment rather than telling jokes.
The episode highlights the parallels between teaching and performing arts, both requiring energy, movement, and storytelling skills. The hosts and guest discuss the power of storytelling in engaging students and making curriculum more relevant. Overall, this episode offers practical insights and strategies for infusing humor, creativity, and improvisation into the classroom, giving teachers the tools and confidence to create a more playful and enjoyable learning environment.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
About Izzy Gesell:
Izzy Gesell is an “organizational alchemist” He was a special education teacher in NYC before becoming a standup comedian and improvisor and then a professional speaker and facilitator. Through keynotes, breakouts, coaching and facilitated sessions, Izzy offers imaginative, intuitive and immediately useful insights and programs. He delivers meaningful material in an enjoyable way. Among the first to use Improv Theater concepts as tools for personal and organizational learning, he is the author of Playing Along: Group Learning Activities Borrowed From Improvisation Theater & Instructional Moments: Facilitating with Applied Improv. His video course for LinkedIn Learning, “Leading With Applied Improv,” was their first on the topic . His other LinkedIn courses “Humor in the Workplace” and “Building Your Team.” He has a BA in Psychology, an MS in Education and a P… that’s 1/3 of a PhD and now lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Twitter: @improvizzy FB: Humorology LinkedIN: IzzyGesell
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett are joined by special guest Katie Trowbridge. Katie is a highly experienced educator and the President and CEO of Curiosity to Create, a nonprofit organization dedicated to incorporating creative and critical thinking strategies into education.
Throughout the episode, Katie emphasizes the importance of putting things into context and reflecting on the impact of teaching strategies. She discusses the need for teachers to help students make connections and highlights the power of deep reflections to demonstrate these connections.
The episode explores the vital role of creativity and critical thinking in education and the importance of teachers modeling the process of learning from failure and mistakes. Katie emphasizes the need to build a community around creative and critical thinking, involving both educators and parents. Critical thinking is particularly essential in today's world, where students often seek answers without engaging in deeper analysis.
Finally, the episode encourages teachers to take risks and try new approaches in the classroom, allowing for reflection, mistakes, and growth. Katie highlights the significance of creative metacognition, which involves both critical and creative thinking, in developing knowledge and understanding of creativity.
About Katie:
Katie Trowbridge has over two decades of experience as a teacher and mentor. She is President and CEO of Curiosity 2 CREATE, a nonprofit organization focused on helping educators incorporate creative and critical thinking strategies into their existing curricula and build creative classroom environments. Katie has won several Teacher of Excellence and Outstanding Educator awards, has a Master’s in Teaching and a Master’s in Education Administration, and is pursuing her ED.D at Northeastern University in Boston.
Eager to bring more creativity into your school district?
Check out our sponsor Curiosity2Create.org and CreativeThinkingNetwork.com
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
We are back with Season Seven of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast!
Join Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood as they share what is in store for Season Seven and announce a new podcast sponsor.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In the final episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Teach Failure" - one of ten actions they've highlighted for classroom creativity during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisited advice shared by creativity researchers Ron Begehetto and Wendy Ross, who highlight the importance and challenges of teaching students how to fail, particularly when dealing with powerful emotions.
Featured Episodes
Ron Beghetto and Lisa McBain, My Favorite Failure
Wendy Ross, The Role of Serendipity in Creativity
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndi and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can learn more about this series on WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to join online discussions on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this ninth episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Modeling for Creativity" - one of ten actions they've highlighted for classroom creativity during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisited advice shared by renowned creativity researcher Jonathan Plucker and professional designer KC Lathrop, who highlighted the value of modeling creativity behavior, including seeking out opportunities to bring students into the problem-solving process faced in a teaching and learning environment.
Featured Episodes
Jonathan Plucker, Discussing Excellence Gaps
KC Lathrop, Teachers as Designer
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndi and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can learn more about this series on WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to join online discussions on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this eighth episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Nurturing Creative Potential" - one of ten actions they've highlighted for classroom creativity during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisited advice shared by renowned researchers Howard Gardner and Mark Runco, who highlighted the importance of identifying and supporting students demonstrating creative potential and encouraging them to dig deeper into their field.
Featured Episodes
Mark Runco, Discussing the Future of Creativity Research
Howard Gardner, Special Episode on Creativity
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndi and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can learn more about this series on WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to join online discussions on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this seventh episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Give Students Choice" - one of ten actions they've identified for classroom creativity during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisited advice shared by administrator Heather Lyon and classroom teacher Andrea Mango, whose clips provoked a discussion on power and how we manage planning for the semester.
Featured Episodes
Andrea Mango, Giving Up Control in the Classroom
Heather Lyon, Exploring Levels of Student Engagement
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndi and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can learn more about this series on WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to join online discussions on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this sixth episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Build Relationships" - one of ten actions they've identified for classroom creativity during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisit advice shared by UK elementary teacher Juliet Desailly, who reminds us that every new cohort of students is always a little different than the last, and South American educator Lola Schnapp, who emphasizes the importance of relationships with like-minded colleagues.
Featured Episodes
Lola Schnapp, Creative Thinking at the Engine for Change
Juliet Desailly, A Reflection on Education Standards
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndi and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can learn more about this series on WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to join online discussions on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to understand how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this fifth episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Plan for Creativity" - one of ten actions they've identified for classroom creativity during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisit two tips shared by Dr. Alfredo Bautista and Vincent Andrews, who encourage educators to plan strategically for creativity. Matt and Cyndi discuss this advice, explore the educator's role in project-based learning environments, and consider the influence of classroom constraints on student creativity.
Featured Episodes
Alfredo Bautista, Early Years Creativity
Vincent Andrews, Creativity is Everywhere
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndi and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can learn more about this series on WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to join online discussions on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this fourth episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Initiate Discussions on Creativity" - one of ten actions they've identified for classroom creativity during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisit advice shared by Monika Kang, who reminds educators to reflect on how they speak about creativity, and Dr. Marta Davidovich Ockuly, who invites classroom practitioners to generate definitions for creativity relevant to the environment.
Featured Episodes
Monika Kang, Creativity, and a Global Perspective
Marta Davidovich Ockuly, A Scholarly Journey to Redefining Creativity
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndi and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can learn more about this series on WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to join online discussions on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this third episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Be Open" - one of ten actions they've identified for classroom creativity during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisit advice shared by creativity research and renowned author Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman and Dr. Patrícia Alves-Oliveira, an expert in human robotics design. Although the discussion highlights the need to be open in response to student questions and requests, Cyndi and Matt also consider whether it's possible to be too open at times.
Featured Episodes:
Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, Journey of Teaching and Learning
Dr. Patrícia Alves-Oliveira, Robotics and Creativity
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndi and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can learn more about this series on WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to join online discussions on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this second episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Start Small" - one of ten actions they've identified for classroom creativity during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisit advice shared by Maker Space expert Michael Mino and educator Andrea Mango; both emphasize the importance of expanding on what you are already doing well and recognize that change takes place over time and in small micro-bursts.
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndi and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can learn more about this series on WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to join online discussions on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Featured Episodes:
Michael Mino, Maker Education Across Different Socio-Economic Environments
Andra Mango, Giving Up Control in the Classroom
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this first episode of the Listen & Learn Summer Series, Cyndi and Matt discuss "Ask Questions" - one of ten actions they've identified during their 60+ podcast interviews with creativity researchers, practitioners, and talented educators.
During the conversation, Cyndi and Matt revisit two tips shared by Dr. Joe Renzuli and Dr. Frank LaBanca and discuss how they represent the values they want to promote within the action of Ask Questions, which include asking open questions throughout the semester and joining students in a journey of discovery in response to unknown questions that arise during class discussions.
The Listen & Learn Summer Series offers teachers and educators a collection of short episodes to support professional learning around creativity in education. Cyndia and Matt have created an online resource to help educators who want to engage in the learning experience actively. You can find out more at WorwoodClassroom.com or visit CreativeThinkingNetwork.com to participate in a regular discussion on each tip with Dr. Cyndi Burnett.
Featured Episodes:
How to Engage, Inspire, and Promote Creativity with Dr. Joe Renzuli
Integrating Inquiry-Based Learning with Dr. Frank LaBanca
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
This episode launches the first Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast's Listen and Learn Summer Series. Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood took 200+ tips shared by creativity researchers, scholar-practitioners, and educators and identified ten actions that facilitate creativity in the classroom. Over the next ten weeks, Cyndi and Matthew will discuss one tip per episode as part of a summer of professional learning on the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this 2022/23 academic year wrap-up episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood discuss the official end of the pandemic and the launch of ChatGPT before discussing their professional accomplishments, which include a new parenting book on creativity and a new professional educators network dedicated to creative thinking (Creative Thinking Network).
Referenced Episodes:
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Creativity with Bryan Alexander
Teaching Teachers About Creativity
Other items referenced:
New Book Alert: Raising Highly Creative Kids: 8 Tips for Early Years Parenting
My Sandwich is a Spaceship: Creative Thinking for Parents with Young Children
Teacher Innovation Studio
Link to Creative Thinking Network for Educators
20% DISCOUNT CODE: fuelingcreativity
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visitingwww.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this bridging the gap episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their interview with Dr. Howard Gardner, a developmental psychologist, renowned author, and the Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Cyndi and Matt reflect on Dr. Gardner's work in Creativity studies, discuss Five Minds of the Future, and consider the teaching of mini c and little c creativity in the classroom.
Referenced Resources:
A Synthesizing Mind: A Memoir from the Creator of Multiple Intelligences Theory by Howard Gardner
Creating Minds by Howard Gardner
Five Minds for the Future by Howard Gardner
The Real World of College by Howard Gardner and Wendy Fischman
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visitingwww.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
In this special episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Howard Gardner, a developmental psychologist, renowned author, and the Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Listen in as Howard shares his perspective of creativity and how it’s changed throughout his career in education and research. He highlights the fascinating insights he learned from writing “Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Ghandi”. He speaks on how creativity is rewarded in educational spaces and how you can encourage kids to be creative regardless of the process, outcome, and reward.
“My best advice for young people is to be a fragmenter – to take one aspect from one person and a second aspect from a second person, and so on. Don’t be too dependent on one role model. I think that’s a mistake.” – Dr. Howard Gardner
Howard details the role of AI in originality of ideas and having a creative mind, along with why the synthesizing mind isn’t for everybody. Then, he shares his thoughts on the mindsets that are required for the future and what makes him hopeful (and worried) for future generations.
Howard’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Every young child loves to explore and gets pleasure out of trying new things. Your job is to encourage children to engage with new things. Don’t worry if they obsessively repeat something or if they frequently switch from one thing to another.
- Don’t forget to instill discipline in kids starting at a young age, but also give some slack to kids who do things differently than everyone else.
- Find something that you enjoy doing, that satisfies you or is meaningful to you, and that you can get better at (as long as it’s not harming anyone else).
Recommended Resources:
A Synthesizing Mind: A Memoir from the Creator of Multiple Intelligences Theory by Howard Gardner
Creating Minds by Howard Gardner
Five Minds for the Future by Howard Gardner
The Real World of College by Howard Gardner and Wendy Fischman
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visitingwww.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Please rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Howard Gardner:
Howard Gardner is an award-winning developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is also the head of the Steering Committee of Harvard Project Zero, an educational research group composed of multiple, independently-sponsored research projects. In recognition of his contributions to both academic theory and public policy, he has received honorary degrees from thirty-one colleges and universities, including institutions in Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, South Korea, and Spain. He has twice been selected by Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines as one of 100 most influential public intellectuals in the world.
Howard is the author of thirty books translated into thirty-two languages, and several hundred articles, best known in educational circles for his theory of multiple intelligences.
Learn more about Howard Gardner
Visit his website
How is teaching art different than teaching creativity? How do you teach creativity in the context of art? In this throwback episode of Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their discussion with Tamara Doleman, head of the Visual Art department at Ashbury College in Canada. Tamara is passionate about exploring the intersection between art, creativity, wellbeing, and the growth and healing potential it can provide our communities and schools.
Listen in to learn about Tamara’s deliberate approach to teaching creativity in the art classroom and the difference between teaching art and teaching creativity. She details the many benefits of teaching for creativity in schools, especially now during the pandemic, along with how to facilitate a long-term program for creativity in your classroom.
“Creativity is the celebration of pluralism and diversity. I think that our world, in essence, really needs to come to terms with the fact that all of us are different and we all have something to contribute to the world. And so, when we’re teaching for creativity, we’re really teaching an individual how to be comfortable with who they are and start to think about what they want to bring into the world… to make it a better, more enjoyable, beautiful place”
- Tamara Doleman
Tamara’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Read up on creativity, but also read up on what skills and characteristics different artists have. Were they risk-takers, detail-oriented, etc?
- Don’t focus on and criticize the outcome of a creative experience. Focus on the creative process and how each student differs from one another.
- Acknowledging how you talk to yourself during your creative process is an opportunity for learning in a creative space. Encourage your kids to work through frustration, getting stuck, and their inner critic.
- Engagement and connection will increase once you focus on creativity in the classroom.
- Set up expectations and awareness around behaviors and how our actions impact others.
- Foster a space where kids feel comfortable being playful and coming up with crazy ideas.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visitingwww.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Tamara Doleman:
Tamara Doleman has been teaching for over 20 years. Her experience includes teaching a variety of subjects in elementary and secondary, in single sex and co-educational schools, both public and private. She is head of the Visual Arts department at Ashbury College in Ottawa, Canada. Tamara has a Master’s degree in Creativity from SUNY Buffalo State. She has coached individuals, run workshops, written articles, and presented a TEDX talk on the topic of creativity in schools. She is passionate about exploring the intersection between art, creativity, wellbeing, and the growth and healing potential it can provide our communities and schools. Her future goals involve getting training in expressive arts therapies.
Visit Tamara’s website
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Follow her on Twitter
Follow her on Instagram
How is creativity connected to engagement in an educational environment? In this throwback episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their conversation with Dr. Heather Lyon, author of Engagement is not a Unicorn (It’s a Narwhal) and The BIG Book of Engagement Strategies.
Listen in to learn Heather’s unique formula for engagement, the differences between student engagement and adult engagement, and engagement impacts our ability to be successful learners. She details her 4 Levels of Engagement and what causes someone to shift from one level to another, as well as the manifestations of each of these engagement levels.
“Compliance is not engagement”- Heather Lyon
Heather’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Teachers are models for students. Students do what they see, so teachers who are engaged and creative have students that are also engaged and creative. Be willing to celebrate both the progress and the struggle.
- Compliance is not engagement. Stop being okay with students who are simply doing what they’re told.
- Creativity is the fuel for engagement. The more a person has choice, voice, input, and control over what they are doing, the more likely they are to be at least interested, if not absorbed, in the learning.
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episodes with Ron Beghetto
Listen to the episode with Dr. James Kaufman
Listen to the episode with Sally Reis
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visitingwww.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
About Heather Lyon:
Heather Lyon is author of Engagement is not a Unicorn (It’s a Narwhal) and The BIG Book of Engagement Strategies. Heather is a former English teacher and has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and an Ed.M. in Reading from the University at Buffalo. She is an Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology for Lewiston-Porter Central School District in Western New York. Heather has been a staff developer and held various administrative titles, but the professional title she likes best is learner. She is also a proud wife and mother who struggles with but values the importance of boundaries and balance—which are so critical for all of us. Heather lives with her husband and three children, who make her smile and teach her the importance of kindness, respect, and patience.
Visit Heather’s website
Follow her on Twitter
Connect with her on LinkedIn
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How does serendipity affect creativity? In this throwback episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their conversation with Dr. Wendy Ross, a cognitive scientist, senior lecturer in psychology, and Chair of the Serendipity Society. Wendy’s research looks at the role of serendipity in creativity, using everything from experimental methods to ethnographic work.
Listen in as Wendy shares her research findings on the relationship between serendipity and creativity, why serendipity is a disruptive force in learning, and the importance of students building a tolerance to failure and adversity. She also gives powerful advice for educators on implementing this knowledge around serendipity in the classroom.
They also discuss the current debates on whether the pandemic has increased or decreased feelings of serendipity, as well as what teachers can do foster a norm of working through discomfort and mistakes.
“That’s what makes serendipity a powerful tool, is that it relies on the prepared mind and it relies on this idea of scarcity of wisdom, of using the accidents that come to you and taking advantage of them.”- Dr. Wendy Ross
Wendy’s Tips for Teachers:
- Encourage your students to get comfortable with discomfort and failure.
- Generate interesting environments with many different moments of inspiration and pathways of creativity.
- Most serendipity comes from interactions with people, not with things.
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Vlad Glaveanu.
Listen to the episode with Ron Beghetto.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visitingwww.CreativityandEducation.com.
What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?
Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.comto learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
About Dr. Wendy Ross:
Wendy’s main topic of research is the role of material serendipity in higher cognitive processes such as insight problem solving and creativity. She draws on a range of methods from eye-tracking and experimental psychology to focused cognitive ethnography. She is currently co-editing two collections on serendipity: The Art of Serendipity (Palgrave) and Serendipity Science (Springer). She is Co-Chair of the Serendipity Society and Vice President of the Possibility Studies Network. In 2021, she was awarded the Frank Barron prize by Division 10 of the APA.
Connect with Wendy:
Connect with her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-ross-670487191
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this ONE-HUNDREDTH episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on the final five episodes of Season 6, highlighting the key takeaways from their interviews with AJ Crabill, Lisa Saunders, Dr. Kulvarn Atwal, Joann McPike, and creativity researcher Dr. Zorana Ivecvic Pringle.
During the show, they also reflect on the work producing the podcast and announce an upcoming special episode with Dr. Howard Gardner.
Major Takeaways from Season 6 Episodes 6-10:
- How emotion can influence the creative process and why it is helpful to consider student emotions when facilitating creative activities.
- Why the thinking teacher is creative, and how approaching change as a creative process can support innovation in the classroom.
- How might we better connect students to different cultures and expose them to how global problems impact local communities differently?
- How and why professional development programs can promote teacher creativity in the classroom.
- How school boards can engage the local community when identifying goals for the school.
Episodes Debriefed:
How emotions influence the creative process with Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle
Exposing Students to Different Cultures Expands Thinking with Joann McPike
The Thinking Teacher is a Creative Teacher with Dr. Kulvarn Atwal
Teaching Teachers about Creativity with Lisa Saunders
How School Boards Can Influence Creativity with AJ Crabill
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website:www.CreativityandEducation.com
How can you promote Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
We all know the greatest change is often made from the top down… So, do you want to learn how to create change starting at your school board? Want to shift your school system to focus more on creativity and student outcomes? We have an incredible change maker to share his tips and strategies with you. In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome AJ Crabill, a school board coach and conservator at DeSoto Independent School District.
Listen in as AJ talks about his role as a school district conservator, detailing his approach for translating what the community wants for their school system into a vision the school board can support and implement. He notes the role of creativity, creative thinking, and creative problem-solving in the school board’s decision-making process and ultimately, student outcomes.
“That’s a large part of what my team and I are constantly up against is accelerating a shift from an adult inputs focus – the budgets, the books, the buses, all those things – to a student outcomes focus.” – AJ Crabill
AJ highlights a few strategies he uses to guide school boards in reallocating resources and focusing more on student outcomes. He also shares examples of creative goals, plans, and solutions school boards have come up with to do that. Then, AJ addresses the challenges and barriers you might run into when creating change at the school board level.
“People want their kids to be set up for success and it’s the job of the school board to listen for that vision of the community and do everything in their power to make sure that that possibility is coming alive through the work of the school system.” – AJ Crabill
AJ’s Tips on Creating Change in Your School Board:
- Give your school board permission to focus on creativity. Come together as a team of parents/teachers and be clear about what you want your kids to be able to know and do. Clarify that part of that lives in creativity, ambiguity, and uncertainty.
- School boards want to help educators be affective at their craft. As an educator, give your school board the resources, research, and tools you need to be the most affective at teaching.
AJ’s Tips for Educators, Board Members, and Parents on Bringing Creativity into the School System:
- For school board members, go watch school board meetings in different states than your own. The variability is significant! This will free your mind to pursue something different than what you’ve always done.
- For educators, think about what it would take to create the most ideal lesson plan for one specific item. Release the urgency and spend 2-6 months developing the most epic, amazing lesson plan and see what you can create.
- For parents, spend time going through everything your child is expected to learn this year and see where you can participate - what areas do you have knowledge or experience in? Consider partnering with your child’s educator in that area.
Recommended Resources:
Visit AJ’s website
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
How can you promote Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion, and social-emotional learning at your school.Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Please rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About AJ Crabill:
AJ is a school board coach and currently serves as conservator at DeSoto ISD. AJ is committed to accelerating the transition of the nation’s 14,000 school boards from being adult input focused to being student outcomes focused.
