Student Engagement

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 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!