Fueling Creativity in Education

How can educators give students the freedom to solve problems creatively? And how can school leaders create an environment where teachers feel comfortable sharing and exploring new ideas?
In this episode, educator, principal, and author Dan Mault shares his experiences coaching students through Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination. These programs challenge students to collaborate, design, build, and solve open-ended problems. Dan explains why educators need to guide students without taking over, allowing them to experience productive struggle, test ideas, and adapt when things do not go as planned.
The conversation then explores how school leaders can support creativity among teachers. Drawing on his experience as an elementary school principal, Dan discusses how creative problem-solving practices can make meetings more inclusive, encourage different perspectives, and help educators feel safe sharing their ideas. Rather than immediately saying yes or no to a new proposal, he encourages leaders to work with teachers to figure out what is possible.
Dan also reflects on the role of technology in elementary education and why his school has renewed its focus on hands-on learning, play, and meaningful conversations between students. His experiences highlight how schools can make room for creativity by prioritizing collaboration, relationships, and opportunities to explore.
Key Takeaways
Students develop creative problem-solving skills when educators provide support without giving them all the answers.
Open-ended challenges can encourage students to experiment, collaborate, and adapt when their ideas do not work as expected.
School leaders can foster creativity by creating psychological safety and making sure every voice is heard.
Responding to new ideas with “Let's figure out how to make this work” can open the door to meaningful change.
Hands-on activities, play, and face-to-face conversations remain important parts of creative learning, even in technology-rich schools.
About our Guest
Dan Mault is an educator, elementary school principal, and author with nearly two decades of experience in education. He began his career as an elementary teacher, coached Destination Imagination and Odyssey of the Mind teams, and founded a STEAM club to help students collaborate and explore creative problem-solving. He is the author of Creativity by Design, hosts the Real Talk School Leadership podcast, and is studying Creativity and Change Leadership at Buffalo State University.
 
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What happens when students can see themselves and their own experiences in what they are learning? And how can teachers make history more relevant, meaningful, and connected to the world beyond the classroom?
In this episode, award-winning history teacher Valencia Abbott shares how she brings creativity into her social studies classroom by connecting historical content to her students' interests, experiences, and communities. From using NASCAR to make the 1920s more relevant to her students to exploring Korean history through her own curiosity, Valencia shows how making unexpected connections can create more engaging learning experiences.
Valencia also discusses a community history project focused on the Supreme Court case Griggs v. Duke Power Company. Through research, grants, and partnerships with her local community, she brought students into the process of uncovering and preserving an important story that many people in their own community did not know. The project gave students opportunities to work as historians while connecting classroom learning to their local history.
The conversation also explores the importance of recognizing teachers and the humanities. Valencia reflects on what being named the 2025 National History Teacher of the Year meant to her and how recognition can validate work that often happens behind the scenes. She also shares how becoming a teacher later in life helped her discover a career that connected her passion for history, storytelling, and helping students build meaningful futures.
Key Takeaways
Creativity can emerge from making meaningful connections between curriculum and students' interests.
Teachers can help students engage with history by showing them a wider range of perspectives and stories.
Community-based projects can give students authentic opportunities to research, contribute, and preserve history.
Creativity often requires curiosity, flexibility, and a willingness to explore ideas before knowing exactly where they will lead.
Recognizing teachers can affirm the value of work that may otherwise go unnoticed, especially in the humanities.
About Valencia Abbott
Valencia Abbott is an award-winning history teacher and department chair at Rockingham Early College High School in Wentworth, North Carolina. She was named the 2025 National History Teacher of the Year and the 2025 North Carolina History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History. Her work connects local history with broader conversations around democracy, civic engagement, and historical memory.
 