Visit AJ’s website
Follow AJ on Instagram
Follow him on Twitter
Connect with him on LinkedIn
In this Fueling Creativity in Education podcast episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome fourth-grade elementary school teacher Lisa Saunders to the show. Lisa talks about her experience in Teacher Innovation Studio, a new Connecticut-based program that teaches teachers how to apply Design Thinking principles to boost their creativity in the classroom using new technology.
As educators we are so stuck in what we should, that we don't realize that being creative is really teaching.
- Lisa Saunders
Lisa's Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Just go for it. You have to try something new, and if it fails, its ok.
- Know that you are creative. We are creative human beings and we have to know that as educators we are creative.
- To trust yourself. We too often get hung up on the negativity and the things we aren't doing, but we should focus on the positive things, because we are doing so many good things.
Ever wonder what it would be like to travel the world as a nomad in high school? You’re about to find out! In this episode of Fueling Creativity in Education, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Joann McPike, the Founder of THINK Global School, a not-for-profit, project-based, student-led traveling boarding school. THINK Global School is based on the foundation of empathy, diversity, resilience, and self-reflection. Enrolled students travel to four different countries each year for the last three years of high school.
Tune in to learn how this nomadic school works, the changes they see in students as they progress through the program, and the power of infusing a global perspective into high school-level education.
“When you learn in an unconventional way like that, the learning sticks because the memory is stronger.” – Joann McPike
Joann sheds light on how THINK Global School enables students to trust their own creativity and build their creative skills. She walks you through an example of their educational projects, explains why they don’t do exams, and details how project-based learning fosters a deeper connection with the communities they live and travel in.
“What does a TG student look like? Curious, creative, adaptable, resilient, caring, intelligent, fun, enthusiastic. They want to be there. They’re not there because they have to come, they come because they want to. They want to take charge of their own education. They want to see what’s different out there.” – Joann McPike
Plus, she shares how educators can get involved in teaching at THINK Global School!
Joann’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Asking kids what they’re curious about will spark creativity.
- Mindset is really important. Understand that creativity lies in each one of us and it’s our job as adults and educators to support that.
- Let kids know that you believe in them because their creativity is their power, it’s where their energy lies.
Recommended Resources:
THINK Global School
Career opportunities at THINK Global School
Listen to the episode with Genein Letford
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
How can you promote Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Joann McPike:
A deeply rooted passion for education has been the driving force behind most of Joann’s visionary work. Her conviction that there is no “one size fits all” in education, led her to create THINK Global School in 2010. The school is a not-for-profit project-based traveling boarding school, in which students from every continent, race, and religion travel with their teachers through 12 different countries during a three-year high school experience. Joann also founded the Re-Imagining Education conference together with Big Change, connecting global education innovators and thought-leaders on the feasibility and scalability of various reform initiatives in classrooms around the world. The conference inspired her to executive-produce the documentary “A Cure For The Common Classroom”. Joann is a founding member of The B-Team, exploring business as a force for good, 100% Percent Human At Work, and she supports education innovators HundrEd, as well as Brookings Institute’s work around parental engagement.
Follow Joann on Instagram
Follow her on Twitter
Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood are celebrating TWO YEARs of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast. In this short promotional episode, they invite their listeners to a live event streaming over the Internet on March 24, 2023, 2:00-2:45 PM.
Complete this form to sign up for the event.
What role do emotions play in creativity? Are we more creative when we’re happy? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood continue their discussion with Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Ph.D., a Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. In part 1 of this double expresso, Zorana talked about how people engage in the creative process and how that applies to the classroom environment.
In part 2, you’ll learn more about the emotional side of creativity along with strategies for supporting students as they navigate emotions and creativity in the k-12 classroom. Zorana highlights the Theory of Emotional Intelligence, detailing how we can harness the power of our emotions to express creativity and achieve our creative goals. This insight is very helpful for teachers in helping students be more creative and more in touch with their feelings, moods, and emotions.
Zorana also shares insights from her new book, The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity and Emotion, and how they apply to creativity in education.
“What we have learned from these studies is pretty unanimous, actually - that positive, pleasant, highly energized moods, such as being happy, is helpful for creative thinking. People come up with more ideas and more original ideas in these states.” – Zorana Ivcevic Pringle
Zorana’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Creativity is full of emotions. From anxiety in front of an empty screen to frustrations when you’re facing obstacles to the joy and pride of success. All are part of the creative process. Remind yourself and your students that challenging feelings are not a sign of lack of creativity skills, but they are a normal part of the creative process and can be expected.
- When teaching for creativity, it’s important to model and support the process of transforming ideas into an end product. That process may be long and will require flexibility, adjustment, and facing frustrations.
- Teach students how to regulate their work on creative projects. They need to be aware that they will have to persist through difficulties, but they can use the emotions they experience in service to their project.
“The advice shouldn’t be that we have to be happy or joyful in order to be creative, but it oftentimes happens like that. There are also other people who got inspired by grief and by pain and by anxiety, so that is possible too and we shouldn’t discount it, especially when we are giving advice of how to be inspired.” – Zorana Ivcevic Pringle
Recommended Resources:
Listen to Part 1 with Zorana Ivcevic Pringle
The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity and Emotion by Jessica D. Hoffmann, James C. Kaufman, and Zorana Ivcevic
Listen to the episode with Dr. James Kaufman
GoNoodle
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
How can you promote Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Please rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Zorana Ivcevic Pringle:
Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Dr. Ivcevic studies the role of emotions in creativity and well-being, as well as how to use the arts (and art-related institutions) to promote emotion and creativity skills. She has served as Associate Editor of Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving, and Creativity Research Journal. Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, ArtNet, US News, Education Week, Science Daily, El Pais, and others, and is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and Creativity Post. Dr. Ivcevic received the Award for Excellence in Research from the Mensa Education and Research Foundation, the Berlyne Award for Outstanding Early Career Achievement from the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, and has been elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
Visit Zorana’s website
Follow her on Instagram
Follow her on Twitter
Connect with her on Facebook
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Grab your coffee! We have an incredible double expresso about creativity and emotions. In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, a Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Dr. Ivcevic studies the role of emotions in creativity and well-being, as well as how to use the arts (and art-related institutions) to promote emotion and creativity skills.
In Part 1 of this discussion, you’ll learn how people engage in the creative process and the role emotions play in that process. Stay tuned for Part 2 to hear Zorana’s Tips for Teachers and Parents, as well as strategies for supporting students as they navigate the emotional side of creativity in the k-12 classroom.
Listen in as Zorana breaks down the three major factors attitudes people feel towards creativity: anticipating negative social consequences, internal anxiety, and the feeling that creativity is important to them. These attitudes about creativity can tell us about their creative behavior at school and how they approach schoolwork and creative projects.
“People weigh each of these things in their minds as they are deciding what to do with the ideas they might be having.” – Zorana Ivcevic Pringle
Zorana shares tips and advice for teachers who have students that are anxious towards creativity. Then, she talks about what Social Cognitive Theory can tell us about how self-efficacy supports creativity, especially in kids.
Plus, Zorana sheds light on how education systems are hindering teachers’ ability to facilitate creativity in the classroom and the need for greater policy change.
“This is what the leaders of the world economy are telling us, and of major organizations this is what we need, but there’s a disconnect from the world of educational priorities.”
– Zorana Ivcevic Pringle
Recommended Resources:
When Part 2 is released, add the link here!
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
How can you promote Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Please rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Zorana Ivcevic Pringle:
Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Dr. Ivcevic studies the role of emotions in creativity and well-being, as well as how to use the arts (and art-related institutions) to promote emotion and creativity skills. She has served as Associate Editor of Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving, and Creativity Research Journal. Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, ArtNet, US News, Education Week, Science Daily, El Pais, and others, and is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and Creativity Post. Dr. Ivcevic received the Award for Excellence in Research from the Mensa Education and Research Foundation, the Berlyne Award for Outstanding Early Career Achievement from the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, and has been elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
Visit Zorana’s website
Follow her on Instagram
Follow her on Twitter
Connect with her on Facebook
Connect with her on LinkedIn
It’s that time again! It’s time to debrief the first half of Season 6 of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast. In this episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on the first five episodes of Season 6, highlighting the key takeaways and lessons these discussions have taught them about how they can fuel creativity in school, at home, and beyond.
Listen in to hear Cyndi and Matthew break down the following insights. Then, they challenge you to explore new opportunities for getting involved and facilitating creativity in your community.
Stay tuned for a VERY special guest coming soon to Season 6!
For a chance to win a FREE Fueling Creativity in Education mug, be sure to rate and review the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Audible, or PodBean and then email us a screenshot of your review to questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com! The first 5 people to email us win!
Major Takeaways from Season 6 Episodes 1-5:
- Follow your fascination because your heart belongs where your mind wanders. To learn more about the power of following your fascination, listen to the episode with Dr. Penny Hay: https://bit.ly/3Ja8voR
- Find a mentor or be a mentor. To learn more about the benefits of having a mentor and being a mentor, listen to the episode with Samantha Olschan: https://bit.ly/3JaKWML
- Music education is a great way to help children of all ages develop creativity. To learn more about bringing music into your classroom, listen to the episode with Adrian Gordon: https://bit.ly/3IPDOUP
- Give up a bit of your control so you can give students an opportunity to step into their power and take ownership of their learning and creativity. To learn more about how to do this, listen to the episode with Andrea Mango: https://bit.ly/3y55WhP
- Failure teaches kids many important lessons. Failing at something gives students the opportunity to learn and build resilience. Resilience is more important than succeeding because it teaches you to not give up when you fail or make a mistake. To learn more about building resilience in students, listen to the episode with Principal EL: https://bit.ly/3mmraoJ
Episodes Debriefed:
Dr. Penny Hay
Andrea Mango
Principal EL
Samantha Olschan
Adrian Gordon
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website:www.CreativityandEducation.com
How can you promote Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
How does music education promote creativity in children? How can we inspire kids to be creative through music? In this episode of Fueling Creativity in Education, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome their first music-focused guest, Adrian Gordon, a composer, author, performer, and music educator. Adrian is the founder of Leap Year Music Publishing, which publishes string music for elementary, middle, and high school ensembles. He is also the author of Note to Self; A Music Director’s Guide for Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program.
Tune in to learn how kids of any age can develop skills through music education and composition, how music classrooms can be used as maker spaces, and how to develop a great music program in your school. Adrian sheds light on a fun educational app kids can use to make music, his own creative process for composing music, and how you can integrate compositional mind mapping into your curriculum.
At the end of this episode, Adrian offers a few valuable tips for music teachers on staying organized and managing mental health throughout the school year.
“The music classroom is, in and of itself, a maker space where there’s nothing but creativity going on, if you let it be.” – Adrian Gordon
Adrian’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
-
- Share your personal creative endeavors with your kids.
- Ask probing questions to start the creative process.
- Experiment! Don’t be afraid to dive in and get things rolling. It’s not about failure, it’s about being able to try again with more information.
About Adrian Gordon:
Adrian Gordon is an internationally performed composer and seasoned music educator.
In addition to teaching, Mr. Gordon is a composer with Alfred Music as well as the founder of Leap Year Music Publishing, which publishes string music for elementary, middle, and high school ensembles. His compositions appear on the California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, and Texas Orchestra Association Music Performance Reading Lists. He is also the author of the book Note to Self; A Music Director’s Guide for Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program.
Adrian received his B.A. in music from the University of Miami, and his master’s degree in music education at Florida International University. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Adrian currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and their two sons and serves as the Director of Orchestras at Providence Day School.
Visit Adrian’s website
Follow him on Instagram
Follow him on Twitter
Connect with him on Facebook
Recommended Resources:
Note to Self by Adrian Gordon
Adrian’s Compositional Mind Map
Adrian’s Video on How to Compose a Piece from Start to Finish
Leap Year Music Publishing
Listen to the episode with Michael Mino
Soundtrap App
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
How can you promote Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How can educators make learning more fun, engaging, and empowering? Today’s guest has lots of tips and tricks! In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Samantha Olschan, an award-winning transmedia artist and educator who works across animation, art, and design for films, brands, and experiential media. Her creative practice investigates how storytelling, motion design, and experimental narrative can serve underrepresented and/or underserved communities.
Listen in to learn how Samantha combines collaborative, game-based, and project-based learning in the classroom with digital media as a learning aid. You’ll gain insight into how you can use gamification, play, special projects, and “artist dates” to engage students in learning through creativity both in the classroom and out in their community.
“Through experimentation and play, we can open ourselves up to learning more.”
– Samantha Olschan
Samantha describes how creativity is separate from art and design, the importance of teaching students to work with ambiguity, and how to get your students/kids to trust their ideas and feel confident in their creativity. She emphasizes the value of organizing class time to enable students to explore their interests, produce quality outcomes, and avoid burnout.
“My approach to teaching creativity is through reconnecting the student to empathy and trust. They have to trust their ideas.” – Samantha Olschan
Samantha’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Practice empathy. Think about your students and what they would be excited by, and even your younger self and what you would be excited by.
- Give yourself permission to try new things.
- Ask lots of questions to the people around you.
- Find a mentor or be a mentor. There are lots of people in your community that can support you and engage with your students in fun ways.
- Look to your community for funding for creative materials and resources.
- Creativity is about experimentation, exploration, and engagement - not tools, objects, and outcomes.
Recommended Resources:
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Listen to the episode with Liz Radday
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Samantha Olschan:
Samantha Olschan is an award-winning transmedia artist & educator who works across animation, art, and design for films, brands, and experiential media. Her creative practice investigates how storytelling, motion design, & experimental narrative can be of service to underrepresented and/or underserved communities. As an educator, she combines collaborative, game-based & project-based learning in the classroom with digital media as a learning aid.
Recent exhibitions and screenings include the Black Maria Film & Video Festival, P.O.V. Series (PBS), The ShortList (PBS), Hollywood North Film Awards, Womenwhodraw.com, FrackFest, Visionfest, Tribeca Cinemas, Bumbershoot, New Haven International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Boston Cinema Census, Boston Underground Film Festival, Conversations at the Edge, The Gene Siskel Film Center, Marblehead Film Festival & the Skopelos Foundation for the Arts in Greece.
Teaching appointments in animation, media, and design include the University of Connecticut, Pratt Institute, Wesleyan University, Quinnipiac University, Columbia College, New York Film Academy & The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. M.F.A. in Film, Video & New Media: Animation from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. B.F.A in Fine Arts: Electronic & Time-Based Media from Carnegie Mellon University.
Visit Samantha’s website
Follow her on Instagram
Follow her on Twitter
How do you champion students through failure, success, and the creative process? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Salome Thomas-EL, aka Principal EL, an award-winning principal, teacher, speaker, and author.
Tune in to learn how to motivate children who find success early in school, the innovative ways Principal EL teaches math, and the benefits of using games and game-based learning in the classroom. Principal EL highlights how he’s using chess to help students build resilience, creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.
“Failure is motivating. Success can be paralyzing.”
– Salome Thomas-EL
Principal EL offers advice for parents and teachers on supporting students while helping them navigate failure and embrace their creativity on a daily basis. Then, he shares the inspiring story behind his book, I Choose to Stay, and speaks to teachers who are entering the profession, considering leaving it, or transitioning to another leadership position in education. He also sheds light on how he supports teachers and students as a school administrator.
“Choose impact over compliance.” – Salome Thomas-EL
Principal EL’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Allow students to be themselves. Ask students what they like, then tap into that and create joyful experiences for them.
- Choose impact over compliance. Make sure you’re making decisions that will impact your students and their families in powerful ways. Move away from relying on assessments and more towards developing soft skills.
- Understand that creativity is a prerequisite for innovation.
- Engage students before giving them information.
“That self-esteem… comfort with expressing themselves, feelings of pride and accomplishment, all of those are stoked by creativity.” – Salome Thomas-EL
About Salome Thomas-EL:
Dr. Salome Thomas-EL, aka Principal EL, is an award-winning teacher, principal, speaker, and internationally recognized educator. Principal EL is currently a K-8 school leader in Wilmington, Delaware and speaks to groups around the world. He was a regular contributor on the “The Dr. Oz Show” and is the author of the best-selling books, I Choose to Stay (movie rights optioned by Disney Films), The Immortality of Influence, which stresses the importance of leadership, mentoring, parenting and service to others. He is the co-author of the newly released, Passionate Leadership, Building a Winning Team, andRetention for Change.
Principal EL has addressed over 100,000 teachers, administrators, school staff, board members, parents, students and community members in the United States, Canada, Nigeria, Trinidad, England, Jamaica, and The Virgin Islands and frequently appears on C-SPAN, CNN, and NPR Radio. He has studied at Cambridge University in England, Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, and holds a doctorate in Education from Wilmington University in Delaware. He has received the Marcus A. Foster Award as the outstanding School District Administrator in Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania’s distinguished Martin Luther King Award.
Follow Principal EL’s website
Follow him on Instagram
Follow him on Twitter
Connect with him on Facebook
Subscribe to his YouTube channel
Recommended Resources:
Principal EL - TEDx PennsburgED - Every Kid Deserves Someone Crazy About Them
Check out Principal EL’s books
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
How can you promote Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
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 podcast 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 studies of creativity and the practical implications for them in an elementary classroom.
Please tune in to learn how Andrea inspires creativity in her STEAM classroom, how she has overcome barriers to bringing choice for students into the classroom, and how STEAM classrooms differ from regular classrooms. She offers insight into how to build a safe, trusting environment for creativity to thrive in your classroom and how to engage students that don’t like the topic or project or are having a bad day and don’t want to be engaged.
“Where in your curriculum can you give up a little bit of control, a little bit of power?”
– Andrea Mango
Andrea tells us why she brought flexible seating options into her classroom, like rocking chairs and bean bags, and how she deals with the vulnerability and stigmas of being a creative educator. Then, Andrea describes how she brings her problem-solving skills into her classroom and involves students in the problem-solving process.
Andrea’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- When it comes to making changes, start small. Challenge yourself to get rid of 1-2 worksheets per week and turn the lesson into an activity, game, or something more hands-on.
- Give up a little power so your students can have some. Does it really make a difference if they use markers, sit at their desk, or work with their best friend?
- Use your #1 resource for creativity: your students. They are far more creative than sometimes we can be, and they are dying to have a voice in the classroom. They are also a different ages, so they have different perspectives.
Recommended Resources:
Listen to the episode with Dr. Kulvarn Atwal
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
How can you promote Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Andrea Mango:
Follow Andrea on Twitter
Mrs. Andrea Mango has taught for the past 18 years, first as a kindergarten through 2nd-grade educator and now as a STEAM educator for K-4 at Dodge Elementary in Williamsville, New York. Before teaching, Andrea worked at Erie One BOCES’ Positive Youth Development Center, where she trained teachers on empowering students in the classroom and prepared middle and high school students to become positive leaders among their peers. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and a master’s degree in Elementary Education-Birth-6th.
We are back with Season Six of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast!
Join Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood as they share what is in store for Season Six!
Big Giveaway! We are giving away five of our Fueling Creativity in Education mugs along with a bag of our favorite coffee! All you need to do is be the first to write us a review on your favorite podcast platform, screen shot a picture, and email it to us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com
Special question and answer episodes with Cyndi and Matt! Do you have a question about how to bring creativity into education, that has not been addressed? We will be answering your questions each season on our special Q&A episodes! Just email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Want to learn more about the concept of Teacher Creativity?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion, and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How do you go from teaching to designing? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their discussion with creator, educator, and former IBM designer, KC Lathrop.
As a former teacher turned designer, KC works to empower people to go against societal norms, change careers, start over, start again, learn anything they want, and follow all creative desires.
Tune in to learn about her transition from educator to full-time designer at IBM, the similarities between teaching and design professions, and how her administrative role allows her to be creative in new ways. She also describes the fascinating 100 of Making practice and how it nurtures her creativity, design, innovation, and even mental health.
“I kind of think about creativity in support your mental health. I think it’s almost the same idea as going to the gym every day for your physical health. To me, maintaining a creative practice is one of the ways that I maintain my mental health.” - KC Lathrop
KC’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Take every lesson you teach as a new opportunity to learn something for yourself. Not every class is going to be the best class you’ve ever taught.
- A part of learning is being vulnerable. If you want your students to be vulnerable, you also need to be vulnerable with them.
- Meet people where they are. No matter how much experience you have, there’s always space for learning and growing.
About KC Lathrop:
KC Lathrop is a designer, creator, and educator. She currently works in strategy and operations for IBM’s IT department. KC started at IBM as a User Experience Designer 5 years ago while getting her master’s degree from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP). During her time at NYU, KC enrolled in the class 100 days of making, which she ended up teaching the following year. As a former teacher turned designer, she works to empower people to go against societal norms, change careers, start over, start again, learn anything you want and follow all creative desires. KC currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her adorable dog, Waffles.
