Fueling Creativity in Education
Episodes
Friday Oct 08, 2021
Friday Oct 08, 2021
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 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!
Friday Apr 16, 2021
Friday Apr 16, 2021
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 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!
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!