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Can creativity thrive within a structured literacy classroom?
Greg McClure, an elementary educator and literacy specialist, joins us to explore how teachers can bring creativity into reading instruction without treating it as an extra.
Greg shares his experience moving toward the science of reading and explains how explicitly teaching literacy skills can work alongside creativity. Rather than choosing between structure and creative learning, he encourages teachers to find meaningful ways to bring both into the classroom.
The conversation explores how creative questions can strengthen reading comprehension. Greg shares examples from Hatchet, showing how questions that invite students to make connections, imagine possibilities, and explain their thinking can lead to richer discussions while still checking for understanding.
Greg also introduces the idea of clarifying a problem before jumping to solutions through a live activity called “Quest for Clarity.” The activity demonstrates how asking thoughtful questions can help students gather information, understand a problem more clearly, and develop better solutions.
Key Takeaways
Creativity and structured literacy can work together rather than being treated as competing approaches.
Giving students language and strategies for creativity can help them apply creative thinking beyond a single classroom activity.
Creative questions can deepen comprehension while encouraging students to make their own connections.
Asking clarifying questions helps students move beyond assumptions and better understand the problem they are trying to solve.
Teachers can use the curriculum as a foundation while creating opportunities for deeper, more engaging learning.
About Greg McClure
Greg McClure is an elementary educator and literacy specialist with a master's in Creativity and Change Leadership from SUNY Buffalo State University. He has worked in elementary education for more than a decade and focuses on bringing creativity research into practical classroom experiences. He also develops creative classroom tools and activities through Breakout Brains.
 
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What can neuroscience and neurodiversity teach us about creativity, and how can we create professional development experiences that are both meaningful and enjoyable?
In this first debrief episode of Season 13, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on their recent conversations with Adam Green, Leonie Baldacchino, and Dr. Matt Zagreski. They revisit ideas about creativity, neuroscience, neurodiversity, and the role of fun in learning.
The conversation explores whether we sometimes overcomplicate creativity, how evaluation can affect students' willingness to take creative risks, and why creativity should be recognized across all areas of learning, not just gifted education.
They also discuss the value of fun in professional development. Rather than using activities simply to entertain, they consider how purposeful play, warm-ups, and opportunities to connect can help educators engage, build relationships, and prepare for deeper learning.
Key Takeaways
Creativity does not always need to be complicated to be encouraged or recognized.
Evaluation should allow space for students to take creative risks and demonstrate growth.
Neurodivergent students may need different environments and opportunities to thrive.
Creativity belongs in every classroom, not only gifted education.
Fun in professional development can be valuable when it has a clear purpose and connection to learning.
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Why do neurodivergent individuals often demonstrate remarkable creativity, and what can educators learn from the way their minds work?
In this episode, Dr. Matt Zagreski explores the relationship between neurodiversity and creativity, explaining how differences in brain development and neural connections can influence the way people process information, make connections, and solve problems.
The conversation looks at why traditional learning environments may not work for every student, including the impact of boredom, executive functioning, and the need for different ways of engaging with learning. Matt also challenges the idea that creativity belongs only in gifted education, emphasizing that creativity should be part of every student's educational experience.
The episode also explores the importance of understanding neurodivergent students as individuals rather than viewing differences as deficits. Matt shares his own experiences and discusses how educators can create environments that help students recognize and build on their strengths.
Key Takeaways
Neurodivergent brains can make unique connections that support creative thinking.
Creativity should not be limited to gifted education. It benefits all learners.
Boredom can be a significant barrier to engagement for some neurodivergent students.
Understanding individual needs can help educators create more supportive learning environments.
Curiosity can help educators respond with compassion and creativity rather than judgment.
About the Guest
Dr. Matt Zagreski is a clinical psychologist, professor, researcher, author, and professional speaker who specializes in supporting neurodivergent individuals. He is the co-founder of the Neurodiversity Collective and author of The Neurodiversity Playbook.
 