Visit KC’s website
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Follow her on Instagram
Want to learn more about the concept of Teachers as Designers?
Read and watch how the concept of Teacher Creativity and Design Thinking can increase teacher agency using new technology, help build a culture of innovation, and support diversity and inclusion and social-emotional learning at your school. Visit WorwoodClassroom.com.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How can AI and Machine Learning bring Creativity in the Future? In this throwback episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their discussion with Dr. Bryan Alexandar, a futurist and award-winning educator. This discussion was the first episode in the podcast, where Cyndi and Matthew began to discuss the impact of AI and how we might collaborate with machines in the future.
Other Episodes on AI and CoBots
How can AI and Machine Learning bring Creativity in the Future? In this throwback episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their discussion with Dr. Bryan Alexandar, a futurist and award-winning educator. This discussion was the first episode in the podcast, where Cyndi and Matthew began to discuss the impact of AI and how we might collaborate with machines in the future.
Other Episodes on AI and CoBots
- Building Robots to Support Childhood Creativity with Patrícia Alves-Oliveira
- Discussing Beauty Over Functionality and Malevolent Creativity with David Cropley
- BRIDGING THE GAP: Revisiting the Impact of AI on Creativity
- Teaching students to think for tomorrow with Jonathan Nalder
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, CreativityandEducation.com.
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin.
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
Fueling Creativity in Education – 2022 Reflections
Happy New Year! With 52 episodes produced and 29 creativity experts interviewed in this past year, the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast has generated countless insights that are transforming the way we approach creativity in education.
In this special first episode of 2023, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on five of their favorite insights from 2022 and share their top tips for bringing creativity into your classroom or home in 2023.
Tune in to hear Matt and Cyndi’s top 5 and stay tuned for Season 6!
What is YOUR favorite insight or tip from the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast in 2022?
Let us know! Email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website:www.CreativityandEducation.com
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
To keep us growing, give us a rating/review and share the podcast with a friend or colleague if you enjoy it! You can find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean.
Here’s a sneak peek into their top insights of 2022:
- Artificial intelligence plays a key role in the future of creativity and we’re coming to a place where anyone and everyone can use AI. AI could likely be as disruptive as the worldwide web and the creation of the personal computer!
- Robots and AI can help facilitate better learning experiences for students while supporting educators who need help in unique and various ways.
- Whenever we go about something new, we need to first ask questions about the system.
- Think about yourself as an ancestor. How can we be better ancestors for our kids and the world at large?
- The conversations that develop from the question “What’s your favorite failure?” can be game-changing for children’s learning experiences.
Episodes & Other Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with David Cropley
Listen to Part 1 with Patrícia Alves-OliveiraListen to Part 2 with Patrícia Alves-OliveiraListen to the episode with Michael Hanchett Hanson
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Listen to the episode with Dr. Victoria E. Waller
Listen to the episode with Frances Valintine
Listen to the episode with Bea Leiderman
Listen to the episode with Genein Letford
Jasper AI (Jarvis AI)
Grammarly
ChatGPT
In this debrief episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on the last five episodes of Season 5. Cyndi and Matthew revisit the impact of generative AI on the future creative, and also discuss the value of celebrating success by letting student ideas and projects interact with others outside the classroom environment and the importance of being a good ancestor.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website,www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
Should kindergarten be more focused on play or academics? How does education in Hong Kong differ from American/Western education? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Alfredo Bautista, an Associate Professor & Associate Head of the Department of Early Childhood Education at The Education University of Hong Kong. Alfredo is also Co-Director for the Centre for Educational and Developmental Sciences.
Listen in to learn about the current state of education in Hong Kong and how creativity is perceived in the Chinese educational system. Then, Alfredo shares his research on early childhood creativity in Hong Kong kindergarteners, detailing the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western education.
“We are making progress, schools are slowly learning, teachers are slowly improving and getting more and more pedagogical ideas, but there is still a lot of work to do.” – Dr. Alfredo Bautista
Alfredo highlights the roles of structure and freedom in early childhood curriculums and shares his fascinating opinion on whether kindergarten should be play-based or academics-based.
Plus, the trio shines light on the importance of recognizing your values as a parent and being able to decide what type of education your child needs, as they do in Hong Kong - yet in the US, there are barriers to choosing your child’s educational environment. Tune in to learn more!
Alfredo’s Tips for Teachers and Parents (Preschool/Kindergarten):
- Creativity emerges when there is some sort of framework. It’s important to learn how to design activities that provide a framework and give children the freedom to complete that framework in different ways.
- Design activities that require exploration and experimentation.
- Have discussions with colleagues and other parents about what they understand creativity to be.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Alfredo Bautista:
Dr. Alfredo Bautista is Associate Professor & Associate Head of the Department of Early Childhood Education at The Education University of Hong Kong. He is also Co-Director for the Centre for Educational and Developmental Sciences. Alfredo graduated in Psychology and Music in Madrid (Spain). He worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Victoria (Canada) and Tufts University (USA). Subsequently, he joined Singapore's National Institute of Education, where he served as Research Scientist and Assistant Dean of Professional Learning. Currently, Alfredo leads several early childhood education projects focusing on Curriculum, Pedagogy, Teacher Education and Professional Development, teaches courses for pre- and in-service kindergarten teachers (e.g., Music/Arts Education, Curriculum Design, Play), and supervises seven doctoral students. Alfredo is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for the Study of Education and Development and serves as Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member for other peer-reviewed international journals.
Connect with him on LinkedIn
Follow him on Twitter
What is your Dream Machine? In this episode of Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Piet Grymonprez, author and Co-Founder and Managing Director of MyMachine. MyMachine is a for-purpose non-profit that has a unique and multi-award-winning methodology that unites students in primary, secondary and higher education to co-create "Dream Machines" invented by children.
Tune in to hear how Piet and his fellow Co-Founders created MyMachine, why they’re asking children to create a “Dream Machine”, and what a Dream Machine is in the first place. Piet explains how MyMachine challenges the creativity of students at every grade level, from primary school to college/university, inspiring them to think big.
“It really ranges from a very personal to a global scope because of the open-ended question that we pose to them at the beginning of our methodology.” – Piet Grymonprez
Piet describes how MyMachine’s methodology adapts to each child’s personality and how it encourages them to be open, take risks, share their ideas, and develop creative confidence. Then, he shares how teachers can collaborate with MyMachine and start their own chapter.
Piet’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Whatever you want to do with your kids/students, challenge yourself to do it with an open-ended approach.
- Don’t make it a competition.
- Embrace systems thinking. Explain to yourselves and your students that the world we live in is complicated and that’s okay. That’s how it should be.
Recommended Resources:
Learn more about MyMachine
What Is Your Dream Machine? How Children Change Education Worldwide by Piet Grymonprez
Donate to MyMachine Global Foundation
Listen to the episode with Natalie Nixon
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Piet Grymonprez:
Piet Grymonprez is Co-Founder and Managing Director of MyMachine, a for-purpose non-profit working globally. MyMachine has a unique and multi-award-winning methodology that unites students in primary, secondary and higher education to co-create "Dream Machines" invented by children.
Based out in Belgium, Europe, Piet and his team have grown MyMachine so far to 13 countries on 3 continents.
MyMachine has been widely recognized and endorsed by the likes of United Nations, Harvard, The New York Academy of Sciences, Richard Branson, The Qatar Foundation, The Lego Foundation, Fast Company, and MyMachine was recently inducted into the renowned HundrED Hall of Fame.
Piet is the author of the book "What Is Your Dream Machine? How Children Change Education Worldwide", with a foreword written by Sir Ken Robinson.
He is the founder and co-founder of different industry cross-over networks in his native country. Prior to MyMachine, he worked in higher education for 15 years, establishing research collaborations with companies around the world.
Connect with him on LinkedIn
Follow MyMachine on Instagram
In Part 2 of this double espresso interview, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood continue speaking with Patrícia Alves-Oliveira, a Postdoctoral Researcher who focuses on designing human-robot interaction. Patrícia is interested in leveraging the qualities of social robots to empower human health and education, foster creativity in children, and improve mental health among adolescents.
Tune in to learn how robotics and future technologies can inspire and enhance creativity in young children. Patrícia talks about why she has focused her research on robots and human creativity, the key difference between robotics and artificial intelligence, and the mission behind YOLO, a robot she developed to boost creativity in children.
“There is a lot of influence in our social brain when we interact with a robot compared to when we interact with something that is virtual but still has AI and could even be saying the exact same thing the robot is saying.” – Patrícia Alves-Oliveira
The trio discusses the fascinating role of cobots, or collaborative robots, in the future of education, along with the potential opportunities we have in using robots to support children’s growth and mental health. Patrícia speaks on the problems and solutions she’s encountered in using robots to address mental health issues in teenagers. Then, she details the most effective technological experiences for promoting creative skills in young kids.
“I was never interested in creating robots that are creative themselves, but rather to make robots as tools that we can use that would influence our creativity.” – Patrícia Alves-Oliveira
Patrícia’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Intentionally trigger your inner child. Make it an important mindset for you to be playful, curious, and explorative.
- Don’t say “no” immediately.
- Keep it simple. You don’t need much, you usually just need the right space and the right time to do things.
- Don’t put everything on yourself. Children interact with so many other people that can help promote creativity, so leverage that connection.
Recommended Resources:
Listen to Part 1: link needed
Listen to the episode with David Cropley
Read Patrícia’s research papers
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Patrícia Alves-Oliveira:
Patrícia Alves-Oliveira is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Washington in Seattle. Patrícia received her Ph.D. in Human-Robot Interaction studies in 2020 from the University Institute of Lisbon and spent time at Cornell University as a Visiting Graduate Scholar. Her research focuses on designing human-robot interaction. She is especially interested in leveraging the qualities of social robots to empower human health and education. During her PhD, she studied the application of robots in fostering creativity in children. Now, during her postdoc, she is investigating how robots can demystify and improve mental health among adolescents. Patricia’s interdisciplinary work unifies the fields of robotics, design, and psychology.
Visit Patrícia’s website
Follow her on Twitter
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Read her research papers
In Part 1 of this Double Espresso episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Patrícia Alves-Oliveira, a Postdoctoral Researcher who focuses on designing human-robot interaction. Patrícia is especially interested in leveraging the qualities of social robots to empower human health and education, foster creativity in children, and improve mental health among adolescents.
Listen in to this episode to learn the impact of creativity interventions for children, how teachers can assess children to see if those interventions are working, and why it’s not always important to measure the outcomes, but to critique them.
“There is so much around the process that can impact other ways of education. For example, even during the teaching of history or math or biology, could there be a space in the formal curriculum where teachers open a creativity thought process?” – Patrícia Alves-Oliveira
Patrícia shares her best advice for improving your interventions to promote creativity in young children, the power of not having expectations of your students, and how to introduce more fun, playful activities in your classroom.
“We tend to forget this, but the physical world wasn’t born. We created it. So, change it. Change it to whatever you need to make the activity you want to bring in reflected in the environment, too.” – Patrícia Alves-Oliveira
Stay tuned for Part 2 for a discussion on using robots to foster creativity in kids + Patrícia’s Tips for Teachers and Parents!
“I don’t believe that children always need to be doing something to be creative. Sometimes, it happens in the closet of their minds and then it comes out unexpectedly.”
– Patrícia Alves-Oliveira
Recommended Resources:
Read Patrícia’s research papers
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Patrícia Alves-Oliveira:
Patrícia Alves-Oliveira is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Washington in Seattle. Patrícia received her Ph.D. in Human-Robot Interaction studies in 2020 from the University Institute of Lisbon and spent time at Cornell University as a Visiting Graduate Scholar. Her research focuses on designing human-robot interaction. She is especially interested in leveraging the qualities of social robots to empower human health and education. During her PhD, she studied the application of robots in fostering creativity in children. Now, during her postdoc, she is investigating how robots can demystify and improve mental health among adolescents. Patricia’s interdisciplinary work unifies the fields of robotics, design, and psychology.
Visit Patrícia’s website
Follow her on Twitter
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Read her research papers
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Lola Schnapp, a creativity and education advocate from Chile. Along with Cyndi, Lola is also the co-author of 20 Lessons to Weave Creative Thinking into Your Curriculum. Her passion is to share the power of creativity as an engine for change and growth in education.
Tune in to learn what it means to be deliberate about creativity in education, the powerful role of digital technology in creative development, and Lola’s recommendations on how teachers can deliberately add creativity into their lesson plans. Her insights emphasize the importance of thinking about the affordances that exist in our environments, such as technology tools, and how we’re using these tools to nurture creativity.
“In order to transform schools into innovative cultures, we need to be deliberate about creativity, since it is what starts the innovation process. Without creativity, we don’t have innovation.” – Lola Schnapp
She and Cyndi also talk about the creative process behind their book, 20 Lessons to Weave Creative Thinking into Your Curriculum.
“You need to embody what you want to see in students.” – Lola Schnapp
Lola’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- See yourself as a creative person.
- Have fun, enjoy it! Don’t be too serious about your work.
- Don’t do it alone. Find your kindred tribe to help you come up with those “crazy” ideas.
Recommended Resources:
20 Lessons to Weave Creative Thinking into Your Curriculum by Lola Schnapp & Dr. Cyndi Burnett
Blog Post – “Copying for Creativity”
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad Glaveanu
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Lola Schnapp:
Lola Schnapp is a creativity and education advocate, especially for the Hispanic community. Her passion is to share the power of creativity as an engine for change and growth in education. She finds creativity to be the missing link in education, since it helps to achieve great work by having fun and being motivated. She is the co-author of 20 Lessons to Weave Creative Thinking into Your Curriculum available in English and Spanish. She has worked as a primary school teacher and technology integration specialist, coaching teachers to integrate technology and new methodologies into their classrooms. Currently works in Chile helping to transform schools into innovation communities and cultures through consultancy and training.
Follow Lola on Instagram
Follow Be Spark on Instagram
Learn more about Be Spark
In this debrief episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on the first five episodes of Season 5. Cyndi and Matthew begin by revising a discussion where one guest suggested we shouldn't focus on the person, only the idea. However, Cyndi and Matthew discuss if that is possible and consider how that relates to what we know of sociocultural theory.
Cyndi and Matthew also discussed the use of the word Creativity to describe a new Ph.D. program and how the aspects of the artistic process can support STEAM projects.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Jonathan Fineberg, an art historian, critic of contemporary art, and the program director of the PhD in Creativity program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Listen in to learn Jonathan’s perspective on the relationship between creativity and the arts, how art encourages us to see things in different ways and give things new meaning, and the process he uses to enable his PhD students to apply creativity to their specific discipline.
“If you want to get great abs, you do a lot of sit ups. If you want to try and be a creative thinker, you need to exercise the capacity to build the new connections in the brain for solving problems and in particular, problems that can’t be solved.” – Jonathan Fineberg
He also speaks on the beneficial role of critique in the creative process and why non-linear thinking is a critical part of The PhD in Creativity program while being frowned upon in other PhD fields.
Plus, Jonathan details how you can translate these PhD-level creativity strategies to your K-12 classroom.
“What you really want to do is understand where kids are coming from and what they’re interested in and how to enable them to do what they want to do better.” – Jonathan Fineberg
Jonathan’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Be a really open listener. Understand your students and what they need from you.
- Develop a trust-based mentor relationship with each student. If students trust you, they will leap into something they don’t understand just because you told them to try it.
- Have an open mind.
Recommended Resources:
Get your FREE download of Art Since 1940: Strategies of Being by Jonathan David Fineberg
The PhD in Creativity at University of the Arts
The Ignorant Schoolmaster: Five Lessons in Intellectual Emancipation by Jacques Rancière
Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious Hardcover by Antonio Damasio
A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebeca Solnit
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Jonathan Fineberg:
Jonathan Fineberg is an art historian, a critic of contemporary art, and the program director of the PhD in Creativity program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The particular art theory that has evolved in his writing over a 50-year career is a social history of art grounded in psychoanalysis and the close reading of objects. This derives from his efforts to understand the dynamics of creativity and how societies use and interact with works of art.
He is the author of "Art Since 1940: Strategies of Being," the most widely read survey of postwar art, and co-creator (with John Carlin) of "Imagining America: Icons of 20th Century American Art," the award-winning PBS television documentary of 2005. Fineberg is also the author of some 30 books and catalogs on modern art.
Learn more about The PhD in Creativity at University of the Arts
Follow University of the Arts on Instagram
How can creativity help students learn a new language? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Tanya Knudsen, an educator, world traveler, polyglot, and PhD candidate for creative leadership. Tanya’s currently teaching a TIM-based curriculum, Creativity Through English, via zoom to students at Wings of Change, a vocational hospitality school and hotel social enterprise in Madagascar. She teaches for creativity with an expanded and self-designed curriculum squarely rooted in the Torrance Incubation Model (TIM) for Teaching and Learning to combine Creative Thinking Skills with subjects.
Listen in to learn Tanya’s art-based framework for integrating creative thinking skills into her ESL classroom, simple strategies for keeping students engaged while teaching remotely, and how English teachers can use kinesthetic teaching to bring more creativity into the classroom.
“The thing with language is it has to be a subconscious skill, ultimately, so how can I pass the concepts into the subconscious most quickly? And I believe that to be through physical because that’s how it will resonate.” – Tanya Knudsen
Plus, Tanya describes “the language of creativity” and speaks on the immense value that creativity can bring to ESL students.
“That’s really what we want to pull out in the creative thinking skills is what is your process for developing your understanding or ability to think through the information that you’re learning so that you can evaluate, sift, and formulate your own original thought.” – Tanya Knudsen
Tanya’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Try! Just do it. Whatever you want to try, go for it, because everything leads to something else.
- Ask questions. That’s how you learn, figure out where they are, and how to teach them more effectively.
- Have fun! Kids are bored at school and humans seek play at every age, so it’s important to have fun throughout learning.
Recommended Resources:
Wings of Change – Madagascar
GoNoodle
Listen to The Idea Gym Podcast
Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum by Dr. Cyndi Burnett (contributions by Tanya Knudsen)
20 Lessons to Weave Creative Thinking into Your Curriculum by Dr. Cyndi Burnett (contributions by Tanya Knudsen)
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Tanya Knudsen:
Tanya is an educator, polyglot, world traveler and PhD candidate for creative leadership. Tanya teaches for creativity with an expanded and self-designed curriculum squarely rooted in the Torrance Incubation Model for Teaching and Learning to combine Creative Thinking Skills with subjects. Tanya’s first creative curriculum, Creativity Through Arts, received scholarly recognition in 2021. Tanya now teaches her second TIM-based curriculum, Creativity Through English, via zoom, to students at Wings of Change, a vocational hospitality school and hotel social enterprise in Nosy Be, Madagascar. Tanya is headed to Nosy Be in the new year to conduct research for her dissertation. For Tanya, creativity is new new lingua franca and she’s on a quest to expand creativity to the far reaches of the planet.
Visit Tanya’s website
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Listen to The Idea Gym Podcast
How does creativity play a role in problem-solving? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Teresa Lawrence, who is recognized as the subject matter expert on the integration of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) into project management.
Listen to how educators and school administrators can use creativity in their leadership roles. While detailing this, Teresa highlights her strategies and frameworks for teaching the integration of creativity and creative problem-solving in schools.
Plus, the trio discusses deliberate approaches to the creative problem-solving process, how to use creativity to build trust and get faculty buy-in to school initiatives, and how to ensure every person feels their voice is heard and acknowledged throughout the problem-solving and decision-making processes.
“My goal in working with school leaders is to allow them to manage challenges better with intentional and active inclusion of all voices.” – Teresa Lawrence
Teresa’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- A little bit of creativity is better than no creativity.
- Ask your administrators: What are you working on to be better at your craft?
- Ask your students: How am I doing?
Recommended Resources:
Listen to the episode with Dr. Edward Clapp
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM:
Teresa is recognized as the subject matter expert on the integration of Creative Problem Solving into project management. She is a previous Superintendent of Schools and is currently fulltime faculty in the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo. In 2016, Teresa established International Deliverables, LLC, a certified New York State Women Business Enterprise (WBE). Teresa helps individuals, teams and organizations innovate and implement solutions that build organizational capacity and ensure value realization. International Deliverables, LLC, was a 2019 Small Business Administration Home-based Business Award recipient. Since 2017, over 80K individuals have been trained by Teresa or have participated in a session she facilitated.
Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drteresalawrence
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtlawrence
Creativity doesn’t just happen in the arts… it can happen anywhere! In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Vincent Andrews, a Humanities Instructor, high school art teacher, and creativity/life coach who’s passionate about identifying creative aptitude within specific domains and understanding the relationship between creative confidence and educational/training structures.
