Creativity or Engagement: Which Comes First with Dr. Danah Henrikson

Does creativity make learning more engaging? Or does engagement create the conditions for creativity? What might we be overlooking when we assume we can easily tell when students are engaged?

In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Danah Henriksen to explore what research reveals about the connection between creativity and engagement in the classroom.

Listen in as the conversation unpacks how creative learning environments can increase student motivation, curiosity, and participation. Danah shares why engagement is not always visible, and how what looks like attention or compliance may not reflect what students are actually thinking or learning.

In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:

• Why creativity and engagement work in both directions, not just one
• How psychological safety helps students take risks and try new ideas
• The difference between true engagement and simple compliance
• Why students may appear focused but still hold misconceptions
• How creative teachers model thinking and influence student behavior
• Why small shifts in teaching can make a big difference in engagement
• How questioning, discussion, and exploration make learning more visible
• The tension between engaging students and meeting learning goals
• How technology can both support and interrupt engagement
• Why teaching is really a process of design, not just delivery

Danah also shares insights from her research with award-winning teachers, highlighting how creativity shows up in everyday classroom practice and how it can be developed over time.

If you are an educator, instructional designer, or school leader, this episode offers practical and research-based insights on how to think differently about engagement and create learning experiences that invite deeper participation.

 

About the Guest

Dr. Danah Henriksen is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation. Her research focuses on creativity, design thinking, and technology in education. She has published widely in the field, serves as Associate Editor for Thinking Skills and Creativity, and is co-author of Explaining Creativity (3rd edition).

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