Fueling Creativity in Education

Promoting Creativity in Music Class with Adrian Gordon

How does music education promote creativity in children? How can we inspire kids to be creative through music? In this episode of Fueling Creativity in Education, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome their first music-focused guest, Adrian Gordon, a composer, author, performer, and music educator. Adrian is the founder of Leap Year Music Publishing, which publishes string music for elementary, middle, and high school ensembles. He is also the author of Note to Self; A Music Director’s Guide for Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program.
 
Tune in to learn how kids of any age can develop skills through music education and composition, how music classrooms can be used as maker spaces, and how to develop a great music program in your school. Adrian sheds light on a fun educational app kids can use to make music, his own creative process for composing music, and how you can integrate compositional mind mapping into your curriculum. 
 
At the end of this episode, Adrian offers a few valuable tips for music teachers on staying organized and managing mental health throughout the school year.
 
“The music classroom is, in and of itself, a maker space where there’s nothing but creativity going on, if you let it be.” – Adrian Gordon
 
Adrian’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
1. Share your personal creative endeavors with your kids.
2. Ask probing questions to start the creative process.
3. Experiment! Don’t be afraid to dive in and get things rolling. It’s not about failure, it’s about being able to try again with more information.
About Adrian Gordon:
Adrian Gordon is an internationally performed composer and seasoned music educator. 
In addition to teaching, Mr. Gordon is a composer with Alfred Music as well as the founder of Leap Year Music Publishing, which publishes string music for elementary, middle, and high school ensembles. His compositions appear on the California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, and Texas Orchestra Association Music Performance Reading Lists. He is also the author of the book Note to Self; A Music Director’s Guide for Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program.
 
Adrian received his B.A. in music from the University of Miami, and his master’s degree in music education at Florida International University. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Adrian currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and their two sons and serves as the Director of Orchestras at Providence Day School.
 
Visit Adrian’s website
Follow him on Instagram
Follow him on Twitter
Connect with him on Facebook
 
Recommended Resources:
Note to Self by Adrian Gordon
Adrian’s Compositional Mind Map
Adrian’s Video on How to Compose a Piece from Start to Finish
Leap Year Music Publishing
Listen to the episode with Michael Mino
Soundtrap App
 
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
 
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. 
 
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!

Facilitating ”Artist Dates” in the Classroom with Samantha Olschan

How can educators make learning more fun, engaging, and empowering? Today’s guest has lots of tips and tricks! In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Samantha Olschan, an award-winning transmedia artist and educator who works across animation, art, and design for films, brands, and experiential media. Her creative practice investigates how storytelling, motion design, and experimental narrative can serve underrepresented and/or underserved communities.
 
Listen in to learn how Samantha combines collaborative, game-based, and project-based learning in the classroom with digital media as a learning aid. You’ll gain insight into how you can use gamification, play, special projects, and “artist dates” to engage students in learning through creativity both in the classroom and out in their community.
 
“Through experimentation and play, we can open ourselves up to learning more.” 
– Samantha Olschan
 
Samantha describes how creativity is separate from art and design, the importance of teaching students to work with ambiguity, and how to get your students/kids to trust their ideas and feel confident in their creativity. She emphasizes the value of organizing class time to enable students to explore their interests, produce quality outcomes, and avoid burnout.
 
“My approach to teaching creativity is through reconnecting the student to empathy and trust. They have to trust their ideas.” – Samantha Olschan
 
Samantha’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
Practice empathy. Think about your students and what they would be excited by, and even your younger self and what you would be excited by.
Give yourself permission to try new things.
Ask lots of questions to the people around you.
Find a mentor or be a mentor. There are lots of people in your community that can support you and engage with your students in fun ways.
Look to your community for funding for creative materials and resources.
Creativity is about experimentation, exploration, and engagement - not tools, objects, and outcomes.
 
Recommended Resources:
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Listen to the episode with Liz Radday
 
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
 
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. 
 
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! Rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
 
About Samantha Olschan:
Samantha Olschan is an award-winning transmedia artist & educator who works across animation, art, and design for films, brands, and experiential media. Her creative practice investigates how storytelling, motion design, & experimental narrative can be of service to underrepresented and/or underserved communities. As an educator, she combines collaborative, game-based & project-based learning in the classroom with digital media as a learning aid.
 
Recent exhibitions and screenings include the Black Maria Film & Video Festival, P.O.V. Series (PBS), The ShortList (PBS), Hollywood North Film Awards, Womenwhodraw.com, FrackFest, Visionfest, Tribeca Cinemas, Bumbershoot, New Haven International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Boston Cinema Census, Boston Underground Film Festival, Conversations at the Edge, The Gene Siskel Film Center, Marblehead Film Festival & the Skopelos Foundation for the Arts in Greece.
 