Listen in to hear how the humanities transformed Vincent’s outlook on life and learn his unique approach to cultivating creativity in an art-centric classroom, as well as other domains that are more content-driven. He then details how to use incubation in the creative process to encourage students to solve problems and use their creativity each and every day.
“You don’t even need fine arts to cultivate creativity. There’s so many powerful things we can do and we can really alter the way that we think and develop our students moving into the future.” – Vincent Andrews
Plus, he speaks on the specific experiences that are critical to cultivating creativity in education and how teachers can begin to prioritize and grow their own creativity.
Vincent’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Dive deep into what creativity actually is. There are so many resources out there that you can reference and incorporate into your curriculums!
- Look into your lesson plans and see how you can implement creative processes each day, not just once in a blue moon.
- Creativity doesn’t just happen in the arts. Show your kids what creativity means and how they can use it on a daily basis in any environment.
Recommended Resources:
Listen to the episode with Albert Schneider
Listen to the episode with Dr. Marta D. Ockuly
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Vincent Andrews:
Vincent Andrews works primarily as a Humanities Instructor and high school art teacher. He also is a creativity/life coach working with individuals to reach their individual goals. Vincent is extremely interested in cultivating creativity in education and organizations and his research is focused on identifying creative aptitude within specific domains, in addition to understanding the relationship between prevalent educational/training structures and the creative confidence of its participants that ensues as a result of these structures.
Visit his website
Kicking off Season 5 of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Edward P. Clapp, a Principal Investigator at Project Zero. Edward explores creativity and innovation, design and maker-centered learning, contemporary approaches to arts teaching and learning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.
Listen in as Edward shines a light on the power of participatory creativity, how to overcome the eight crises of creativity in education, and how to use “a biography of an idea” to tell the story behind an idea. He also discusses why it’s beneficial to remove individualism, or the ego, from the participatory creative process and specific strategies teachers can use to facilitate participatory creativity and collaboration in the classroom.
“The way that I define participatory creativity is uniquely contributing to the development of creative ideas within a particular social and cultural setting.” – Dr. Edward P. Clapp
Plus, you’ll gain insight into how to introduce access and equity to the creative classroom, how to overcome the potential pitfalls of participatory creativity, and when to push students beyond their comfort zone as opposed to just letting them be their best selves in the classroom.
Recommended Resources:
Project Zero
Listen to the episode with Michael Hanchett Hanson
Don’t call it collaboration! On ResearchGate
Participatory Creativity by Edward P. Clapp
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Edward P. Clapp:
Edward P. Clapp, Ed.D. is a Principal Investigator at Project Zero interested in exploring creativity and innovation, design and maker-centered learning, contemporary approaches to arts teaching and learning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in education. In addition to his work as a researcher, Edward is also a Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Edward’s most recent books include Participatory Creativity: Introducing Access and Equity to the Creative Classroom (Routledge, 2016) and Maker-Centered Learning: Empowering Young People to Shape their Worlds (with Jessica Ross, Jennifer Oxman Ryan, and Shari Tishman, Jossey-Bass, 2016).
Connect with him on LinkedIn
Follow him on Twitter
Check out his books
In this introductory episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood offer a summary of season five, which includes a collection of exceptional educators, administrators, and creativity researchers, as well as a subtle change to the format of the show.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What were the biggest lessons learned during the last five episodes in Season 4 of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast? In this final debrief, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down and reflect on episodes that discussed imagination, play, innovation, navigating failure, implementing change within a system, and being a good ancestor.
Do you have a topic that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know! Email us at questions@fuelingcreativity.com.
Lessons Learned from the Last Five Episodes of Season 4 of Fueling Creativity in Education:
- From Dr. Victoria Waller’s episode: Thinking and making with your hands is a powerful form of learning that goes beyond learning through cognition and reading. Spark interest in children through making. Every child has an interest, and it’s a good idea for teachers and parents to stay connected and communicative to stay aware of those interests.
- From Zviko Kanyoka’s episode: Play is such an important tool that we all utilize to imagine new worlds, ideas, and solutions. Play allows us to practice what it’s like to be in the world and can help children imagine and design a better future regarding citizenship.
- From Michael Hanchett Hanson’s episode: Everything has a history, including us. How might we go about being a good ancestor and leaving the world a better place for future generations? We can certainly use creativity to do this. There are values and behaviors we promote in our children, so we should assume that through this, we’re also shaping how our children are going to teach their children, and so on.
- From Albert Schneider’s episode: We rarely start with a blank canvas. How we build on each other’s ideas determines the innovation and exchange of ideas we can achieve as humans. Real world creativity is all about our interactions with other people.
- From Laura McBain and Ron Beghetto’s episode: There’s a difference between mistakes and failures. Mistakes happen when you’re by yourself and failures happen socially, where others might see. Whether a mistake or failure has happened to you, you experience a level of emotional vulnerability. The higher the vulnerability you feel, the more you’re impacted by the failure/mistake.
- From Michael Hanchett Hanson’s episode: Everyone can relate to encountering problems while trying to implement change within a system. We have to be mindful of the systems in place when attempting to create change, like bringing creativity into the classroom. Aim for small changes because small changes can create huge impacts for students.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
Episodes Debriefed:
Creating Success for Children with Learning Differences with Dr. Victoria Waller
Creativity is about Change in the System with Michael Hanchett Hanson
An Industry Perspective of Creativity with Albert Schneider
Using Play and Imagination to Engage Active Citizenship with Zviko Kanyoka
My Favorite Failure with Ron Beghetto and Laura McBain
Other Episodes Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad Glaveanu
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Coming up with ways to spark creativity in the classroom takes time, but it’s so worth the time spent! In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Victoria Waller, an award-winning reading specialist and educational therapist who’s been helping children with reading and learning differences for the past 40 years. Victoria is also the author of Yes! Your Child Can: Creating Success for Children with Learning Differences.
Listen in as Victoria highlights creative techniques teachers can use to help students who “don’t enjoy learning.” She speaks on the valuable relationship between parent-led learning and teacher-led learning, along with how to engage children in learning activities that empower confidence in them.
Plus, Victoria gives advice to educators who want to inspire creativity in students when they themselves don’t feel creative. She also gives insight into strategies you can use to spark interest in high school students when learning about topics they aren’t easily engaged in.
“Children with differences are geniuses of our time.” – Dr. Victoria Waller
Is interest the pathway to passion? How do you know when a child is interested in something? Are you a frustrated parent who’s feeling unsure about your child’s future? Tune in to hear Victoria’s candid answers and advice!
Victoria’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
-
Give children the freedom to choose the projects they want to do.
-
Find out what your children’s strengths are.
-
Do your own research, but also show your kids how to do their own research.
Recommended Resources:
Yes! Your Child Can: Creating Success for Children with Learning Differences
The Week Junior Magazine
Listen to the episode with Scott Barry Kaufman
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Victoria E. Waller:
Victoria holds a B.S in Education from Wayne State University, an M.Ed., as a certified reading specialist, and an Ed.D. focusing on reading and learning differences from the University of Cincinnati. She has been awarded the University of Cincinnati’s Distinguished Alumna College of Education Award, was one of three finalists for the L.A. Music Center’s Bravo Award for Outstanding Teaching, and was named the Local Hero in the L.A. Times for my Printer Pal Program, connecting students with nursing home occupants.
Her articles on creative reading and writing projects for children have been widely viewed on U.C.L.A.’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior website, and the award-winning Grandparentslink.com. Victoria has spoken about learning differences in children to many groups all over the United States.
Visit Victoria’s website
Follow her on Instagram
Follow her on Twitter
Connect with her on Facebook
Buy her book, Yes! Your Child Can
Have you ever heard of the participatory framework of creativity?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Michael Hanchett Hanson, a developmental psychologist, author, and leader of the Participatory Creativity Lab. Among many other notable roles, Michael is one of the leading advocates for the participatory framework of creativity, emphasizing the diversity of roles people take up as participants in change.
Listen in to hear Michael break down the participatory framework of creativity and how it can be applied to educational environments and maker spaces. He highlights how the participatory framework of creativity fosters a continual creative process in a child’s day-to-day life and helps students become aware of the creative processes happening in their classroom.
“Once you make this slight shift in how we think, there are really broad and deep implications… The core question implied by the idea of creativity shifts.” – Michael Hanchett Hanson
Michael also sheds light on a few ways to support teachers’ creativity, then shares what he learned from writing his new book, “Creativity and Improvised Educations: Case Studies for Understanding Impact and Implications”.
Michael’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Think about it as creativity in the service of good education, not education to produce creative people. If people are well educated and deeply engaged in a domain, they will have ideas.
- The combination of formal, traditional education and self-directed learning is different in each case, but both are absolutely necessary.
- Really good education is understanding the deep questions that drive domains of knowledge.
Recommended Resources:
Learn more about Participatory Creativity Lab
Creativity and Improvised Educations by Michael Hanchett Hanson
Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad GlaveanuListen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Listen to the episode with David Cropley
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Michael Hanchett Hanson:
Michael Hanchett Hanson is a developmental psychologist; Director of the Masters Concentration in Creativity and Cognition at Teachers College, Columbia University; leader of the Participatory Creativity Lab (www.participatorycreativitylab.org); and a founding board member and Secretary of the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation (ISSCI).
Michael is one of the leading advocates for the participatory framework of creativity, which emphasizes the diversity of roles people take up as participants in change. He has written on the history of the construct of creativity within psychology; creativity in education; the ideological uses of the construct; ironic thought patterns as a creative heuristic, and creative practices in the construction of the self. His most recent book, “Creativity and Improvised Educations: Case Studies for Understanding Impact and Implications”, looks at case studies of creative work across a variety of domains and what these cases can teach us about the roles of education in lifelong creative development.
Connect with Michael on LinkedIn
Buy his book, Creativity and Improvised Educations
The business world is paving the way for future creativity in education. Want to learn how? Tune in to this episode of Fueling Creativity in Education as Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Albert Schneider. Albert is the Managing Principal at Aschneider Consulting LLC. and has an extensive background working for IBM and in the education field.
Listen in to learn how Albert defines creativity from a corporate perspective and breaks down the specific skills that will be needed for creativity in the future. He shares his thoughts on how creativity and creative thinking can be taught and the important role of inclusivity and diversity of thought in facilitating creative environments. Albert also speaks on the value in collaborating disciplines (school subjects) as well as his perspective of the benefits of public/private partnerships, like IBM’s P-TECH internship program.
“What I look for is how do we bring more thinking, more different thinking, constructive thinking? And often, you get that from different perspectives.” – Albert Schneider
Albert’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- You need to be inclusive. Find a way to reach out to every single student.
- Be positive from the perspective of encouragement. Not everything is right, but show them how they can do better.
- Give students a framework and a space where they can fail. Most things are perfected only after multiple failures.
Recommended Resources:
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Albert Schneider:
Albert Schneider is the managing Principal at Aschneider Consulting LLC. Primary areas of expertise include global I/T infrastructure management including cyber-security, business transformation enable-ment, and new ways of working. Other areas of interest are mentoring, volunteering, STREAM education, and just opened a restaurant www.charandlemon.com .
Mr. Schneider currently works for LHC Group, a leading homecare and hospice company, where he is a contractor, leading enterprise-wide projects.
Mr. Schneider joined IBM in 1979 as a computer operator and from 1982 to 1985 became a computer programmer in PL/1 (System 370) and RPG3 (System 38).
From 1986 to 1993, Mr. Schneider was in sales and marketing as a systems engineer, general client representative, and a marketing specialist.
From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Schneider was Program Director of worldwide I/T strategy.
From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Schneider was Program Director of Global Client Care.
In 2000, Mr. Schneider was executive assistant to IBM's CIO and VP, Business Transformation.
From 2001 to 2007, Mr. Schneider was the Director of Information Technology and Business Transformation Executive for IBM Research.
From 2008 to 2012, Mr. Schneider was Director, Service Delivery and Transformation Programs within Global Technology Services for IBM.
What does a design thinking program for children look like? Let’s find out! In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Zviko Kanyoka, a Project Manager for placemaking programs at Play Africa. Zviko is currently preparing to scale Play Africa's Design Thinking with Children programs across Sub-Saharan Africa, empowering children with creative skills by encouraging active citizenship within their communities.
Listen in to learn how Zviko’s background in architecture inspires her curriculum design and her work with children in the classroom. She sheds light on how children can actively participate in designing their learning environment along with the opportunity educators have to create workshops for learning creative skills, communication skills, spatial awareness and connectivity, problem-solving, and much more!
Zviko talks about methods of teaching kids about climate change and environmental conservation, the most important part of engaging children in your community, and the importance of having the freedom to play as a child, especially within African communities.
“To value play is to value our imagination, to value our creativity, and continually entertaining the idea that we always have an option to create new models of being.” – Zviko Kanyoka
Plus, you’ll learn how Play Africa’s Design Thinking with Children program is making a direct impact on their communities and her strategy for scaling and expanding the program.
“We’re centering children’s varied experiences, feelings, and needs and we’re helping learn how to identify social challenges and creative problem solve through ideating, prototyping, and testing possible solutions for safer and more playful communities.” – Zviko Kanyoka
Zviko’s Design Thinking with Children Workshop Framework:
- Transfer your workshop from the school to a communal workspace in your community, like a library. Familiarize your students to the environment and have them think of ways they would transform the space.
- Get your students to ideate, draw, and visualize ideas for transformation they want to see in those spaces.
- Encourage them to gather materials, then have a session for prototyping their transformations.
Recommended Resources:
Listen to the episode with Tamara Doleman
Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad Glaveanu
Play Africa Toolkit
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Zviko Kanyoka:
Zviko Kanyoka is a Project Manager for placemaking programmes at Play Africa with a background in architecture. Her work is driven by her passion for supporting children’s creative expression and right to the city through participatory development. She's currently preparing to scale Play Africa's Design Thinking with Children programme across Sub-Saharan Africa, empowering children with creative skills through encouraging their active citizenship within their communities.
Follow Zviko on Instagram
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome back Dr. Ron Beghetto along with Laura McBain, Co-Director of the K12 Lab at the Stanford d.school. Ron and Laura recently came out with a new book, “My Favorite Failure: How Setbacks Can Lead to Learning and Growth”. As a human-centered designer, Laura’s work focuses on understanding the ecosystem of education and finding meaningful opportunities for disruptive design and innovative educational experiences.
Listen in to learn about Ron and Laura’s personal favorite failures, the relationship between expectations and failure, how to start the school year off with sharing favorite failures, and the valuable difference between mistakes and failures. The duo also shares their best tips and advice for new teachers as well as how to get students to push through feelings of failure so that they can learn and grow from it.
Questions Answered:
Why is it important to acknowledge and talk about emotions in school?
Are we more willing to take risks when we don’t know the potential consequences?
Are we more likely to experience failure when we do not know anything about the environment?
What types of failure are the most impactful for students? (ie. F letter grades, public failure)
…and more!
Laura’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Start talking about failure more.
- Make sure the work you’re designing for young people are worth the failure. How do you design real life examples where students are taking on work of consequence?
- Provide multiple opportunities for students to reflect on failure daily and/or throughout the lesson.
Ron’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Stay away from empty slogans that minimize emotions. Find ways to acknowledge and validate the emotional pain and difficulty one experiences when they’re failing and talk about what to do next.
- Encourage and take beautiful risks yourself. Invite kids to give you feedback on your failures.
Recommended Resources:
Listen to S1 Episode 6 with Ron Beghetto
Listen to S2 Episode 7 with Ron Beghetto
My Favorite Failure by Ron Beghetto and Laura McBain
Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum by Cyndi Burnett
Bruce Tuckman’s Group Dynamics
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Laura McBain:
Laura is the K12 Lab Director of Community and Implementation at the Stanford d.school. In this role, she leads the K12 Lab network and aims to use design thinking to transform education and the world. As a human-centered designer, her work focuses on understanding the ecosystem of education and finding meaningful opportunities for disruptive design. She is an advocate for equity and social justice work and is leading experiments to ensure more students have access to an innovative educational experience that will help them thrive in a changing world. Formerly Laura was the Director of External Relations at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. As the Director of External Relations, Laura traveled the globe designing and leading professional development focused on the implementation of progressive education, school transformation, deeper learning and equity initiatives. She has served as a principal of two HTH sites and has taught middle and high school classes in public charter and comprehensive schools. Laura was the architect of the Deeper Learning Conference, a 1200 person, adult learning experience aimed at activating and galvanizing educators for large-scale change.
Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
Follow Laura on Twitter
About Dr. Ron Beghetto:
Dr. Ronald A. Beghetto, PhD is an internationally recognized expert on creative thought and action in educational settings. He holds the Pinnacle West Presidential Chair and serves as a Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.
Dr. Beghetto is the Editor for the Journal of Creative Behavior, Editor for Review of Research in Education, Series Editor for Creative Theory and Action in Education (Springer Books), and has served as a creativity advisor for LEGO Foundation and the Cartoon Network.
Visit Ron’s website
Buy his books
How do you find joy in your classroom and infuse creativity into your students’ curriculum? In this throwback episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their discussion with Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers, an Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State.
Susan teaches graduate courses in creativity, chairs the curriculum committee, and serves on leadership teams of various departments across campus dedicated to infusing creative learning into their teaching and learning practices. Her focus is educating the next generation of creativity experts who will utilize their degree in creativity in diverse professional and personal arenas.
“Good teaching is creative teaching.” - Susan Keller-Mathers
Tune in to learn how to infuse creativity into your curriculum and how to find joy every single day you walk into your classroom!
You’ll gain insight into the importance of the practitioner-scholar model, the difference between teaching creativity and creative teaching, and the best practices for nurturing long-term professional learning in teachers. Susan also gives great advice for teachers who are overwhelmed or challenged with constraints in the classroom.
“You have to be an advocate for creativity outside of your classroom to do it in your classroom. You can close your door and you can do what you want to do, which is what a lot of teachers want to do, but you must also be that teacher leader who helps others understand the value of it. Then, it becomes more embedded in the educational environment because you can’t do it in isolation.” - Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers
Susan’s Tips for Teachers:
- Your attitude and energy make a difference in the classroom.
- Remember why you’re an educator and come in refreshed and ready to engage with your students.
- Always think about how you can meet the needs of your students and bring out their creative thinking.
About Susan Keller-Mathers:
Susan Keller-Mathers is an Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. Susan holds a BS in Elementary Education, an MS in Creativity, and an Ed.D in Curriculum and Instruction. She teaches graduate courses in creativity, chairs the curriculum committee and serves on leadership teams of various departments across campus dedicated to infusing creative learning into their teaching and learning practices.
Susan’s focus is educating the next generation of creativity experts who will utilize their degree in creativity in diverse professional and personal arenas. For nearly three decades she has continued the development of the Torrance Incubation Model (TIM) to infuse creativity into lesson, unit, course and training frameworks, develop creative learning and creative problem-solving initiatives in educational and business institutions and travel the globe teaching creativity to international educators on five continents.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, CreativityandEducation.com.
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin.
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How do you facilitate teacher-led change in the classroom? In this throwback episode Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their interview with Dr. Kulvarn Atwal, an executive headteacher of two large primary schools in East London and author of The Thinking School.
Listen in to hear Dr. Atwal share his thoughts on educational leadership and how to facilitate teacher-led change in the classroom. He sheds light on the importance of trial and error in school systems, how school leaders can support the creativity of teachers, and ways administrators can spark curiosity and professional development in tenured teachers.
Dr. Atwal also gives advice for teachers who crave professional development but don’t have opportunities to foster it. Then, he talks a bit about his next book for empowering teachers, The Thinking Teacher.
“The greatest single factor that impacts upon the quality of children’s learning in school, students’ learning, is quite straightforward. It’s the quality of teaching.” - Dr. Kulvarn Atwal
Dr. Atwal’s Tips for School Administrators:
- Give teachers more opportunities to collaborate with other teachers and engage in dialogue without having to report back or hit a target.
- Create culture in which you actively inquire or ask about what your teachers are good at and what they’d like to improve in. This works well if you lead by example.
- Express your school’s values, mission, and goals. Don’t deviate from those.
About Dr. Kulvarn Atwal:
Dr. Kulvarn Atwal was born and educated in East London and has been headteacher for nine years of the school he attended as a child. in 2018/19 he was Executive Head Teacher of two primary schools; both of which were graded Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. His doctoral thesis, completed in 2016, examined the factors that influence teacher learning in schools. He has recently published his first book, ‘The Thinking School – Developing a Dynamic Learning Community’.
