Fueling Creativity in Education

2022/2023 ACADEMIC YEAR WRAP UP with Cyndi and Matt

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 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!

BRIDGING THE GAP: Matt and Cyndi Debrief Howard Gardner Interview

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 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!
 

Creativity Special with Dr. Howard Gardner

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 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!
 
 
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
 

THROWBACK: Integrating Creativity into the Art Classroom with Tamara Doleman

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 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!
 
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

THROWBACK: Exploring Levels of Student Engagement with Dr. Heather Lyon

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 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!
 
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!
 

THROWBACK on creativity and serendipity with Dr. Wendy Ross

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 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!
 
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!

BRIDGING THE GAP: Creativity, Change, and the Thinking Teacher

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
 
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 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. 
 

How School Boards Can Influence Creativity with AJ Crabill

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.
 
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 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. 
 
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!
 
Recommended Resources:
Visit AJ’s website
 
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