Teaching appointments in animation, media, and design include the University of Connecticut, Pratt Institute, Wesleyan University, Quinnipiac University, Columbia College, New York Film Academy & The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. M.F.A. in Film, Video & New Media: Animation from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. B.F.A in Fine Arts: Electronic & Time-Based Media from Carnegie Mellon University.
 
Visit Samantha’s website
Follow her on Instagram
Follow her on Twitter

Using Chess to Teach Failure and Perseverance with Dr. Salome Thomas-EL

How do you champion students through failure, success, and the creative process? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Salome Thomas-EL, aka Principal EL, an award-winning principal, teacher, speaker, and author.
 
Tune in to learn how to motivate children who find success early in school, the innovative ways Principal EL teaches math, and the benefits of using games and game-based learning in the classroom. Principal EL highlights how he’s using chess to help students build resilience, creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.
 
“Failure is motivating. Success can be paralyzing.”
 – Salome Thomas-EL
 
Principal EL offers advice for parents and teachers on supporting students while helping them navigate failure and embrace their creativity on a daily basis. Then, he shares the inspiring story behind his book, I Choose to Stay, and speaks to teachers who are entering the profession, considering leaving it, or transitioning to another leadership position in education. He also sheds light on how he supports teachers and students as a school administrator.
 
“Choose impact over compliance.” – Salome Thomas-EL
 
Principal EL’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
Allow students to be themselves. Ask students what they like, then tap into that and create joyful experiences for them.
Choose impact over compliance. Make sure you’re making decisions that will impact your students and their families in powerful ways. Move away from relying on assessments and more towards developing soft skills.
Understand that creativity is a prerequisite for innovation. 
Engage students before giving them information.
 
“That self-esteem… comfort with expressing themselves, feelings of pride and accomplishment, all of those are stoked by creativity.” – Salome Thomas-EL
About Salome Thomas-EL:
Dr. Salome Thomas-EL, aka Principal EL, is an award-winning teacher, principal, speaker, and internationally recognized educator. Principal EL is currently a K-8 school leader in Wilmington, Delaware and speaks to groups around the world. He was a regular contributor on the “The Dr. Oz Show” and is the author of the best-selling books, I Choose to Stay (movie rights optioned by Disney Films), The Immortality of Influence, which stresses the importance of leadership, mentoring, parenting and service to others. He is the co-author of the newly released, Passionate Leadership, Building a Winning Team, and Retention for Change.
 
Principal EL has addressed over 100,000 teachers, administrators, school staff, board members, parents, students and community members in the United States, Canada, Nigeria, Trinidad, England, Jamaica, and The Virgin Islands and frequently appears on C-SPAN, CNN, and NPR Radio. He has studied at Cambridge University in England, Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, and holds a doctorate in Education from Wilmington University in Delaware. He has received the Marcus A. Foster Award as the outstanding School District Administrator in Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania’s distinguished Martin Luther King Award.
 
Follow Principal EL’s website
Follow him on Instagram
Follow him on Twitter
Connect with him on Facebook
Subscribe to his YouTube channel
 
Recommended Resources:
Principal EL - TEDx PennsburgED - Every Kid Deserves Someone Crazy About Them
Check out Principal EL’s books
 
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
 
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. 
 
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!
 

Giving Up Control in the Classroom with Andrea Mango

How can teachers empower children to be more creative and engaged in class, even when they don’t want to? In this Fueling Creativity in Education podcast episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Andrea Mango, an elementary STEAM teacher based in Williamsville, New York. This episode focuses on bridging the gap between theories and studies of creativity and the practical implications for them in an elementary classroom.
 
Please tune in to learn how Andrea inspires creativity in her STEAM classroom, how she has overcome barriers to bringing choice for students into the classroom, and how STEAM classrooms differ from regular classrooms. She offers insight into how to build a safe, trusting environment for creativity to thrive in your classroom and how to engage students that don’t like the topic or project or are having a bad day and don’t want to be engaged.
 
“Where in your curriculum can you give up a little bit of control, a little bit of power?”
 – Andrea Mango
 
Andrea tells us why she brought flexible seating options into her classroom, like rocking chairs and bean bags, and how she deals with the vulnerability and stigmas of being a creative educator. Then, Andrea describes how she brings her problem-solving skills into her classroom and involves students in the problem-solving process.
 
Andrea’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
When it comes to making changes, start small. Challenge yourself to get rid of 1-2 worksheets per week and turn the lesson into an activity, game, or something more hands-on.
Give up a little power so your students can have some. Does it really make a difference if they use markers, sit at their desk, or work with their best friend?
Use your #1 resource for creativity: your students. They are far more creative than sometimes we can be, and they are dying to have a voice in the classroom. They are also a different ages, so they have different perspectives.
 
Recommended Resources:
Listen to the episode with Dr. Kulvarn Atwal
 
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
 
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. 
 