Follow Dr. Atwal on Twitter
Resources Mentioned:
Learn more about Highlands Primary School
Buy The Thinking School by Dr. Kulvan Atwal
Read Dr. Atwal's Blog Posts here:
The Need for Creative Thinking in Our Schools
Cultivating An Environment for Creativity in Schools
If You Want Creative Thinkers, Focus on Emotional Literacy
Five Strategies for Building a Thinking School
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this short Creativity Tip episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood offer advice on how to highlight the importance of perspective shifting when engaging students creatively in the classroom. Matthew shares an exercise he experienced during his graduate program that helped him realize the challenge of assuming the perspective of others. Cyndi introduces how stories can offer different perspectives, such as the perspective of an individual perceived by others as the villain of the story.
Interested in more tips to help bring creativity into the classroom? Check out Cyndi's Books, Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum, and 20 Lessons to Weave Creativity into Your Classroom.
Episodes related to Shifting Perspectives:
Listen to the episode with Monica Kang
Listen to the episode with Genein Letford
Eager to bring more Creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this short Creativity Tip episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood offer advice on how to address incidents of failure in a classroom environment. Matthew shares his take on the Marshmallow challenge and how he uses this activity to normalize failure in a learning environment. Cyndi introduces an activity on how to reflect on and monitor incidents of failure during the learning process.
Episodes related to Shifting Perspectives:
Listen to the episode with Caroline Brookfield
Eager to bring more Creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this debrief episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on the first five episodes of Season 4. Cyndi revisits creative potential and the value of integrating student interests into the learning experience. At the same time, Matthew discusses expression preferences and the ability to know when to use and not use computer algorithms to support the creative process. Cyndi and Matthew also take time to reflect on the different ways they've both used video to engage their children in creative production.
If you haven't listened to all five episodes of Season 4 (+ the BONUS episode), check out the links below to go back and listen, so you don't miss out on any golden nuggets of wisdom! Then, share your favorite episode with a colleague, parent, friend, or anyone else who could benefit from the show's information.
Matt's Insights
- Expression preferences: We all like to express our creativity through different outlets. How many opportunities do you give your students to do that?
- The "future creative" is someone who knows when to use the algorithm and when to turn it off.
- Each of us has a unique creative potential. How can you find that in your students and help them act on it? (hint: Personal Interest Projects!)
Cynthia's Insights
- There are significant benefits to using digital innovation, like YouTube videos, to demonstrate problem-solving and creativity skills.
- Creative potential: Look for things that differentiate your students and find ways to showcase and/or nurture that creative potential.
- Give your students resources and tools that encourage exploration and development of their personal interests, like Personal Interest Projects.
Go back and listen to Season 4:
Listen to S4 Episode 1 with Mark Runco
Listen to S4 Episode 2 with Frances Valintine
Listen to S4 Episode 3 with Carrington Faulk
Listen to S4 Episode 4 with Dr. Elizabeth Radday
Listen to S4 Episode 5 with Dr. Joseph Renzulli
Listen to the S4 BONUS Episode: Parenting for Creativity
Watch different video examples on the DadsforCreativity YouTube channel and review some easy video projects quickly enacted at home.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How can we inspire and hold space for gifted and talented kids to express their creativity?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Joseph Renzulli, a world-renowned leader and pioneer in gifted education, creativity, and gifted teaching strategies. Joseph is here to share insights from his research along with why we should care about the spectrum of giftedness in our society.
Listen in to learn Joseph’s take on the relationship between giftedness and creativity, how to bring more creative giftedness into the classroom, and the greatest barriers to us increasing the number of people reaching their creative potential within their field. He also talks about the Renzulli Learning system, how it works, and how it’s benefitting thousands of educators across the world.
“Training teachers is the key to so much of this and, of course, there has to be some administrative support for it.” – Dr. Joseph Renzulli
Plu, Joseph breaks down his “Creative Idea Generator” method, how to apply “curriculum compacting” to accommodate gifted students, and how parents can facilitate creativity and learning outside of the classroom. Then, he highlights his biggest fear regarding the future of gifted education and where we need to focus our energy in the coming years.
Are you an educator who wants to learn and do more in the field of gifted education? Tune in to learn how to participate in the virtual Confratute learning experience held in July at the University of Connecticut!
Joseph’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
-
- Work with the school library to set up a section dedicated for “how-to” books.
-
Utilize basic ideas that are quick to read/learn about. Long lectures or videos are going to lead kids to lose interest.
-
Ask open-ended questions every single day.
Resources Mentioned:
Article: What Makes Giftedness?: Reexamining a Definition
Learn more about Renzulli Learning
Listen to the episode with Dr. Sally Reis
No Child Left Bored by Sally Reis
Register for Confratute at UConn!
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Joseph Renzulli:
Dr. Joseph Renzulli is a leader and pioneer in gifted education and applying the pedagogy of gifted education teaching strategies to all students. The American Psychological Association named him among the 25 most influential psychologists in the world. Dr. Renzulli received the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Award for Innovation in Education, considered by many to be “the Nobel” for educators, and was a consultant to the White House Task Force on Education of the Gifted and Talented.
Joseph S. Renzulli is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, where he also served as director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. His research has focused on the identification and development of creativity and giftedness in young people and on organizational models and curricular strategies for total school improvement. A focus of his work has been on applying the strategies of gifted education to the improvement of learning for all students. Dr. Renzulli currently leads the Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent Development.
Follow Renzulli Learning on Instagram
What is a Personal Interest Project (PIP) and how might it benefit students’ creativity?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Elizabeth Radday, an educator who’s been working in education for over 12 years. Currently working in Skills21 and School Services for EdAdvance, Elizabeth is passionate about student-driven personal projects, like Capstone, and loves to see what students can do when they are given the space to explore their interests. The Capstone curriculum and Personal Interest Project (PIP) curriculum she wrote are now being used by thousands of students in Connecticut each year.
Tune in to learn about this fascinating high school program that’s built on students identifying and furthering their creativity and interests while at school. Liz provides inspiring examples of Personal Interest Projects and describes how schools and educators can creatively implement them into students’ curriculums.
Plus, Liz breaks down the most successful format of PIPs and Capstones, what types of educators can best facilitate a Capstone course, her recommendations on rubrics, stimulating motivation in struggling students, and much more.
Liz’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Give kids voice and choice. They need to feel control over the process.
- Find the time to work on Personal Interest Projects. Start small if you need to.
- Do your own PIP or Capstone project alongside your students and share your experience (and mistakes) with them. Also, it’s important that you choose something unrelated to school.
Resources Mentioned:
Skills21 Personal Interest Projects
Skills21 Capstone
Portrait of a Graduate
Listen to the episode with Heather Lyon
Listen to the episode with Dr. Sally Reis
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Listen to the episode with KC Lathrop
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Elizabeth Radday:
Dr. Elizabeth Radday has been working in education for over twenty years. She first started teaching as a teenager doing arts and crafts at sleepaway camp. After college, she spent sixteen years in the middle and high school classrooms teaching STEM subjects and working with students with learning disabilities. She now works for EdAdvance in Connecticut for Skills21 and School Services. She is passionate about student driven personal projects like Capstone and loves to see what students can do when they are given the space to explore their interests. The Capstone curriculum and Personal Interest Project curriculum she wrote is now being used by thousands of students in Connecticut each year.
Connect with Elizabeth Radday on LinkedIn
Follow her on Instagram
Follow her on Twitter
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ecskills21
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ecskills21
Should social media content creation be part of K-12 education? Yes, but the answer is more complex than that…
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Carrington Faulk, a high school marketing teacher, Google for Education Certified Trainer, and Founder of ‘skilltivity.’, an online education platform that seeks to advance your creative thinking skills. Carrington enjoys educating learners of all ages on how to master subjects in the realm of creativity, technology, leadership, marketing, and innovation.
Tune in to learn why video is such a popular medium for creative expression and how YouTube and TikTok play a powerful role in educating students and connecting them with the world. You’ll also learn the benefits and concerns of integrating video production and social media content creation in the classroom.
“I’ve never seen this many students want to be YouTubers in my life than they do right now. But the big thing that I try to tell them is it’s not what the popular platform [is] now, I tell them to think about what’s going to be popular later and what’s up and coming.” – Carrington Faulk
Carrington shares the tech tools and activities he uses to spark creativity in the classroom along with the real-life opportunities (and dangers) of encouraging kids to use social media to express their creativity. He also sheds light on the importance of teaching students about modern marketing, future trends, the metaverse, and creative leadership.
Plus… Carrington breaks down his strategy for facilitating the “question-asking” and critical thinking/reflection parts of the creative process, as well as how his personal creativity in music inspires his students’ creativity in the classroom.
“If we aren’t being creative leaders in the classroom, then we will get left behind as educators.” – Carrington Faulk
Carrington’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
-
Everyone needs to ask more questions.
-
We are in the 4th Industrial Revolution, a workforce where AI and automation is changing the landscape of work every single day. So, students need to understand that the jobs and opportunities they see today may not be the ones they see in the future.
-
Each district should have a Chief Creative Officer.
Resources Mentioned:
Subscribe to the skilltivity. YouTube channel
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Carrington Faulk:
Carrington Faulk is a high school marketing teacher and Google for Education Certified Trainer who enjoys educating learners of all ages on how to master subjects in the realm of creativity, technology, leadership, marketing, and innovation. He is the founder of ‘skilltivity.’, an online education platform that seeks to advance your creative skills. In his time away from education, Carrington is a musician (carringtonfaulk.com), owner of ‘MICAH3 - a video branding agency’ (micah3.com), and husband & father to his wife and 4 kids.
Connect with Carrington Faulk on LinkedInFollow him on Twitter
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Frances Valintine, Founder and CEO of The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab, two organizations providing learning pathways for educators and professionals to participate in and have a sustainable impact on our tech-driven future. Everything Frances does revolves around supporting people, business, and organizations to understand the impact of emerging technologies and the cultural adaptation required to embrace change and build that impact. So, how is that connected to creativity in education?
Tune in to gain insight into the type of future we can anticipate for our students, particularly with the rise in digital innovation, as well as the technologies that can help students make education more personal to them while building on their own unique strengths.
Frances breaks down the concept of compulsory education and the role of the educator in preparing students for non-traditional, more personalized careers and side hustles (think freelancing and entrepreneurship). She sheds light on how students are reacting to online learning and returning to in-person learning, along with how to effectively engage, motivate, and teach your students what they need to learn in order to thrive in a highly innovative, tech-driven future.
“What if we took away that need to lead every conversation and to set that tone and give the creativity back to the kids?” – Frances Valintine
She also highlights the difference between cooperation and collaboration, the importance of embracing robots and cobots (collaborative robots) in and out of the classroom, and whether or not the future creative needs to develop the capacity and skills to operate outside of the algorithms.
Frances’ Tips for Teachers and Parents:
-
Start with students asking the questions instead of answering them.
-
Never use a learning opportunity to get the students to do the same thing.
-
Don’t be over-indexed by your own knowledge. Just because it was true at the time or place or in the group you hang out with doesn’t mean it’s representative of the real world or other people’s scenarios.
Resources Mentioned:
The Mind Lab
Tech Futures Lab
Listen to the episode with Bea Leiderman
Listen to the episode with Bryan Alexander
Listen to the episode with David Cropley
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Frances Valintine:
A well regarded and recognised technologist and educator, Frances has been focused on the future of work and the development of human capability for the duration of her career. She has a life mission to uncover the potential in anyone she meets - if you have a conversation with Frances you’ll come away buzzing with inspiration, confidence and optimism for what lies ahead.
In recent years, Frances has built up The Mind Lab (started in 2013) and Tech Futures Lab (2016) to provide learning pathways for educators and professionals to not just participate in but have sustainable impact for the technologically driven future. Everything she does is about supporting people, businesses and organisations to understand the impact of emerging technologies and the cultural adaptation required to embrace change and build that impact.
Connect with Frances Valintine on LinkedIn
The month of June celebrates Father's Day, and this prompted Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood to produce a special episode on parenting for Creativity. In a slightly different format, Cyndi interviews Matthew about his parenting blog, Dads for Creativity, and discusses the need to monitor parental bias when celebrating Creativity in the home environment.
"We have to be mindful of how our biases, and our backgrounds, and what we're into, and what we know, is going to influence our children's creative behaviors and what the pursue in the early years." - Matthew Worwood
Resources Mentioned:
Visit DadsforCreativity.com
Eager to bring more Creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In part two of this “double expresso” discussion, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood continue speaking with creativity researcher, thought leader, and cognitive psychologist, Dr. Mark Runco, about the future of creativity research and his upcoming creativity conference.
Tune in to gain insight into the current creativity in education research and where Mark thinks this research is headed in the future. He also speaks on the misuses of divergent thinking tests, particularly in neuroscientific research, as well as how educators can promote creativity and originality in the classroom, even when they’re following a curriculum.
Then, Mark sheds light on what you can expect from the Southern Oregon University Creativity Conference (coming up on July 14th-17th, 2022) and why everyone could benefit from attending.
Mark’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
-
Be creative and appreciate creativity – whatever that looks like for you.
-
- Depending on the age of your students/kids, work on building confidence, which is called “ego strength” in creativity research.
- You don’t need to look for unambiguously creative behaviors in your students. Look for creative potential and look for things that enable and encourage originality, like self-expression. Self-expression is extremely important and leads directly to creativity.
“One of - if not the main problem with creativity among students has to do with social pressure and fitting in… This is really a huge problem in the middle and upper elementary grades… because a strict adherence to convention precludes creativity. It’s basically antithetical to originality.” – Dr. Mark Runco
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode about inquiry-based learning with Dr. Frank LaBanca
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Register for the Southern Oregon University Creativity Conference
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Mark A. Runco:
Dr. Mark A. Runco is a leading creativity scholar who is active in empirical research and has published cognitive, economic, genetic, historical, developmental, and educational books and articles on the topic. To help people fulfill their capacity for creativity, he has devised a battery of tests that measures creative potential and performance. He teaches a variety of graduate and undergraduate classes on creativity and innovation, and once each year he organizes an international creativity conference. Mark earned his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the Claremont Graduate School in California and has studied creativity ever since. He is currently the Director of Creativity Research and Programming at Southern Oregon University.
Connect with Mark Runco on LinkedIn
Visit his website
To kick off Season Four of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with world-renowned creativity researcher, thought leader, and cognitive psychologist, Dr. Mark Runco. In part one of this knowledge-packed “double expresso” discussion, Mark talks about the meaning of creative potential and divergent thinking as well as why creative potential is the REAL target of education.
“Creative potential is very frequently overlooked and that’s in part because it is so hard to see.” – Dr. Mark Runco
Listen in to learn about the best indicators of creative potential and divergent thinking, the needs that students with creative potential have, and the difference between personal and social creativity. Mark also breaks down the difference between creativity and divergent thinking, the essential components of divergent thinking, and how educators and parents can teach divergent thinking to children.
Plus… Do we have the tools to assess for creativity and originality in the classroom? Tune in to hear Mark’s answer as he highlights his research on creativity assessment!
“One of the big things is just for an educator to think divergently him or herself and thereby, to model and value divergent thinking and originality.” - Dr. Mark Runco
Resources Mentioned:
Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT)
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Mark A. Runco:
Dr. Mark A. Runco is a leading creativity scholar who is active in empirical research and has published cognitive, economic, genetic, historical, developmental, and educational books and articles on the topic. To help people fulfill their capacity for creativity, he has devised a battery of tests that measures creative potential and performance. He teaches a variety of graduate and undergraduate classes on creativity and innovation, and once each year he organizes an international creativity conference. Mark earned his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the Claremont Graduate School in California and has studied creativity ever since. He is currently the Director of Creativity Research and Programming at Southern Oregon University.
Connect with Mark Runco on LinkedIn
Visit his website
In this short episode, Drs. Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood discuss the reasons why they renamed the podcast - Fueling Creativity in Education, and provide an overview of the upcoming guests in Season 4.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this short Creativity Tip episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood offer advice on how to promote originality in the classroom. Matthew focuses his response on project-based learning at the higher education level. Cyndi offers advice for K-12 educators and how to facilitate originality in a test-driven culture.
Episodes related to Asking Questions:
Listen to the episode with Frank LaBanca
Listen to the episode with Eitan Buchalter
Listen to the episode with Ron Beghetto
Watch short clip from the film, Creativity in Education: Exploring the Imbalance.
Eager to bring more Creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this short Creativity Tip episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood offer advice on how to facilitate asking questions in the classroom. Matthew and Cyndi highlight the importance of prioritizing sufficient time for questions and planning for incubation.
Episodes related to Asking Questions:
Listen to the episode with Frank LaBanca
Listen to the episode with Natalie Nixon
Listen to the episode with Ron Beghetto
Watch Cyndi describe how use questioning in the classroom
Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum
Eager to bring more Creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this short Creativity Tip episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood offer advice on integrating the teaching of ambiguity in the classroom. Rather than focusing exclusively on ill-defined problems, Cyndi and Matthew highlight the connection to socio-emotional learning and why it's necessary to help students understand how they feel when presented with an ambiguous challenge or situation in the classroom environment.
Episodes related to Ambiguity:
Listen to the episode with Caroline Brookfield
Listen to the episode with Monica Kang
Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross
Listen to the episode with Ron Beghetto
Eager to bring more Creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What were the biggest lessons learned during the last five episodes in Season Three of the Fueling Creativity podcast? In this final debrief, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down and reflect on episodes that discussed the relationship between Innovation, Creativity, Entrepreneurship, breaking with habit-bound thinking, developing a sense of awe in students, and Inward and Outward Creativity.
Listen in as Cyndi and Matthew break down the following insights.
Major Takeaways from Season Two, Episodes 6-10:
- Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship. What's the connection? Do different groups have increased value for one over the other? Or are we discussing similar things in a different context?
- A sense of awe in students. Awe is a sense of considerable astonishment in a person or topic. How might teachers facilitate awe toward the curriculum or subject? Should that be an ambition for creative teachers?
- Inward and Outward Creativity. Sociocultural theory informs us that the actor engages in internal and external actions that include thoughts, ideas, and reactions in response to an environment. How do internal actions interact with other people inside a classroom environment? Does a sense of connection drive these actions, and is arts a bridge between inward and outward Creativity?
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Anna Abraham
Listen to the episode with Monica Kang
Listen to the episode with Rachelle Archer
Eager to bring more Creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What is Artful Leadership, and how might it help facilitate creativity in teaching and learning? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Rachelle Archer, an arts-based consultant & founder of Artful Leadership. The episode shares Rachelle's 25 + years of experience working at the intersection of arts, education, and healing, primarily with unhoused and systems-affected youth. Discussions include how artful leadership can help students reflect and connect as they interact and engage with others around them.
“Learning happens when we feel safe and when we feel connected to others in a space; it's not just something that happens inside our brains.” - Rachelle Archer
Rachelle’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Start with your own curiosities. Don't do anything major.
- Find out what your students enjoy. Pleasure is a helpful entry point to creativity.
- Avoid judgment in terms of this is good or bad, instead celebrate whatever emerges from the experience.
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Rachelle Archer
Rachelle Archer, arts-based consultant & founder of Artful Leadership, helps educators impact young lives sustainably by putting their own well-being first, so that they can lead with a full tank and create a community culture that supports students and staff. She has 25 + years experience in youth development, working at the intersection of arts, education, and healing, primarily with unhoused and systems affected youth. She supports organizations with healing-centered professional leadership & organizational development, helping to foster the individual, interpersonal and institutional wellness that will empower them to live into their full potential. Rachelle believes that everyone can be a leader, humans thrive in community, and the well-being of that community starts with us doing our inner work first.
Visit Rachelle’s website
Connect with her on LinkedIn
How does one approach creativity within a global context? How can the creative process help us and the future generations solve global problems, like climate change? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Monica Kang, Founder & CEO of InnovatorsBox, Author of Rethink Creativity & Have You Seen My Friends?, and Podcast Host of Dear Workplace and Curious Monica. She’s a creative educator who’s transforming today’s workforce with the mission to build a workplace for all by rethinking creativity.
Listen in to learn how she reignited her love for her job and her life through a simple mindset shift, curiosity, and creativity, as well as how that led her to help others tap into their innate creativity through InnovatorsBox. You’ll gain insight into the difference between voluntary change and forced change and how creativity and the creative process plays a role in solving complex global problems. Plus, Monica talks about the meaning behind her books, how she approaches creativity within different cultures, and how you can start incorporating curiosity, creativity, and courage into your curriculum.
“When we embed creativity as a way of living, there’s no limit to how we see and solve and approach.” – Monica Kang
Monica’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Before stressing about the curriculum, become aware of how you talk about creativity at home and in the classroom. We tend to embed this image of what curiosity, creativity, and courage are supposed to look like, so pay attention to where your kids think differently, identify the action of them being imaginative and creative, and encourage them to enjoy and explore that feeling courageously.
- If you’re ready to build this into your curriculum, add that action part into your lessons to let them feel and experience curiosity, creativity, and courage.
