Fueling Creativity in Education
The Fueling Creativity in Education podcast provides listeners with unique insights into the field of creativity research, including best practices for applying this knowledge to a traditional school environment. Thanks to deep dive interviews with renowned creativity scholars, respected practitioners, and passionate educators, every teacher and administrator will walk away with new strategies that inspire and support student and teacher creativity in and out of the classroom.
Episodes
Saturday Oct 16, 2021
Making a commitment to Professional Learning with Leon Tynes
Saturday Oct 16, 2021
Saturday Oct 16, 2021
In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood interview AP Computer Science educator, Leon Tynes, about how flipped classrooms have given him time and space to facilitate more meaningful experiences in the classroom. Plus, he speaks on how he prioritizes his own personal growth and development as an educator.
Leon details his approach to navigating changes in technology throughout the school year, as well as his approach to flipped classrooms, offering tips for teachers on having a successful flipped classroom experience.
He also sheds light on the power of being vulnerable and putting yourself in the midst of your classroom’s chaos, collaborating with your fellow teachers and administrators, and believing in your students.
“The goal is not retirement. The goal is elevating students to be those next professionals or those game changers that basically deal with these issues on the planet that we have going on right now, issues in society. That’s what I want to see.” - Leon Tynes
Leon’s Tips for Teachers:
Assess where you are. If you’re not comfortable, get comfortable, and figure out what you need to do to get there. What type of educator do you want to be or are you done being one?
Decide what steps you need to take regarding your personal development (PD). Every bit helps propel you forward.
Find balance in work and personal life so you can open yourself up to opportunities. Everything has a season, there may be times where your schedule is loaded due to PD, so prepare yourself and your family for those times.
Resources Mentioned:
Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum by Dr. Cyndi Burnett: https://amzn.to/3AyeSe9
Unity: www.unity.com/learn/educators
About Leon Tynes:
Leon Tynes is the AP Computer Science educator at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona. For the past twelve years, Tynes has used a flipped classroom approach to maximize learning in the realms of 3D modeling, digital media, mobile app development, and computer science courses. Dedicated to immersing his students in all aspects of technology, he has successfully integrated science and engineering concepts, which has led to numerous student awards. He has a passion for habitat and climate issues and wishes to develop authentic projects to broaden students’ global awareness in STEM.
“My focus has always been in urban education and equity in computer science and technology,” Tynes says. “I have a significant amount of experience with students creating nonfiction media dealing with contemporary social issues. Imploring students to research contemporary issues that directly affect their communities and their potential to explore college and substantive careers is a priority of my pedagogy.”
Connect with Leon:
Follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/leontynesjr
Connect with him on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/leontynesjr
Follow him on Instagram: www.instagram.com/leontynesjr
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! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
Friday Oct 08, 2021
Leading a Culture of Teacher Creativity with Donna Luther
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 Oct 01, 2021
Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman and the New Science of Self-Actualization
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Friday Oct 01, 2021
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood interview cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, about his most recent book, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization. In this book, he reimagines Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Dr. Kaufman shares his discoveries from diving deep into the psychological theories of Abraham Maslow, highlighting powerful thoughts on how educators can establish a safe environment with students and how feelings of uncertainty and insecurity play a major role in a child’s ability to learn.
Dr. Kaufman also speaks on why exploration is a key driver of creativity as well as how to encourage students to be open to new experiences, be aware of their judgments and biases, and find meaning in life.
You’ll hear a fascinating analogy of how life is like a sailboat and how microconnections can help you establish meaningful relationships with your students and colleagues.
Plus, Dr. Kaufman sheds light on how twice-exceptional students develop different skillsets, along with what educators can do to maximize their potential in the classroom.
Dr. Kaufman’s Tips for Teachers:
Be open to new ports that you might be wanting to sail to throughout your semester.
Encourage respectful dissent in your classroom.
Model openness for your students.
Resources Mentioned:
Love 2.0 by Barbara Frederickson: www.positivityresonance.com
The Bias That Divides Us by Keith Stanovich: www.keithstanovich.com/Site/Books.html
About Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman:
Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist. He is the founder and director of the Center for the Science of Human Potential, and the author of several books, including Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined, Wired to Create, and most recently, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization. Scott hosts the #1 psychology podcast in the world - The Psychology Podcast. His research focuses on how to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life.
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 Oct 01, 2021
Season 2: Welcome Back to the Fueling Creativity Podcast
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Friday Oct 01, 2021
The Fueling Creativity in Education podcast returns for a second season, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood discuss three goals for the second season of the show and share some new formats for interviews and debrief episodes.
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!
Friday Sep 03, 2021
Bridging the Gap: 3 Big Lessons Learned from Season 1
Friday Sep 03, 2021
Friday Sep 03, 2021
In this first-ever debrief episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood review their experience producing the first season and recap the various topics that emerged in their interviews with creativity scholars and academic researchers. Specifically, they discuss the concept of teachers as designers, which is something closely related to Matthew's work in education, the impact of AI on creativity, and contextual factors that impact creativity in education. Cyndi also discusses some of her work developing creativity thinking skills with students.
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!
Friday Aug 20, 2021
Dr. James Kaufman shares the latest research in Creativity
Friday Aug 20, 2021
Friday Aug 20, 2021
In this final episode of Season One, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood interview leading creativity researcher, Dr. James Kaufman, about current trends in creativity research and how they might impact the future of education. Dr. Kaufman shares insight into the relationship between creativity and mental health, positivity, and having meaning in one's life.
You’ll learn about the Four-C Model of Creativity, what educators need to know about creativity and mental health, and how creativity can help you improve mood and heal from trauma.