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! Rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
 
About Andrea Mango:
 
Follow Andrea on Twitter
 
Mrs. Andrea Mango has taught for the past 18 years, first as a kindergarten through 2nd-grade educator and now as a STEAM educator for K-4 at Dodge Elementary in Williamsville, New York. Before teaching, Andrea worked at Erie One BOCES’ Positive Youth Development Center, where she trained teachers on empowering students in the classroom and prepared middle and high school students to become positive leaders among their peers. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and a master’s degree in Elementary Education-Birth-6th.
 

Art Makes Creativity Visible with Dr. Penny Hay

How do we facilitate learning that invites inquiry and makes learning purposeful? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Penny Hay, an artist, educator, and researcher in the field of culture and creativity. Penny’s doctoral research focused on children’s learning identities as artists.
 
Tune in to learn Penny’s approach to engaging children in learning through the arts and across the curriculum, what she’s discovered in her research about children’s learning identities as artists, and how you can start teaching art creatively in your classroom.
 
“What art does is manifest and make visible creativity daily. So, it’s a lovely approach to inviting possibility and a really creative approach to teaching art and design in the primary curriculum.” – Dr. Penny Hay
 
Penny details the important role of the adult in children’s learning, how to reimagine education with an inquiry-based approach, and the power of learning as a shared experience where you are your children’s learning companion.
 
“Imagine a world where our children are engaged in serious creative play, where their environments are full of space and light, where adults are companions in the children’s inquiries about the world. Creative adults who show a deep respect for children’s ideas, theories, and fascinations.” – Dr. Penny Hay
 
Penny’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
Invite possibility and openness to create an ethos that makes creativity visible.
Go with the flow so that you genuinely follow children’s fascinations.
 
Recommended Resources:
House of Imagination
Forest of Imagination
Teaching Art Creatively by Dr. Penny Hay
Children are Artists: Supporting Children’s Learning Identity as Artists by Dr. Penny Hay
Schools Without Walls UK
Listen to S1 Episode 6 with Ron Beghetto
Listen to S2 Episode 7 with Ron Beghetto
Follow Bath Spa University on Instagram
 
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
 
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. 
 
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. Penny Hay:
Dr. Penny Hay is an artist, educator and researcher, Reader in Creative Teaching and Learning, Senior Lecturer in Arts Education, School of Education; Research Fellow, Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries; Bath Spa University and Director of Research, House of Imagination. Signature projects include School Without Walls and Forest of Imagination. Penny’s doctoral research focused on children’s learning identity as artists.
 
Penny is the strand leader for Creative Pedagogy in the Policy, Pedagogy and Practice Research Centre, Associate Director of TRACE at Bath Spa University and co-chair of the eARTh research group focusing on education, arts and the environment. She is co-investigator on an Erasmus+ project ‘Interstice’ in Europe researching the space between art, children and educators.
 
Penny is also a visiting Lecturer at Plymouth College of Art, National Teaching Fellow and Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, with awards from Action for Children’s Arts and Creative Bath.
 
Visit Penny’s website
Follow her on Twitter

SEASON SIX: New Things Brewing!

We are back with Season Six of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast!
 
Join Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood as they share what is in store for Season Six!
 
Big Giveaway!  We are giving away five of our Fueling Creativity in Education mugs along with a bag of our favorite coffee!  All you need to do is be the first to write us a review on your favorite podcast platform, screen shot a picture, and email it to us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com 
 
Special question and answer episodes with Cyndi and Matt! Do you have a question about how to bring creativity into education, that has not been addressed?  We will be answering your questions each season on our special Q&A episodes!  Just email us at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com
 
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
 
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. 
 
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!

THROW BACK: Teachers as Designers with KC Lathrop

How do you go from teaching to designing? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their discussion with creator, educator, and former IBM 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
 
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
 
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. 
 
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!

THROW BACK: AI and the Future of Creative Production with Bryan Alexander

How can AI and Machine Learning bring Creativity in the Future? In this throwback episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their discussion with Dr. Bryan Alexandar, a futurist and award-winning educator. This discussion was the first episode in the podcast, where Cyndi and Matthew began to discuss the impact of AI and how we might collaborate with machines in the future. 
 
Other Episodes on AI and CoBots
 
How can AI and Machine Learning bring Creativity in the Future? In this throwback episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit their discussion with Dr. Bryan Alexandar, a futurist and award-winning educator. This discussion was the first episode in the podcast, where Cyndi and Matthew began to discuss the impact of AI and how we might collaborate with machines in the future. 
 
Other Episodes on AI and CoBots
Building Robots to Support Childhood Creativity with Patrícia Alves-Oliveira 
Discussing Beauty Over Functionality and Malevolent Creativity with David Cropley 
BRIDGING THE GAP: Revisiting the Impact of AI on Creativity
Teaching students to think for tomorrow with Jonathan Nalder
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
 
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. 
 
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!