- Make curiosity, creativity, and courage FUN. If they’re doing it for the grade, it’s not fun. Be intentional about getting to know your kids/students and what’s fun to them.
“The whole reason why I wanted to do this was I felt creativity was inaccessible. I felt, as somebody who was in a space that was traditionally not creative, that it wasn’t for me and I know a lot of people that still feel that way.”
- Monica Kang
Resources Mentioned:
InnovatorsBox
Rethink Creativity by Monica Kang
Have You Seen My Friends? by Monica Kang
Dear Workplace Podcast
Curious Monica Podcast
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Monica Kang:
Monica H. Kang is on the mission to build a workplace for all by rethinking creativity. She is the Founder & CEO of InnovatorsBox, Author of Rethink Creativity & Have You Seen My Friends, Podcast Host of Dear Workplace and Curious Monica. An internationally recognized expert in workplace creativity, she facilitates culture transformation, leadership development, and team building in a way that is fun, actionable, and relatable. Monica works with clients worldwide including Fortune 500 companies, higher education, government, and nonprofits. Prior to InnovatorsBox®, Monica was a nuclear nonproliferation policy expert. She holds an M.A. from SAIS Johns Hopkins University in Strategic Studies and International Economics and a B.A. from Boston University.
Connect with Monica Kang on LinkedIn
What are you doing for this year's World Creativity and Innovation Week? In this special episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood provide small tips to help celebrate creativity in your life, your classroom, and in your family.
Past Episodes Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross
Listen to the episode with Natalie Nixon
Listen to the episode with Jim Friedman
Resources for World Creativity and Innovation Week
World Creativity and Innovation Day Website
Our podcast interview with the Current Chief Steward of WCIW, Dr. Jim Friedman
Creativity and Education FREE Virtual Events
- Raising a Generation of Creative Thinkers
- Infusing Creative Thinking into Your Higher Education Classroom
- Weaving Creative Thinking into your Pre-K-High School Classroom
Day of Surprises with your Family
Check out the Creative Thinking Challenges
Create Junk Inventions
Share the Creative Thinking Skills Sheet with Your Students
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What is a makerspace and how can makerspaces change the landscape of education? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Caroline Haebig, author of The Maker Playbook: A Guide to Creating Inclusive Learning Environments. Caroline sheds light on today’s makerspace movement and the benefits of high-impact, inclusive maker learning culture inside schools and school systems.
Listen in to learn how educators from different fields can use a makerspace to foster innovative design thinking and creativity, the importance of integrating design ethics into the prototype design process, and the must-have and nice-to-have materials (both raw and digital) to include in a makerspace. Then, Caroline offers expert advice on finding entry points in your curriculum for maker learning and creating a more inclusive culture in your makerspace.
“Maker learning has a lot of opportunity to help kids develop their metacognition, reflection, and self-assessment skills.” - Caroline Haebig
Caroline’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Maximize opportunities for kids to share curiosities and ask questions.
- Provide a scaffolded design process so students know what they’re expected to know, do, and engage with during specific parts of the design process.
- Get kids to think and talk about the choices and decisions they are making.
Resources Mentioned:
The Maker Playbook by Caroline Haebig
Makedo
morphi app
Disruptus
Mission Feature Feature
Tinkercad
ScratchJr
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Caroline Haebig:
Based in Wisconsin, Caroline Haebig has extensive experience designing and leading professional learning for teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators nationwide. Focused on helping educators develop innovative teaching, learning, and assessment practices, she has successfully facilitated student, teacher, and administrator preparation for school system 1:1 technology initiatives to support student learning and led district -wide work in the areas of inclusive maker learning and technological literacy. Caroline Haebig is also the author of The Maker Playbook: Designing Inclusive Learning Experiences, a book for K-12 leaders and educators. An accomplished educator, Haebig was named an ISTE Emerging Leader, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Innovator, and a recipient of the Wisconsin State Superintendent Service-Learning Award, the University of Indiana Jacobs Educator Award, and the ISTE Outstanding Young Educator award.
Connect with Caroline Haebig on LinkedIn
Follow Caroline on Twitter
For this very special, one-year anniversary episode of the Fueling Creativity Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood have gone through all 28 interview transcriptions from the Fueling Creativity episodes and identified four powerful themes that have emerged from these discussions. They originally presented these themes at the Creativity Expert Exchange at SUNY Buffalo State.
Today, you get to listen in on this informative and powerful presentation! Or, you can read the transcript here.
If you’d like to book Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood to deliver this presentation as an interactive workshop to your school or institution, don’t hesitate to send them an email at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.
Themes & Subthemes from Year 1 of Fueling Creativity:
1 – Setting the creative environment of the classroom
- Trust and Safety
- Risk-Taking- feeling comfortable making mistakes
- Openness to new ideas and perspectives
- Allow time for questions and exploration Encourage respectful debate
- Challenging students to highest ability- not average
- Value differences
- Think beyond the walls of the classroom
2 – Creative Teachers
- Creative Teachers are designers
- Creative Teachers Model Creative Behaviors and Attitudes
- Creative Teachers are Lifelong Learners
- Creative Teachers are open and willing to try new things
- Creative Teachers take risks and are willing to admit if they failed or made a mistake
- Creative Teachers make time for self-care
- Creative Teachers don’t have all the answers
3 – Instructional Practice
- Ask Open-Ended questions
- Embed time for wondering and curiosity
- Expose students to diverse things (books, museums, nature, etc).
- Use Inquiry/Problem Based Learning
- Spend time problem-finding
- Help students find meaning, purpose and connection to content
- Work through ambiguity, uncertainty and complexity
- Get students comfortable with discomfort and failure
- Shift student perspectives, allowing an openness to new ideas
- Explore feelings and emotions related to the learning/creative process
- Give students agency- a choice and voice on what they are doing
4 – The Future Creative (Preparing our students for the future!)
- A person who is cable of working with people of varied backgrounds and perspectives
- A person who can think ethically when selecting ideas and developing solutions
- A person who can work though complex problems and manage change
- A person who can identify what humans do best, and what machines might do better
- A person who can work in collaboration with AI
“This pandemic, although challenging, is really highlighting the creativity that exists within the teaching profession.” - Dr. Matthew Worwood
Do you have a theme that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know! Email us at questions@fuelingcreativity.com.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What would it be like if creativity was a core pillar of your school system’s education? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Eitan Buchalter, Creativity Researcher and Practitioner.
Most recently, Eitan has designed and tested a school-based learning initiative that empowers students to look after and develop their creative thinking capabilities. He shares details on this unique initiative as well as his approach to developing a creativity program in school within the constraints of a curriculum or classroom environment.
Listen in to learn how Eitan is expanding creativity research to science as he highlights his research on how scientists generate ideas and produce creative outcomes. The trio also talks about creativity skills that bridge the gap between science and art, how to help your students find their interests and passions, and the importance of teaching your students to articulate their ideas.
Eitan‘s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Incorporate intrinsic motivation and your students’ personal interests into your lessons.
- Model vulnerability so your students know it’s okay to make mistakes.
- Make friends with uncertainty and risk.
“I’m a big fan of uncertainty and thinking of uncertainty as an important material.”
- Dr. Eitan Buchalter
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross
Listen to the episode with Sally Reis
Nurturing Creative Thinking
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Eitan Buchalter:
Eitan is the Director of Innovation at the Global Governance Institute. He has two decades of experience in creativity and innovation which includes education in schools, college and university. Eitan has also brought his expertise in creative thinking to the commercial world and has worked for a wide variety of clients including: NASA, Proctor & Gamble, The Football Association and Tate Modern.
Most recently, Eitan has designed and tested a school-based learning initiative that empowers students to look after and develop their creative thinking capabilities.
Eitan has degrees from Oxford and UCL including a PhD on Ideas in Science. Most importantly though, Eitan is a father of two boys and can often be found chasing them around the beautiful Kent countryside!
Connect with Dr. Eitan Buchalter on LinkedIn
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Anna Abraham, an E. Paul Torrance Professor in UGA’s Department of Educational Psychology and Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education.
In part two of this two-part interview, you’ll gain insight into the work of E. Paul Torrance, the father of creativity and education, along with the work that Anna is now doing within the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development. She shares her vision for the department and how she intends on building upon the work of Torrance, particularly via The Torrance Festival of Ideas. As the Founding Editor of The Cambridge Elements Series in Creativity and the Imagination, Anna also sheds light on the key insights she’s learned about imagination and wonder.
“If you’ve managed to cultivate wonder in your student, you have done something magical.”
- Anna Abraham
“Being in the College of Education, our role is to be a resource, an educational resource, and part of that is getting people very instrumental together to talk about ideas that are really relevant for the community at large.” - Anna Abraham
Anna’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- See creativity as not the domain of a few, but a skill that is basic to all of us.
- Having recognized that you have this creative ability, think about what it can do for you- not as a way to make money or prove your productivity, but as a way to discover yourself and the power of your own mind.
- Don’t stop being creative. Keep at it, even if it’s for a few minutes each day!
About Anna Abraham:
Anna Abraham, Ph.D. is the E. Paul Torrance Professor and the Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. Her educational and professional training has been within the disciplines of Psychology and Neuroscience, and she has worked across a diverse range of academic institutions and departments the world over, all of which have informed her multidisciplinary focus. She investigates the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying creativity and other aspects of the human imagination. Her wide-ranging contributions to the field of creativity include theoretical, methodological and empirical advances in the context of basic and applied research. She has penned numerous publications including the sole authored book, The Neuroscience of Creativity (2018, Cambridge University Press), and the multidisciplinary edited volume, The Cambridge Handbook of the Imagination (2020). She is the Founding Editor of The Cambridge Elements Series in Creativity and the Imagination.
Visit Anna's websiteConnect with her on LinkedIn
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to part 1 linked needed
Sign up to join The Torrance Festival of Ideas
Listen to the episode with Natalie NixonListen to the episode with Jeffrey Davis
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
Is there a difference between an imaginative mind and a creative mind? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Anna Abraham, an E. Paul Torrance Professor and Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. Anna investigates the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying creativity and other aspects of the human imagination.
In part one of this two-part interview, you’ll gain insight into the similarities and differences between a creative mind and an imaginative mind based on neuroscientific research. Anna breaks down her findings on the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying creativity and how teachers can translate these to a classroom environment. Anna also identifies problems and potential solutions in unimodal forms of teaching and learning as part of the standard educational curriculum.
Plus, she shares her candid thoughts, from a neuroscience perspective, on the question: Can creativity be taught?
About Anna Abraham:
Anna Abraham, Ph.D. is the E. Paul Torrance Professor and the Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. Her educational and professional training has been within the disciplines of Psychology and Neuroscience, and she has worked across a diverse range of academic institutions and departments the world over, all of which have informed her multidisciplinary focus. She investigates the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying creativity and other aspects of the human imagination. Her wide-ranging contributions to the field of creativity include theoretical, methodological and empirical advances in the context of basic and applied research. She has penned numerous publications including the sole authored book, The Neuroscience of Creativity (2018, Cambridge University Press), and the multidisciplinary edited volume, The Cambridge Handbook of the Imagination (2020). She is the Founding Editor of The Cambridge Elements Series in Creativity and the Imagination.
Visit Anna's websiteConnect with her on LinkedIn
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to part 2 linked needed
Internet of Us by Michael P. Lynch
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What were the biggest lessons learned during the first five episodes in Season Three of the Fueling Creativity podcast? In this Bridging the Gap episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down and reflect on episodes that discussed reluctant creativity, inquiry-based learning, multi-cultural creativity, and integrating design ethics into the K-12 classroom.
Listen in as Cyndi and Matthew break down the following insights.
Major Takeaways from Season Three, Episodes 1-5:
-
Creative competency. Seeing creative thinking as a competency is more powerful and, most importantly, addresses its application in the real world. It's less about expressing the skill in the classroom and more about how you use and modify those skills in different environments.
-
Reluctant Creativity. When the pandemic hit, teachers across the grades were thrown into challenging teaching environments. The reluctant creatives who were less likely to engage creativity under normal circumstances were forced to engage to overcome many of these instructional challenges.
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross
Listen to the episode with David Cropley
Listen to the episode with Frank LaBanca
Listen to the episode with Gene Letford
Listen to the episode with Caroline Brookfield
Listen to the episode with Bea Leiderman
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
Fueling Creativity S3 Ep 6 with Bea Leiderman
What are the benefits of being a novice learner? How does having a personal passion or interest benefit your work as an educator?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Bea Leiderman, an educational technology coach based in Virginia with over 20 years of experience in education.
In 2012, macrophotography became Bea’s gateway to learning about science, biology, and the natural environment. As a novice learner, Bea had the opportunity to consider learning from a new perspective, later changing her approach to teaching.
Bea sheds light on the power of being a novice as an educator by sharing her first interaction with macrophotography and how it has since influenced her teaching methods. They talk about the importance of finding joy in learning for yourself, exploring non-educational blogs and resources, and the connection that can be built between educators and students when you’re both learning something new.
Can you maintain a level of control while students explore their creativity? How do you raise curious children? Is it important to limit the technology and screen time your kids are exposed to? Listen in to hear Bea’s answers!
“Creativity is at the most creative when it’s cross-disciplinary, it’s outward-focused rather than inward-focused.” - Bea Leiderman
View Bea’s Macro Photography on Instagram
Bea’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Expose your kids to lots of things, even things that may not be traditionally meant for kids. Different types of music, old movies, museums, festivals, factories, etc.
- Be interested in what your kids are interested in and don’t make fun of what they like.
- Be open to social media and not “the hype”. Find the interesting, passionate, quirky people on social media. There’s something to learn from everything and everyone.
- Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to do something simple or be a novice.
- Look for things that bring you joy and fun.
“You end up learning all sorts of things by following people who are interested in things that are completely different from what you’re doing.” - Bea Leiderman
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Ron BeghettoListen to the episode with Dr. James Kaufman
Listen to the episode with Dr. Caroline BrookfieldListen to the episode with Wendy Ross
Listen to the episode with Dr. Sally ReisCreativity blog series by Punya Mishra
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to RATE, REVIEW, and SHARE the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Bea Leiderman:
Bea is an educational technology coach in Prince Edward County, Virginia, and has over twenty years of experience in education. Her focus has always been on giving students experiences that lead to learning. In 2012, Bea bought a macro lens attachment for her iPhone camera. Macrophotography became a gateway to learning about science, biology, and the natural environment in ways she didn’t initially anticipate. Being a novice learner gave Bea the opportunity to consider learning from a new perspective that has changed how she approaches teaching. Bea has written several books about insects showcasing her photography and inviting readers to explore and learn.
Follow her on Instagram
Follow her on Twitter
Why is inquiry-based learning such a powerful part of modern education? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Frank LaBanca, a teacher, educational researcher, and change agent based in Connecticut. Frank is one of the few public-school principals, nationally, that teaches students in his own classroom. Tune in to learn his approach to inquiry-based learning, a significant part of his strategic planning in founding the Westside Middle School Academy Magnet.
Frank shares why he prioritizes inquiry-based learning in the classroom over other approaches to education as well as the role of inquiry-based learning in developing creativity and problem-solving skills. He speaks on the power of teaching students to ask meaningful questions, how he does that, and how he helps teachers develop the capacity to implement and manage project-based learning in the classroom.
“Inquiry is questioning and investigation. In that simple elegance, it’s a wonderful way to approach learning because children can ask meaningful questions and seek their own idiosyncratic, diverse methods to try to solve those problems.” - Dr. Frank LaBanca
Frank also highlights the value of teachers not being the ultimate evaluators of students’ work, rather their work being evaluated by others in the real world. Then, he divulges how he selected new faculty for his school, the challenges he and his administrative colleagues are currently facing, and how his creative projects outside of school that inspire his professional development.
Frank’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Spend time problem-finding. Don’t rush students through the process of developing ideas for study.
- Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. Let it be exciting to not have answers for your students’/kids’ questions. Have confidence to facilitate the process of finding their own answers.
- There’s a continuum between developing ideas and solving ideas. Don't be focused on just solving ideas.
“Developing questions takes time and students need and deserve the time to go through that process of evaluating questions.” - Dr. Frank LaBanca
“I think a really important part of inquiry is you learn to do and about at the same time.”
- Dr. Frank LaBanca
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Natalie NixonListen to the episode with Jeffrey Davis
Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad Glaveanu
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Frank LaBanca:
Dr. Frank LaBanca is a teacher, educational researcher, and change agent. He is the Founding Principal of the Westside Middle School Academy magnet in Danbury, Connecticut. Previously he was the Director of the Center for 21st Century Skills at Education Connection as well as a 16-year high school biology and science research teacher. Dr. LaBanca has also taught and supervised research at the university level in both Biology and Educational Leadership. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, whitepapers, and research conference presentations. Having taught well over 2000 students, Dr. LaBanca’s most meaningful contribution to education is conducting extended open-inquiry authentic applied research with students. Over his tenure, numerous students have been nationally recognized for their work. He is one of the few public school principals, nationally, that teaches his own class with students.
Visit Frank’s website
Visit his blog
Follow him on Twitter
Connect with him on LinkedIn
How does culture impact a person’s ability to learn and be creative?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak withGenein Letford, Founder and CEO of CAFFEE Strategies, a top 'intercultural creative thinking' professional development training organization that trains employees to unleash their innovative thinking and create sustainable, organizational inclusion strategies. Tune in to learn the fundamentals of cultural competence and Intercultural Creativity™ along with neuroscience-backed tips for teachers on helping kids grow their cultural competency.
As a trainer on creative thinking and Intercultural Creativity™, Genein has inspired and led many to reconnect to their creative abilities and produce innovative ideas for an inclusive workspace.
Genein shares her thoughts on the impact of knowing your students’ cultural value as well as how to help students become aware of their value and their cultural capital. She highlights the powerful role of emotions and storytelling in learning, then breaks down a few of the gems from her book, The 7 Gems of Intercultural Creativity, including empathetic imagination and perspective shifting. Plus, Genein sheds light on how her work as an educator has inspired her role as a mother.
“We can’t really ask people and young people to be at their full creative best if they’re not in an inclusive environment that really has those cultural connections… That cultural competence is a big part of your creative thinking and creative growth.” - Genein Letford
Special Offer: We found Genein’s connection between culture and creativity extremely useful, and have decided to offer a special 90-minute workshop on Intercultural Creativity. For more information click here, and use the code: “Fueling” to receive 20% off the ticket price!
Genein’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Share last. Your perspective may skew the perspective of the students, so encourage them to share their views and ideas first and then share yours afterwards.
- Say “thank you” to students who share their answers, ideas, and views.
- There are miracles in the metaphors. Bring metaphors into your day, your lessons, and your meetings and have fun with it.
- Arts are key. Artistry helps grow creativity.
- Observation is also key. You can’t be creative if you have no data to be creative with, so create activities that combine sensory information, for example, going outside and listening to the sounds of nature.
“Knowing that the cultural capital and the cultural experiences that the children are coming in with is key. That is gold because the brain doesn’t learn by just throwing new information to it, the brain learns through integration, by integrating new information to already learned information. And so, if the teacher or the educator… doesn’t know what the child already knows and what is important to the child, that integration is low.” - Genein Letford
Resources Mentioned:
The 7 Gems of Intercultural Creativity by Genein Letford
Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad Glaveanu
The Torrance Incubation Model (TIM)
Listen to Create and Grow Podcast Ep 74
Listen to Create and Grow Podcast Ep 66
Listen to Create and Grow Podcast Ep 79
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Genein Letford:
Genein Letford is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author and corporate trainer on creative thinking and Intercultural Creativity™. She is the founder of CAFFE Strategies, and has inspired and led many to reconnect to their creative abilities in order to produce innovative ideas for an inclusive workspace. Her unique training intersects creative thinking development with building a culture of inclusion and belonging. She believes creative literacy is a critical skill and she is often called ‘America’s Creativity Coach’ for her work in reigniting creativity in our workforce.
Visit Genein's website
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Follow her on Instagram
Listen to the Create and Grow Rich Podcast
How might we help ourselves and others be more willing to express our creativity? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Caroline Brookfield, a veterinarian, researcher, and stand-up comedian who delights in using humor and immersive experiences, backed up with research, to sway the most reluctant creative. Today, the dynamic trio delves into Caroline’s experience melding the worlds of veterinary medicine, comedy, and creativity. They also talk about the relationship between multi-passionate creatives and reluctant creatives.
For some of us, there is a desire or need to explore as many interests as we possibly can. Hence, the terms multi-passionate and multiple potentialities. For reluctant creatives, there is a resistance to acknowledging or expressing their creativity.
Listen in to learn the benefits of embracing your creativity and how to tap into it for future success. Caroline shares her science-based approach to exciting people about creativity and how teachers can use it to encourage students who say they’re not creative to express their creativity. She also highlights various creative thinking skills for dealing with judgement around what students, parents, and administration will think about integrating creativity and risk-taking into the classroom.