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When should we trust our gut? And how can intuition support creativity and decision-making in education?
In this episode, Professor Leonie Baldacchino from the Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation discusses the connections between creativity, STEM, enjoyment, and wellbeing. She also shares insights from her research with secondary school students and the role of divergent thinking.
The conversation then explores intuition and how it can develop through experience and expertise. While teachers can benefit from trusting their instincts, Leonie explains why a gut feeling should also be followed by questions, reflection, and careful decision-making.
The episode closes with a personal story about Leonie's journey into education and creativity and how a mentor helped her recognize potential she had not yet seen in herself.
Key Takeaways
Creativity and STEM learning can support each other.
Enjoyment and wellbeing can create space for creativity.
Intuition becomes stronger through experience and knowledge.
Gut feelings can be useful, but they should be checked with evidence and reflection.
Teachers develop stronger intuition as they gain classroom experience.
About the Guest
Professor Leonie Baldacchino is an academic at the Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation at the University of Malta. Her research focuses on creativity, entrepreneurship, intuition, innovation, and decision-making.
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What can neuroscience teach us about creativity? And as artificial intelligence changes how we create, do we need to rethink what we mean by creativity?
 
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Adam Green, professor at Georgetown University and director of the Laboratory for Relational Cognition, for a conversation about neuroscience, creativity, the ECHO Project, and AI.
The conversation explores how researchers can study what happens in the brain during creative thinking and how this work might eventually help inform the development of better learning experiences. Adam also explains why neuroscience should add to what educators already know from observing and assessing students, rather than replace those approaches.
The discussion then turns to the ECHO Project, a global collaboration involving nearly 200 creativity scholars. The project found significant agreement among researchers about the language used to describe creativity and related concepts such as imagination, problem-solving, and innovation. Developing a shared understanding can help educators be more precise about what they want students to develop.
The episode also explores the growing role of AI in creative work. While AI can produce polished results, research discussed in the episode suggests that it may also make people's ideas more similar to one another. This raises an important question for educators: Are we using AI to support the creative process, or simply to produce a better final product?
The conversation closes with a story about creativity, adaptation, and joy from Adam's experience at a camp for children with chronic illnesses. His story highlights how creativity can help us find new ways to create meaningful experiences for people with different needs.
Key Takeaways
Neuroscience can offer another way to understand what happens when people engage in creative thinking.
The ECHO Project found significant agreement among creativity researchers about how creativity and related concepts can be understood.
Distinguishing creativity from imagination, problem-solving, and innovation can help educators think more clearly about what they want students to develop.
AI may make creative work look more polished while also making ideas more similar, raising important questions about the creative process.
Creativity is not only about producing something new. The process itself can provide opportunities for learning, challenge, ownership, and joy.
About Dr. Adam Green
Dr. Adam Green  is a professor at Georgetown University and director of the Laboratory for Relational Cognition. His research focuses on human creative intelligence and the neuroprocesses involved in creative relational reasoning. He also led the ECHO Project, bringing together creativity scholars from around the world to develop a shared understanding of creativity.
Resources Mentioned
Want to explore some of the research and ideas discussed in this episode? Here are a few resources related to Adam’s work and the conversation about creativity and AI:
ECHO Project research on creativity concepts
ECHO Project preprint
The New York Times: Writing and Creativity in the Age of AI
The Ringer: What 400,000 Essays Reveal About AI and Creativity
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What happens when you combine a new season, a new academic year, and a recording location that has been on your bucket list for years?
Season 13 of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast begins with a special introduction recorded from Mount Etna in Sicily, a place that has fascinated Dr. Matthew Worwood since childhood.
The episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of recording from the side of an active volcano, including poor signal, a rapidly draining battery, and the uncertainty of whether the episode would actually make it onto the podcast.
But those challenges become part of the conversation.
A simple question about whether there should be snow on Mount Etna leads to an unexpected discovery about snow trapped beneath volcanic ash. The experience becomes a reminder of how curiosity can turn an ordinary observation into a series of new questions and discoveries.
The conversation also connects the experience on Mount Etna to several of the ideas explored in The Future Creative, including Ask Questions, Model Creative Behavior, Face the Feelings, and Enjoy the Ride.
Rather than simply talking about these ideas, the episode offers a real-life example of what they can look like when something doesn't go according to plan. It is a fitting way to begin a new season and a new academic year.
 
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