Creativity Skills

THROW BACK: Infusing Creativity in Classroom with Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers

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!

Discussing the Future of Creativity Research with Mark Runco

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

CREATIVITY TIP: Originality

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.  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 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!

Integrating Creative Thinking in the Classroom with Eitan Buchalter

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

Reverting back to a Novice Learner with Bea Leiderman

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  

Multi-Passionate and Reluctant Creatives with Caroline Brookfield

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 ReisListen 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  

Infusing Creativity into the Classroom with Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers

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!