“Over the last 10-15 years, I kept getting drawn into these creative endeavors, like acting classes or trying stand-up comedy or building businesses, and it took me a long time to connect the dots and realize it’s all about expressing my creativity.” - Dr. Caroline Brookfield
Caroline’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Try to incorporate more M’s for Maybes. School can be very black and white at times, so try to build in ambiguity to your lessons.
- Edit later! Just try something new. Nobody is really going to care about what you do if the stakes are low.
- Take time to regularly relax and turn things off. We need you so take care of yourself.
“You actually don’t have to even be good at what you do creatively to get the benefits of it.” - Dr. Caroline Brookfield
Resources Mentioned:
Read Caroline’s New Book: The Reluctant Creative!
Listen to the episode with Dr. Sally Reis Listen to the episode with Natalie NixonListen to the episode with Jeffrey Davis
Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. Caroline Brookfield:
Caroline believes that if everyone took small, unconventional actions to embrace their creativity, we could change the world. Veterinarian, researcher, and stand-up comedian, she delights in using humor and immersive experiences, backed up with research, to sway the most reluctant creative. Benefits range from personal physical and emotional results to organizational success. Caroline presents convincing evidence of the ROI of creativity for individuals and organizations, expressed in her passionate yet lighthearted and engaging style. She is always up for a challenge, like learning guitar, rock climbing, getting her kids to eat vegetables, surfing, meditation retreats with sniper rifles. You know, the usual stuff.
Caroline received honors for her veterinary degree from the Ontario Veterinary College, is a certified level 2 Creative Problem Solving facilitator, and holds a Certificate of Professional Management from the University of Calgary, where she lives, Her lectures go unheeded by her family. The dog listens, sometimes.
Visit Caroline’s website
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Follow her on Instagram
How can teachers prepare students for the innovative future of work? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with world-renowned author and Professor of Engineering Innovation, Dr. David Cropley, about the psychology and ethics of creativity and innovation in the context of technology, engineering, and design. Listen in to learn how educators can prepare students to be better equipped to work with machine learning and AI in creative and problem-solving environments.
“The big issue with creativity right now revolves around the future of work and the growing role of AI, so artificial intelligence and automation and related technologies, that are impacting the work place.” - Dr. David Cropley
David explains the difference between domain general and domain specific creativity, why it’s more challenging to feel creative as a teacher in the sciences or humanities, and the unique role of malevolent creativity in education and business. He also speaks on how rigorous, objective creativity testing can be made accessible to schools. Plus, David shares his thoughts on the relationship between and prioritization of aesthetics, novelty, and functionality in any design process.
David’s Tips for Teachers:
- Creativity is a multifaceted competency. Don’t think about creativity as a 21st century skill, it’s better to think about it as a general competency or capability.
- Creativity is about how we think and personal qualities, like openness to new experiences, willingness to take risks, tolerance for uncertainty, etc. It’s also a matter of the environment. You have the opportunity to demonstrate aspects of creativity in the classroom.
- Try and be very concrete about making creativity happen. Shift towards asking more open-ended questions and prompting students to solve open-ended problems.
Resources Mentioned:
Books by Dr. David Cropley
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Dr. David Cropley:
David Cropley is the Professor of Engineering Innovation at the University of South Australia. He specialises in helping people and organisations become better, more effective, problem solvers.
Dr Cropley joined the School of Engineering at the South Australian Institute of Technology (SAIT) in 1990, after serving for four years in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, including deployments to the Caribbean and Middle East. Following the establishment of the University in 1991, he completed a PhD in Measurement Systems Engineering in 1997, and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education in 2002.
Dr Cropley is author/co-author of nine books including Creativity and Crime: A Psychological Analysis (Cambridge University Press, 2013); The Psychology of Innovation in Organizations (Cambridge University Press, 2015), and Femina Problematis Solvendis – Problem-Solving Woman: A History of the Creativity of Women (Springer, 2020).
Books by Dr. David Cropley
Connect with him on LinkedIn
Follow him on Twitter
In this short episode, Drs. Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood discuss the community they are building on Linkedin, as well as upcoming guests for the third season of the Fueling Creativity podcast.
Join the Linkedin Community!
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What were the biggest lessons learned during the last five episodes in Season Two of the Fueling Creativity podcast? In this final debrief, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down and reflect on episodes that discussed Serendipity, Student Engagement, Excellence Gaps, and Wonder.
Listen in as Cyndi and Matthew break down the following insights.
Major Takeaways from Season Two, Episodes 6-10:
-
Check for parent bias. We can't always control where our children might excel. We also can't direct the career paths where they express interest. However, we can monitor our biases and do our very best to support them in whatever direction they pursue.
-
Embrace incidents of serendipity. When things go wrong, or we experience disruptions on our journey, we can benefit by hitting the pause button and opening ourselves up to what we think, feel, and notice in the experience.
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross
Listen to the episode with Heather Lyon
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker
Listen to the episode with Jeffery Davis
Listen to the episode with Ron Beghetto
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
It’s easy to have a negative view of testing, but testing does have value in terms of content knowledge acquisition. In part two of this two-part interview, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with researcher and creativity expert, Dr. Jonathan Plucker, about the relationship between gifted education and creativity. Jonathan also speaks on why he believes every school should have a Chief Creativity Officer and what that would look like.
Tune in to learn Jonathan’s approach to testing students, assessing for gifted education programs, and how to identify students who are talented or gifted. He sheds light on why it’s a huge mistake to drive advanced learning and creativity out of our schools. Plus, he shares his thoughts on why educators should be focusing on students with true potential who are underperforming and turning that potential into advanced performance.
“If a student’s performing at advanced levels, I encourage people not to overthink that. Just accept it. Great, they’re working at advanced levels. That’s the goal. How much further can I push this student?... But we have so many students who are not performing at those advanced levels who have the potential to get there and that’s what I’m really concerned about is we tend to look right past those students.” - Dr. Jonathan Plucker
Jonathan’s Tips for Teachers, Administrators, and Parents:
- The best way to use teacher involvement is to focus on what they are trained to do: to help students, especially those who aren’t being noticed. If you’re going to be identifying for a talent, don’t use teachers as gatekeepers. Collect all your data and then use teachers as the safety net to catch those whom the administrators missed.
- Modeling is incredibly important for creativity. If you run into a problem, have your students/children work with you to solve it.
- Creative Articulation: Professional, long-term creators are very good at convincing people that their work is creative. They are also masterful at incorporating feedback and using it to improve their work. Help your students/children learn how to share their creativity and persuade others that their perspective is valuable… at ALL ages.
About Dr. Jonathan Plucker:
Jonathan Plucker is a prominent education policy and talent development scholar, and the inaugural Julian C. Stanley Professor of Talent Development at Johns Hopkins University. He holds a joint appointment at the Center for Talented Youth and School of Education.
His work focuses on education policy and talent development and has been supported by over $40 million in external grants and contracts. Jonathan has published over 300 articles, chapters, and reports. He recently became editor for the Psychological Perspectives on Contemporary Educational Issues series at IAP. His work defining and studying excellence gaps (http://cepa.uconn.edu/mindthegap) is part of a larger effort to reorient policymakers’ and educators’ thinking about how best to promote success and high achievement for all children.
Visit Jonathan’s website
Follow him on Twitter
Book & Publications by Dr. Jonathan Plucker
Resources Mentioned:
Book & Publications by Dr. Jonathan PluckerListen to the episode with Scott Barry Kaufman
Listen to the episode with Sally Reis
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
Our last guest of the season features a double expresso with President of the National Association for Gifted and Talented, Dr. Jonathan Plucker. In part one of this two-part interview, Jonathan shares his thoughts on problems with achievement gaps and excellence gaps in education.
“I’m actually fully convinced that in the next 10-15 years, if we prioritize this, we can actually go a long way to solving this problem… and I could not have said that five or six years ago.”
- Dr. Jonathan Plucker
Listen in to gain insight into the connection between academic excellence and creativity later in life, and why there’s never a blank canvas to work with when being creative. Jonathan also shares his candid thoughts on creativity in imaginative play, as well as how we can diminish the harmful impact of poverty on children’s ability to develop imagination.
“The more that students learn, the more information, the more ‘stuff’… that they have at their mental fingertips, the better off they will be as they try to be creative, especially as they move into their careers later in life.”
- Dr. Jonathan Plucker
About Dr. Jonathan Plucker:
Jonathan Plucker is a prominent education policy and talent development scholar, and the inaugural Julian C. Stanley Professor of Talent Development at Johns Hopkins University. He holds a joint appointment at the Center for Talented Youth and School of Education.
His work focuses on education policy and talent development and has been supported by over $40 million in external grants and contracts. Jonathan has published over 300 articles, chapters, and reports. He recently became editor for the Psychological Perspectives on Contemporary Educational Issues series at IAP. His work defining and studying excellence gaps (http://cepa.uconn.edu/mindthegap) is part of a larger effort to reorient policymakers’ and educators’ thinking about how best to promote success and high achievement for all children.
Visit Jonathan’s website
Follow him on Twitter
Book & Publications by Dr. Jonathan Plucker
Resources Mentioned:
Book & Publications by Dr. Jonathan PluckerListen to the episode with Scott Barry Kaufman
Listen to the episode with Sally Reis
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin.
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How is creativity connected to engagement in an educational environment? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Heather Lyon, author of Engagement is not a Unicorn (It’s a Narwhal) and The BIG Book of Engagement Strategies.
Listen in to learn Heather’s unique formula for engagement, the differences between student engagement and adult engagement, and engagement impacts our ability to be successful learners. She details her 4 Levels of Engagement and what causes someone to shift from one level to another, as well as the manifestations of each of these engagement levels.
“Compliance is not engagement”- Heather Lyon
Heather’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Teachers are models for students. Students do what they see, so teachers who are engaged and creative have students that are also engaged and creative. Be willing to celebrate both the progress and the struggle.
- Compliance is not engagement. Stop being okay with students who are simply doing what they’re told.
- Creativity is the fuel for engagement. The more a person has choice, voice, input, and control over what they are doing, the more likely they are to be at least interested, if not absorbed, in the learning.
About Heather Lyon:
Heather Lyon is author of Engagement is not a Unicorn (It’s a Narwhal) and The BIG Book of Engagement Strategies. Heather is a former English teacher and has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and an Ed.M. in Reading from the University at Buffalo. She is an Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology for Lewiston-Porter Central School District in Western New York. Heather has been a staff developer and held various administrative titles, but the professional title she likes best is learner. She is also a proud wife and mother who struggles with but values the importance of boundaries and balance—which are so critical for all of us. Heather lives with her husband and three children, who make her smile and teach her the importance of kindness, respect, and patience.
Visit Heather’s website
Follow her on Twitter
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episodes with Ron Beghetto
Listen to the episode with Dr. James Kaufman
Listen to the episode with Sally Reis
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How can toys help develop a child’s imagination and foster design thinking? Can apps and videogames promote creativity? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Azhelle Wade, a toy designer and Founder of The Toy Coach. Through her online Toy Creators Academy course, Azhelle uses her industry knowledge to teach aspiring toy inventors and entrepreneurs how to develop, pitch, and sell their toy ideas.
Tune in to hear Azhelle’s thoughts on why toy design and design thinking should be in school curriculums, her process for teaching toy design, and opportunities for the toy industry to be more creative and innovative.
You’ll also learn how games and apps can promote creative thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as the potential impact iPads and other devices can have on imagination, play, and creativity. Plus, Azhelle shares how to do a toy challenge at home as well as her top 3 recommended toys and games for parents to gift to their kids this year.
“Even inventors that come to me now, I have to bring them back to what you’re teaching your students. Who are you making this for? Why are you making this for them? Why do they need this? ” - Azhelle Wade
Azhelle’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Know your market. Build a community in which you can discuss what you like/don’t like and what you wish you had regarding your kids’ toys.
- Get comfortable with foam core and cardboard. Anytime your students/kids have an idea, build mockups. That’s the first step to making something real.
- Toy challenges are great for getting kids excited about being creative and innovative.
About Azhelle Wade:
Azhelle created thetoycoach.com and the podcast, Making It in The Toy Industry, to help inventors and entrepreneurs develop, pitch, and sell their toy ideas. Her deeply intellectual curiosity coupled with a passion and dedication to making the world a more toyetic place guides her followers to unlock their best ideas yet. Azhelle’s inspirational mantras and industry insights will be your guiding light into the fun, crazy, world of toys.
Resources Mentioned:
Pixicade
Marmals
Animoodles
People of Play Week- Young Inventor Challenge
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How do you support your children's creativity, and make meaning and connections this holiday season? What gifts should you get your children this year that will help nurture their creativity? We have some ideas! In this special holiday episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood share activities and traditions to promote creative thinking as a family during the holidays. Plus, they share lots of affordable gift ideas that promote creative thinking in children of all ages.
“It’s not about the gifts, it’s about those memories that we want to make with our children and our students.” - Dr. Cyndi Burnett
What holiday memories would you like to make with your kids or students this year?
Low-Cost Creative Gift Ideas for Kids in 2021:
- Bug box
- Foam Tiles
- ZOOB Builderz
- Magna-Tiles
- Outschool classes
- Guess Who Game? Make your own Guess Who Game.
Mid-Range Cost Creative Gift Ideas for Kids in 2021:
- Boxer robot
- Shattered Glass Ceiling Necklace
Higher-End Creative Gift Ideas for Kids in 2021:
-
Mindstorms
-
Dash and Dot
-
Toybox 3D Printer
-
Telescope
Resources Mentioned:
How to combine two puzzles together.
Tips for Making Holiday Cards on DadsforCreativity.com
Family Game Night Make Your Own Rules Video!
Listen to the episode with Sally Reis
Listen to the episode with Natalie Nixon
Listen to the episode with Scott Barry Kaufman
Listen to the episode with Bryan Alexander
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Nalder
Please note: After we recorded the episode, a colleague recommended we insert affiliate links to help fund the production of the Fueling Creativity podcast. Therefore, if you click on the links and make a purchase, you are also helping to support our podcast production!
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter
How are creativity and wonder connected? What happens when we infuse wonder into education? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Jeffrey Davis, an author, team culture consultant and educator, and CEO of Tracking Wonder Consultancy. For over 25 years, he’s inspired thousands of changemakers, leaders, and creatives to unlock their best ideas through the pursuit of curiosity, innovation, and wonder.
Listen in as Jeffrey shares his thoughts on the connection between wonder and creativity as well as how educators and parents can create a culture of wonder in the classroom and at home. He offers insightful advice for burnt out teachers and parents on how to use wonder to reignite their sense of purpose and passion for teaching.
Plus, you’ll gain insight into the power of tracking your wonder for professional growth and learning, along with valuable lessons learned from Jeffrey’s book, Tracking Wonder, about the six facets of wonder, like curiosity and bewilderment.
“Wonder is a heightened state of awareness that’s brought on by something unexpected that can delight us or disorient us or both.” - Jeffrey Davis
Jeffrey’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Bring your innate wonder back to the motor of human learning.
- Daily recognize the genius in every learner, including yourself and your colleagues.
- Champion pragmatic idealism over default cynicism.
Resources Mentioned:
Tracking Wonder by Jeffrey Davis.
Listen to the episode with Ron Beghetto.
About Jeffrey Davis:
Jeffrey Davis equips creatives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to leverage their ideas into expanding their influence with integrity. His work and research with creative innovators, scientists, and social psychologists offers him leading insights on how creatives flourish in times of challenge and change. He has taught at and is a highly sought after speaker for numerous conferences, universities, and centers.
He’s author of the book The Journey from the Center to the Page (Penguin; Monkfish Publishing) the poetry collections City Reservoir (BarnBurner Press) and Coat Thief (Saint Julian Press), and other books. He also writes on the science of creativity as a regular contributor to Psychology Today and The Creativity Post. Davis heads up a renegade team of creatives, as a branding consultant, at the Tracking Wonder Consultancy.
Connect with Jeffrey:
Visit his website: www.trackingwonder.com
Connect with him on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-davis-875b264
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How does serendipity affect creativity? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Wendy Ross, a cognitive scientist, senior lecturer in psychology, and Chair of the Serendipity Society. Wendy’s research looks at the role of serendipity in creativity, using everything from experimental methods to ethnographic work.
Listen in as Wendy shares her research findings on the relationship between serendipity and creativity, why serendipity is a disruptive force in learning, and the importance of students building a tolerance to failure and adversity. She also gives powerful advice for educators on implementing this knowledge around serendipity in the classroom.
They also discuss the current debates on whether the pandemic has increased or decreased feelings of serendipity, as well as what teachers can do foster a norm of working through discomfort and mistakes.
“That’s what makes serendipity a powerful tool, is that it relies on the prepared mind and it relies on this idea of scarcity of wisdom, of using the accidents that come to you and taking advantage of them.” - Dr. Wendy Ross
Wendy’s Tips for Teachers:
- Encourage your students to get comfortable with discomfort and failure.
- Generate interesting environments with many different moments of inspiration and pathways of creativity.
- Most serendipity comes from interactions with people, not with things.
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Vlad Glaveanu.
Listen to the episode with Ron Beghetto.
About Dr. Wendy Ross:
Wendy’s main topic of research is the role of material serendipity in higher cognitive processes such as insight problem solving and creativity. She draws on a range of methods from eye-tracking and experimental psychology to focused cognitive ethnography. She is currently co-editing two collections on serendipity: The Art of Serendipity (Palgrave) and Serendipity Science (Springer). She is Co-Chair of the Serendipity Society and Vice President of the Possibility Studies Network. In 2021, she was awarded the Frank Barron prize by Division 10 of the APA.
Connect with Wendy:
Connect with her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-ross-670487191
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What were the biggest lessons learned so far in Season Two of the Fueling Creativity podcast? In this episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down and have a debrief to reflect on the first 5 episodes of Season Two, highlighting the key takeaways and major lessons these conversations have taught them about creativity and education.
Listen in as Cyndi and Matthew break down the following insights.
Major Takeaways from Season Two, Episodes 1-5:
-
Heightening anticipation for students increases engagement and excitement about learning any content. Learn more about creating “hooks” in the classroom, by listening to the episode with Dr. Sally Reis and read about the Torrance Incubation Model.
-
There is immense value in identifying interests from an early age. It’s important to note that having too many interests may make it difficult to focus on one. Additionally, it may be hard for students to develop interests, so don’t force it. Simply help your children or students explore different areas and see what sparks curiosity.
-
Think about the future, and the skills that your students/children may need. For more information on this, listen to the episode with Jonathan Nadler.
-
Human-centered education, or personalized learning, focuses on what each individual student needs to be successful, rather than treating everyone as though they have the same needs. To learn more, listen to the episode with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman.
Resources Mentioned:
Read about the Torrance Incubation Model.
20 Lessons to Weave Creative Thinking into Your Curriculum
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Nalder
Listen to the episode with Dr. Sally Reis.
Listen to the episode with Leon Tynes.
Listen to the episode with Donna Luther.
Listen to the episode with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What does the future of creativity and innovation look like and how do we get students involved? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Jonathan Nalder, a globally awarded innovator in education and Chief Futures Officer at STEM Punks, about the best practices for integrating digital tools and forward thinking in learning environments.
Listen in as Jonathan shares his thoughts on why future trends are important in education, how STEM is connected to creativity, and the trends you can expect in education in the next 10-15 years.
They also discuss the role of empathy in design thinking, how he and STEM Punks are preparing students to work in collaboration with machines and AI, and the strategies he uses in project-based learning environments to get students thinking about potential human problems of the future. Then, he sheds light on his program, First School on Mars, and how it has grown over the years.
“Instead of going, “How are we going to solve radiation in space?” You know, really hard science… What we do to flip that instead is... “Okay, if humans are going to Mars, they’re going to be away from Earth for 3-4 years minimum. So, what kind of base are you going to design that will mean the humans are happy living away?”” - Jonathan Nalder
Jonathan’s Tips for Parents & Teachers:
- Make time for exploring in the classroom and give your students agency within that.
- Bring physical props into the classroom.
- Think about human relationships in relation to technology.
- Visit FutureWe.org and STEMPunks.com.au to gain access to powerful resources and become a part of our community!
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Bryan Alexander: https://bit.ly/3vQkQqc
Save Tomorrow for the Children by E. Paul Torrance: https://amzn.to/3GG58mC
About Jonathan Nalder:
Jonathan has spent 19 years as a creative ideas factory, scaffolder of change, and builder of supportive communities with education and training organizations, businesses, entrepreneurs, schools and space professionals. He spends up to 90 minutes every day researching future trends so he can distill this with his experience as a visual story-teller, planner, teacher, and writer so that communities of practice world-wide can benefit.