Plus, Dr. Kaufman sheds light on the advantages of bringing more creativity into your daily life, how teachers can begin to integrate more creativity in the classroom, how expressive writing can promote a higher quality of life, and more!
“Most of what I think about creativity can be summarized in three words: It all counts.” - Dr. James Kaufman
About Dr. James Kaufman:
James C. Kaufman is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. He is the author/editor of more than 50 books, including Creativity 101 (2nd Edition, 2016) and the Cambridge Handbook of Creativity (2nd Edition, 2019; with Robert Sternberg). He has published more than 300 papers, including the study that spawned the “Sylvia Plath Effect,” and three well-known theories of creativity, including (with Ron Beghetto) the Four-C Model of Creativity. He is a past president of Division 10 of the American Psychological Association.
James has won many awards, including Mensa’s research award, the Torrance Award from the National Association for Gifted Children, and APA’s Berlyne and Farnsworth awards. He co-founded two major journals (Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts and Psychology of Popular Media Culture). He has tested Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s creativity on CNN, appeared in the hit Australia show Redesign Your Brain, and narrated the comic book documentary Independents. He wrote the book and lyrics to Discovering Magenta, which had its NYC premiere in 2015.
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 Aug 06, 2021
Friday Aug 06, 2021
Do you consistently reflect on how creative your teaching methods are? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with author and retired teacher, Juliet Desailly. After becoming a lecturer at the Institute of Education, educating a new generation of primary teachers, it became obvious to her that the practice she had developed in the classroom was very much in line with the theories of creativity in education now being written about by academics.
As she reflects on her life as an elementary school teacher in the UK, Juliet summarizes the introduction of the National Standards during the 1980s and its eventual impact on student and teacher creativity in the classroom. She also speaks on how London’s education system compares to the rest of the UK, how to start reflecting upon the creativity in your own teaching methods, and what she would do to change how others view creativity in the classroom.
“One of the things I think is most illuminating is… that where there is difficulty, where there is challenge, it actually makes people be more creative in order to solve those problems. For me, in those inner-city schools, it was about engagement, it was about overcoming attitudes to being in school… every teacher in every classroom will find something.”
- Juliet Desailly
Juliet’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
Really get to know your children. What engages them? What motivates them? What fascinates them? Remember, every child and group of children is slightly different.
Try hard to find contexts where the learning can be as authentic as possible. Search for real life or realistic situations and problems your kids can apply creativity to solve.
Find opportunities for cross-curricular learning wherever you can.
“Science, technology, all occupations, they all need creative people. Our countries all need creative people. The world needs them and yet still we are pushed back into thinking that ‘Oh, well creativity’s lovely but I need to get my test results up first’ or ‘Creativity’s great but we only have time to do it in a week before the holidays’.”
- Juliet Desailly
Resources Mentioned:
Creativity in the Primary Classroom by Juliet Desailly
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! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Juliet Desailly:
Now retired, Juliet has worked in education for over 40 years. As a primary school teacher for over twenty of those years she worked to refine and adapt the curriculum to suit the needs of the children she taught in inner-city London.
She went on to become a lecturer at the Institute of Education, educating a new generation of primary teachers. It became obvious to her that the practice she had developed in the classroom was very much in line with the theories of creativity in education now being written about by academics. This allowed her to combine the two in really practical but theoretically based advice on practice in the classroom and in curriculum design. She worked as a consultant in schools on creativity and curriculum design and the importance of social and emotional aspects of learning.
She is the author of Creativity in the Primary Classroom and two children’s novels set in Ancient Egypt, with a companion volume of activities for teachers to use based on the books. She currently runs workshops for schools based on her children’s books and being an author.
Visit Juliet’s website
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Friday Jul 23, 2021
How is machine learning and AI related to creativity? How can we use them to prepare for the future? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Bryan Alexander, an award–winning, internationally recognized futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher.
Tune in to learn what it means to be a futurist, how we can use creativity and automation to anticipate the future, and the limitations of artificial intelligence in being creative. You’ll gain insight into how teachers and administrators can utilize AI to optimize teaching strategies and school management systems.
Bryan also sheds light on a few eye-opening trends, like the decreasing birth rate, that are impacting K-12 and higher education and what this means for our children’s future.
“We now have, within creativity, two options: We have the cyborg option where AI can help us be creative and help us expand our creative output, and we also have computers that simply are creative and produce creative outputs.”
- Bryan Alexander
Bryan’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
Play with teaching tools that already use AI. Many are free! For example, you can use Duolingo, the language-teaching app.
Look at the overall field of AI studies to get familiar with the various technologies, but also look at some of the criticisms of these technologies.
Look at AI and automation outside of teaching and learning!
Resources Mentioned:
OECD Trends Shaping Education 2019
Deep Dream
Duolingo
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! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!
About Bryan Alexander:
Bryan Alexander is an award–winning, internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher. Bryan speaks widely and publishes frequently, with articles and interviews appearing in venues including The Atlantic Monthly, Inside Higher Ed, the Washington Post, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, UNational Public Radio (2017, 2020, 2020, 2020, 2020), the Chronicle of Higher Education (2016, 2020), the Atlantic Monthly, and Reuters.
He recently published Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education for Johns Hopkins University Press (January 2020), which won an Association of Professional Futurists award. He is currently working on Universities on Fire: Higher Education in the Age of Climate Crisis (2022). His two other recent books are Gearing Up For Learning Beyond K-12 and The New Digital Storytelling (second edition).
Bryan is currently a senior scholar at Georgetown University and teaches graduate seminars in their Learning, Design, and Technology program.
Visit Bryan’s website
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