Connect with Jonathan:
Connect with him on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathannalder
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood interview Dr. Sally Reis, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, about why teachers need to be more aware of gifted and talented students, including 2e students, and why there’s a big focus on creativity in this field of gifted education. She also offers recommendations on how we can continue breaking down the challenges women and young girls face in STEM education and leadership.
Sally shares her thoughts on why creativity isn’t incorporated into mainstream education curriculums as much as it is for gifted students, as well as her framework for schoolwide enrichment reading and exploration of passions and interests.
We also discuss the beneficial impacts of facilitating creative and productive activities in school, including science fairs and writing books. Then, using the concept of multi-potentiality, Sally addresses parental concerns with navigating their children’s many interests and talents.
“One of the major goals of many gifted education models and programs is the development of students’ creativity so that we will have the next generation of inventors, producers, painters, artists, engineers, high creatives that are doing good work in our society. This type of education benefits the entire globe.” - Sally Reis
Sally’s Tips for Parents & Teachers:
- Exposure, exposure, exposure! Take your kids to museums, watch Tedx talks with them, watch good TV and films, expose them to nature, and so much more.
- Help your children develop an interest. Good exposure leads to strong interests. Interests may not last, but their capacity to have interests is critical. Having interests makes life better.
- Integrate project-based learning. Doing experiments and hands-on projects helps them nurture their creative fire, develop passions, and have fun while learning.
Resources Mentioned:
Schoolwide Enrichment Model: https://gifted.uconn.edu/schoolwide-enrichment-model
Schoolwide Enrichment Model Reading Framework: https://gifted.uconn.edu/semr-about
About Sally Reis: Sally Reis is the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, and a Teaching Fellow in Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. She currently holds the Letitia Neag Chair in Educational Psychology. She was a public school teacher and administrator for 15 years, prior to her work at UConn. She has authored more than 250 articles, books, book chapters, monographs and technical reports. She has traveled extensively across the country conducting workshops and providing professional development for school districts on enrichment programs and gender equity programs. Sally serves on the editorial board of the Gifted Child Quarterly, and is a past-president of The National Association for Gifted Children. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and was named a Distinguished Scholar of the National Association for Gifted Children.
Connect with Sally:
Connect with her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sally-reis-4304b810
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood interview AP Computer Science educator, Leon Tynes, about how flipped classrooms have given him time and space to facilitate more meaningful experiences in the classroom. Plus, he speaks on how he prioritizes his own personal growth and development as an educator.
Leon details his approach to navigating changes in technology throughout the school year, as well as his approach to flipped classrooms, offering tips for teachers on having a successful flipped classroom experience.
He also sheds light on the power of being vulnerable and putting yourself in the midst of your classroom’s chaos, collaborating with your fellow teachers and administrators, and believing in your students.
“The goal is not retirement. The goal is elevating students to be those next professionals or those game changers that basically deal with these issues on the planet that we have going on right now, issues in society. That’s what I want to see.” - Leon Tynes
Leon’s Tips for Teachers:
- Assess where you are. If you’re not comfortable, get comfortable, and figure out what you need to do to get there. What type of educator do you want to be or are you done being one?
- Decide what steps you need to take regarding your personal development (PD). Every bit helps propel you forward.
- Find balance in work and personal life so you can open yourself up to opportunities. Everything has a season, there may be times where your schedule is loaded due to PD, so prepare yourself and your family for those times.
Resources Mentioned:
Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum by Dr. Cyndi Burnett: https://amzn.to/3AyeSe9
Unity: www.unity.com/learn/educators
About Leon Tynes:
Leon Tynes is the AP Computer Science educator at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona. For the past twelve years, Tynes has used a flipped classroom approach to maximize learning in the realms of 3D modeling, digital media, mobile app development, and computer science courses. Dedicated to immersing his students in all aspects of technology, he has successfully integrated science and engineering concepts, which has led to numerous student awards. He has a passion for habitat and climate issues and wishes to develop authentic projects to broaden students’ global awareness in STEM.
“My focus has always been in urban education and equity in computer science and technology,” Tynes says. “I have a significant amount of experience with students creating nonfiction media dealing with contemporary social issues. Imploring students to research contemporary issues that directly affect their communities and their potential to explore college and substantive careers is a priority of my pedagogy.”
Connect with Leon:
Follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/leontynesjr
Connect with him on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/leontynesjr
Follow him on Instagram: www.instagram.com/leontynesjr
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood interview arts and creativity educator, Donna Luther, about how she nurtures a culture of creativity and problem solving as Head of Inly School, an all-gender PreK-8 Montessori day school in Massachusetts.
Donna highlights how her students are inspired to act on their ideas, why it’s so impactful to think about a school as a start-up, and how she encourages teachers and students to take risks and be okay with experiencing failure.
She also speaks on the characteristics she looks for in teachers that she hires and what really makes a creative educator, including openness and willingness to evolve and innovate. Plus, Donna tells the incredible story of why she started Summer Stars Camp for the Performing Arts (spoiler: it was inspired by Britney Spears!).
“It’s our responsibility, not only to stay current, but actually to stay future focused. Not only what do we need for today, but what do we need for the unknown of tomorrow for our students.” - Donna Luther
Donna’s Tips for Teachers – Montessori Philosophies That Can Be Applied to Any School:
- Go beyond the four walls of the classroom. What can you do in your hallways, playground, and your community to explore and help your students discover something new or discover a passion?
- Practice saying YES to ideas. Remember, be open!
- Always ask yourself: How might we prepare our students for a world that we can’t predict? Learn how to question, problem solve, and to take two very disconnected ideas and find ways they can connect.
Resources Mentioned:
Learn more about Inly School: www.inlyschool.org
About Donna Luther:
An arts and creativity educator, Donna Luther is currently Head of Inly School, an all-gender independent, Montessori based day school in Massachusetts for students ages 2 – 14. She is a member of the Leadership Development faculty for the Creative Education Foundation, where she teaches Creativity in the 21st Century Classroom, Advanced Strategies for Educators, Facilitation through the Arts, and Integrating Creativity and Leadership to educators and business professionals worldwide. As an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University, she has taught in the national and international M.Ed. program for Creative Arts in Learning. She has presented at conferences throughout the United States and in Brazil, China, South Africa and Israel. Donna is founding director of Summer Stars Camp for the Performing Arts.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean!
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood interview cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, about his most recent book, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization. In this book, he reimagines Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Dr. Kaufman shares his discoveries from diving deep into the psychological theories of Abraham Maslow, highlighting powerful thoughts on how educators can establish a safe environment with students and how feelings of uncertainty and insecurity play a major role in a child’s ability to learn.
Dr. Kaufman also speaks on why exploration is a key driver of creativity as well as how to encourage students to be open to new experiences, be aware of their judgments and biases, and find meaning in life.
You’ll hear a fascinating analogy of how life is like a sailboat and how microconnections can help you establish meaningful relationships with your students and colleagues.
Plus, Dr. Kaufman sheds light on how twice-exceptional students develop different skillsets, along with what educators can do to maximize their potential in the classroom.
Dr. Kaufman’s Tips for Teachers:
- Be open to new ports that you might be wanting to sail to throughout your semester.
- Encourage respectful dissent in your classroom.
- Model openness for your students.
Resources Mentioned:
Love 2.0 by Barbara Frederickson: www.positivityresonance.com
The Bias That Divides Us by Keith Stanovich: www.keithstanovich.com/Site/Books.html
About Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman:
Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist. He is the founder and director of the Center for the Science of Human Potential, and the author of several books, including Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined, Wired to Create, and most recently, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization. Scott hosts the #1 psychology podcast in the world - The Psychology Podcast. His research focuses on how to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website: www.CreativityandEducation.com
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean!
In this short episode, Drs. Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood introduce three goals they have for the second season of the Fueling Creativity podcast.
In this bonus episode, Drs Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood provide a summative brief of the first season of the Fueling Creativity podcast. They identify and expand on three topics, including the concept of teachers as designers, the impact of AI on creativity, and contextual factors that impact creativity in education.
In this final episode of Season One, Drs Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood interview leading creativity researcher, Dr. James Kaufman. Dr. Kaufman shares insights into current trends in Creativity research, including Creativity's relationship with mental health and having meaning in one's life.
In this episode, Drs Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood interview retired teacher and author Juliet Desailly. As she reflects on her life as a UK elementary school teacher, Juliet summarizes the introduction of the National Standards during the 1980s and its eventual impact on student and teacher creativity in the classroom.
Learn more about Juliet on her website, julietdesailly.co.uk
Purchase the book, Creativity in the Primary Classroom
In this episode, Drs. Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood interview Education Futurist Bryan Alexander about Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and what these advancements mean for Creativity in the future.
In this episode, Drs. Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood interview Creativity Strategist Dr. Natlie Nixon about the 3i Creativity Model, which is a framework that promotes inquiry, improvisation, and intuition.
Natalie is the founder of Figure 8 Thinking and the author of The Creativity Leap. You can learn more about Natalie's work via the links below.
- WonderRigor™ Tip Sheet download: bit.ly/wrtipsheet
- Free sample chapter of The Creativity Leap
- Upcoming WonderRigor™ Lab online course
In this episode, Cyndi and Matt speak with Mohammad Issa, the Founder of the Creativity Lab in Palestine. Mohammad discusses the importance of adapting the general theories of creativity to work in his specific environment. In particular, Mohammad talked about the need to establish safe spaces in which to learn and create.
In this episode, Drs. Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood interview Creativity Researcher Vlad Glaveanu about his work investigating sociocultural theories for Creativity.
In this episode, Drs. Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood interview Art educator Tamara Doleman about her deliberate approach to teaching creativity in the art classroom. Tamara Doleman is head of the Visual Art department at Ashbury College in Canada, and has a Masters degree in Creativity.
Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood interview renowned creativity and education researcher Ron Beghetto in the second of a two-part episode on the Fueling Creativity podcast. This second episode explores the need to design learning experiences that encourage risk-taking and facilitate uncertainty.
To learn more about the work of Ron Beghetto, click here.
Cyndi Burnett and Matthew Worwood, interview renowned creativity and education researcher Ron Beghetto in a two-part episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast. This first episode defines creativity inside the context of teaching and learning and considers how to teach children how to identify when creativity is most appropriate.
To learn more about the work of Ron Beghetto, click here.
How do you facilitate teacher-led change in the classroom? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Kulvarn Atwal, an executive headteacher of two large primary schools in East London and author of The Thinking School.
Listen in to hear Dr. Atwal share his thoughts on educational leadership and how to facilitate teacher-led change in the classroom. He sheds light on the importance of trial and error in school systems, how school leaders can support the creativity of teachers, and ways administrators can spark curiosity and professional development in tenured teachers.
Dr. Atwal also gives advice for teachers who crave professional development but don’t have opportunities to foster it. Then, he talks a bit about his next book for empowering teachers, The Thinking Teacher.
“The greatest single factor that impacts upon the quality of children’s learning in school, students’ learning, is quite straightforward. It’s the quality of teaching.” - Dr. Kulvarn Atwal
Dr. Atwal’s Tips for School Administrators:
- Give teachers more opportunities to collaborate with other teachers and engage in dialogue without having to report back or hit a target.
- Create culture in which you actively inquire or ask about what your teachers are good at and what they’d like to improve in. This works well if you lead by example.
- Express your school’s values, mission, and goals. Don’t deviate from those.
About Dr. Kulvarn Atwal:
Dr. Kulvarn Atwal was born and educated in East London and has been headteacher for nine years of the school he attended as a child. in 2018/19 he was Executive Head Teacher of two primary schools; both of which were graded Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. His doctoral thesis, completed in 2016, examined the factors that influence teacher learning in schools. He has recently published his first book, ‘The Thinking School – Developing a Dynamic Learning Community’.
Follow Dr. Atwal on Twitter
Resources Mentioned:
Learn more about Highlands Primary School
Buy The Thinking School by Dr. Kulvan Atwal
Read Dr. Atwal's Blog Posts here:
The Need for Creative Thinking in Our Schools
Cultivating An Environment for Creativity in Schools
If You Want Creative Thinkers, Focus on Emotional Literacy
Five Strategies for Building a Thinking School
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How do you go from teaching to designing? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with creator, educator, and designer, KC Lathrop. As a former teacher turned designer, KC works to empower people to go against societal norms, change careers, start over, start again, learn anything they want, and follow all creative desires.
Tune in to learn about her transition from educator to full-time designer at IBM, the similarities between teaching and design professions, and how her administrative role allows her to be creative in new ways. She also describes the fascinating 100 of Making practice and how it nurtures her creativity, design, innovation, and even mental health.
“I kind of think about creativity in support your mental health. I think it’s almost the same idea as going to the gym every day for your physical health. To me, maintaining a creative practice is one of the ways that I maintain my mental health.” - KC Lathrop
KC’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Take every lesson you teach as a new opportunity to learn something for yourself. Not every class is going to be the best class you’ve ever taught.
- A part of learning is being vulnerable. If you want your students to be vulnerable, you also need to be vulnerable with them.
- Meet people where they are. No matter how much experience you have, there’s always space for learning and growing.
About KC Lathrop:
KC Lathrop is a designer, creator, and educator. She currently works in strategy and operations for IBM’s IT department. KC started at IBM as a User Experience Designer 5 years ago while getting her master’s degree from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP). During her time at NYU, KC enrolled in the class 100 days of making, which she ended up teaching the following year. As a former teacher turned designer, she works to empower people to go against societal norms, change careers, start over, start again, learn anything you want and follow all creative desires. KC currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her adorable dog, Waffles.
Visit KC’s website
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Follow her on Instagram
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How are creativity and innovation related? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Jim Friedman, a Wordsmith/Dreambuilder best known for creating television shows and movies. He is a serial creative entrepreneur, teaches Creativity and Entrepreneurship at Miami University, and is a frequent speaker on creativity and personal branding. Jim’s also the Chief Steward for World Creativity & Innovation Week and Day, supporting a team of students and professionals creating around the world. The theme in 2021 is creativity and education.
Tune in to learn about the history of Creativity and Innovation Week, upcoming events, and other topics related to the teaching and facilitation of creativity in education.
Jim shares his candid thoughts on what types of experiences and discussions are important in facilitating creativity and innovation, along with his hopes for World Creativity & Innovation Week and Day (taking place in April 2021). Stick around to hear his advice for teachers and parents on fostering creativity and innovation at home and in the classroom.
“Creativity is the thinking part and innovation is the doing part. So, people have creative thoughts all the time. How do we empower them to actually take action and move it forward?” - Dr. Jim Friedman
Jim’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- We need to reinvigorate our own creativity, empower students who have lost their creativity, and maintain those who are actively using their creativity.
- Create a “failure bonus” in your classroom or home. If your kids are willing to go further beyond the risk, share their mistakes, and identify the learning they had to make their learning better, they get a bonus or a grade boost.
About Dr. Jim Friedman:
Jim Friedman is a Cincinnati native and resident Wordsmith/Dreambuilder who may be best known for creating television shows and movies. He is a serial creative entrepreneur. In addition to his broadcasting ventures, he has been granted multiple patents; written books; written, recorded, and performed music; and danced the hokey pokey at age three on television.
He teaches Creativity and Entrepreneurship at Miami University and is a frequent speaker on creativity and personal branding. He is also the Chief Steward for World Creativity & Innovation Week and Day, supporting a team of students and professionals creating around the world.
He holds a doctorate in communication (Ph.D.) which he earned - and a doctorate in Creativity (Cr.D.) which he made up himself. He has won 65 Emmy Awards, has been inducted into three Halls of Fame.
Besides wordsmithing, Friedman enjoys asking questions, finding second right answers, silencing his voice of judgment, taking risks, and failing often and well.
Follow Jim on Instagram
Connect with him on Facebook
Connect with him on LinkedIn
Follow him on Twitter
Resources Mentioned:
Learn more about World Creativity & Innovation Week
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
What is the definition of creativity? Is there only one right answer? No way! In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Marta Ockuly, a humanistic psychologist and heuristic creativity researcher focused on the lived experience of human creativity. She’s also the founder and CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of the Creative Potential Institute.
Tune in to learn about her redefined definition of creativity, which has been adopted by UN-sanctioned World Creativity & Innovation Day/Week.
You’ll gain insight into the incredible experience that led her to redefine creativity, the qualitative research she did to identify that definition, and her lexicon of creativity terms. Marta also shares a few activities you can do at home or in your classroom to foster creativity.
“I really never looked at creativity as something to be evaluated by certain criteria. I looked at it as a process to test and put out in the world and enjoy or explain something phenomenally. It’s a multi-phenomenon construct and it’s also dynamic, not static.” - Marta Ockuly
Marta’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
- Marta’s universal definition of creativity: “Creativity is the person-centered process of imagining possibilities and taking bodied, expressive action that makes your ideas real.”
- All art requires creativity, but NOT all creativity is art.
- When you take away the fear of evaluation, you take away the fear of failure. Kids will feel safe to take risks and fail forward when there’s no evaluation. Give extra points for failing forward!
- The one characteristic of all creative people is an awareness of their creativity. They self-identify as creative. When you understand you are creative, you practice doing what you most enjoy or find meaningful.
- No definition of creativity is the only definition. Marta encourages you to come up with your own definition. She asks you: What is the future you’re imagining?
About Dr. Marta Ockuly:
Dr. Marta D. Ockuly is the lead consultant with the Creative Potential Institute. She serves as a creativity catalyst/coach working with organizations, leaders, and individuals looking for future-focused strategies for disrupting conformity in the workplace, higher education, and creativity training initiatives. Her project interests range from on-site to remote programs for building creative confidence and competence, custom-designed creativity courses, and certification programs relating to the lived experience of human creativity, Awakening Creative Potential with J.O.Y., and "Actualizing Creative Potential for Personal and Professional Growth." Dr. Ockuly's research focus is the lived experience of human creative potential across the lifespan. She speaks and teaches internationally promoting imagination and embodied action as essential components of human creativity. Her new definition has been adopted by United Nations sanctioned World Creativity & Innovation Day/Week celebrated globally April 15-21st.
Connect with Marta on LinkedIn
Follow her on Twitter
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, www.CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
How do you find joy in your classroom and infuse creativity into your students’ curriculum? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers, an Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State.
Susan teaches graduate courses in creativity, chairs the curriculum committee, and serves on leadership teams of various departments across campus dedicated to infusing creative learning into their teaching and learning practices. Her focus is educating the next generation of creativity experts who will utilize their degree in creativity in diverse professional and personal arenas.
“Good teaching is creative teaching.” - Susan Keller-Mathers
Tune in to learn how to infuse creativity into your curriculum and how to find joy every single day you walk into your classroom!
You’ll gain insight into the importance of the practitioner-scholar model, the difference between teaching creativity and creative teaching, and the best practices for nurturing long-term professional learning in teachers. Susan also gives great advice for teachers who are overwhelmed or challenged with constraints in the classroom.
“You have to be an advocate for creativity outside of your classroom to do it in your classroom. You can close your door and you can do what you want to do, which is what a lot of teachers want to do, but you must also be that teacher leader who helps others understand the value of it. Then, it becomes more embedded in the educational environment because you can’t do it in isolation.” - Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers
Susan’s Tips for Teachers:
- Your attitude and energy make a difference in the classroom.
- Remember why you’re an educator and come in refreshed and ready to engage with your students.
- Always think about how you can meet the needs of your students and bring out their creative thinking.
About Susan Keller-Mathers:
Susan Keller-Mathers is an Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. Susan holds a BS in Elementary Education, an MS in Creativity, and an Ed.D in Curriculum and Instruction. She teaches graduate courses in creativity, chairs the curriculum committee and serves on leadership teams of various departments across campus dedicated to infusing creative learning into their teaching and learning practices.
Susan’s focus is educating the next generation of creativity experts who will utilize their degree in creativity in diverse professional and personal arenas. For nearly three decades she has continued the development of the Torrance Incubation Model (TIM) to infuse creativity into lesson, unit, course and training frameworks, develop creative learning and creative problem-solving initiatives in educational and business institutions and travel the globe teaching creativity to international educators on five continents.
Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting our website, CreativityandEducation.com.
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin.
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
Welcome to the Fueling Creativity Podcast! In this debut episode, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood share their mission and goals for the podcast. They shed light on their professional backgrounds and why they value the integration of creativity in education and at home, especially during the pandemic.
“We’ll be talking about creativity topics and how they apply to the field of education. We’ll be speaking with scholars, educators, and resident experts about their work, challenges they face, and digging deeper to new and varying perspectives of creativity – all with the goal to help fuel a more rich and informed discussion that provides teachers and parents with knowledge they can use at home or in the classroom.”
- Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood
Access a variety of creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity Podcast by visiting, CreativityandEducation.com.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
Follow Cyndi and Matt on Linkedin!
You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!