Fueling Creativity in Education

Discussing Excellence Gaps and Creativity with Dr. Jonathan Plucker - Part 2

It’s easy to have a negative view of testing, but testing does have value in terms of content knowledge acquisition. In part two of this two-part interview, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with researcher and creativity expert, Dr. Jonathan Plucker, about the relationship between gifted education and creativity. Jonathan also speaks on why he believes every school should have a Chief Creativity Officer and what that would look like.
 
Tune in to learn Jonathan’s approach to testing students, assessing for gifted education programs, and how to identify students who are talented or gifted. He sheds light on why it’s a huge mistake to drive advanced learning and creativity out of our schools. Plus, he shares his thoughts on why educators should be focusing on students with true potential who are underperforming and turning that potential into advanced performance.
 
“If a student’s performing at advanced levels, I encourage people not to overthink that. Just accept it. Great, they’re working at advanced levels. That’s the goal. How much further can I push this student?... But we have so many students who are not performing at those advanced levels who have the potential to get there and that’s what I’m really concerned about is we tend to look right past those students.” - Dr. Jonathan Plucker
 
Jonathan’s Tips for Teachers, Administrators, and Parents:
The best way to use teacher involvement is to focus on what they are trained to do: to help students, especially those who aren’t being noticed. If you’re going to be identifying for a talent, don’t use teachers as gatekeepers. Collect all your data and then use teachers as the safety net to catch those whom the administrators missed.
Modeling is incredibly important for creativity. If you run into a problem, have your students/children work with you to solve it. 
Creative Articulation: Professional, long-term creators are very good at convincing people that their work is creative. They are also masterful at incorporating feedback and using it to improve their work. Help your students/children learn how to share their creativity and persuade others that their perspective is valuable… at ALL ages.
 
About Dr. Jonathan Plucker:
Jonathan Plucker is a prominent education policy and talent development scholar, and the inaugural Julian C. Stanley Professor of Talent Development at Johns Hopkins University. He holds a joint appointment at the Center for Talented Youth and School of Education.
 
His work focuses on education policy and talent development and has been supported by over $40 million in external grants and contracts. Jonathan has published over 300 articles, chapters, and reports. He recently became editor for the Psychological Perspectives on Contemporary Educational Issues series at IAP. His work defining and studying excellence gaps (http://cepa.uconn.edu/mindthegap) is part of a larger effort to reorient policymakers’ and educators’ thinking about how best to promote success and high achievement for all children.
 
Visit Jonathan’s website
Follow him on Twitter
Book & Publications by Dr. Jonathan Plucker
Resources Mentioned:
Book & Publications by Dr. Jonathan PluckerListen to the episode with Scott Barry Kaufman
Listen to the episode with Sally Reis
 
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!
 

Discussing Excellence Gaps and Creativity with Dr. Jonathan Plucker - Part 1

Our last guest of the season features a double expresso with President of the National Association for Gifted and Talented, Dr. Jonathan Plucker.  In part one of this two-part interview, Jonathan shares his thoughts on problems with achievement gaps and excellence gaps in education. 
 
“I’m actually fully convinced that in the next 10-15 years, if we prioritize this, we can actually go a long way to solving this problem… and I could not have said that five or six years ago.”
- Dr. Jonathan Plucker
 
Listen in to gain insight into the connection between academic excellence and creativity later in life, and why there’s never a blank canvas to work with when being creative. Jonathan also shares his candid thoughts on creativity in imaginative play, as well as how we can diminish the harmful impact of poverty on children’s ability to develop imagination. 
 
“The more that students learn, the more information, the more ‘stuff’… that they have at their mental fingertips, the better off they will be as they try to be creative, especially as they move into their careers later in life.”
- Dr. Jonathan Plucker
 
About Dr. Jonathan Plucker:
Jonathan Plucker is a prominent education policy and talent development scholar, and the inaugural Julian C. Stanley Professor of Talent Development at Johns Hopkins University. He holds a joint appointment at the Center for Talented Youth and School of Education.
 
His work focuses on education policy and talent development and has been supported by over $40 million in external grants and contracts. Jonathan has published over 300 articles, chapters, and reports. He recently became editor for the Psychological Perspectives on Contemporary Educational Issues series at IAP. His work defining and studying excellence gaps (http://cepa.uconn.edu/mindthegap) is part of a larger effort to reorient policymakers’ and educators’ thinking about how best to promote success and high achievement for all children.
 
Visit Jonathan’s website
Follow him on Twitter
Book & Publications by Dr. Jonathan Plucker
Resources Mentioned:
Book & Publications by Dr. Jonathan PluckerListen to the episode with Scott Barry Kaufman
Listen to the episode with Sally Reis
 
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!
 

Exploring levels of student engagement with Dr. Heather Lyon

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 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!

Learning to think like a Designer with Toy Coach Azhelle Wade

How can toys help develop a child’s imagination and foster design thinking? Can apps and videogames promote creativity? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Azhelle Wade, a toy designer and Founder of The Toy Coach. Through her online Toy Creators Academy course, Azhelle uses her industry knowledge to teach aspiring toy inventors and entrepreneurs how to develop, pitch, and sell their toy ideas.
Tune in to hear Azhelle’s thoughts on why toy design and design thinking should be in school curriculums, her process for teaching toy design, and opportunities for the toy industry to be more creative and innovative. 
You’ll also learn how games and apps can promote creative thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as the potential impact iPads and other devices can have on imagination, play, and creativity. Plus, Azhelle shares how to do a toy challenge at home as well as her top 3 recommended toys and games for parents to gift to their kids this year.
“Even inventors that come to me now, I have to bring them back to what you’re teaching your students. Who are you making this for? Why are you making this for them? Why do they need this? ” - Azhelle Wade
 
Azhelle’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
Know your market. Build a community in which you can discuss what you like/don’t like and what you wish you had regarding your kids’ toys.
Get comfortable with foam core and cardboard. Anytime your students/kids have an idea, build mockups. That’s the first step to making something real.
Toy challenges are great for getting kids excited about being creative and innovative.
 
About Azhelle Wade:
Azhelle created thetoycoach.com and the podcast, Making It in The Toy Industry, to help inventors and entrepreneurs develop, pitch, and sell their toy ideas. Her deeply intellectual curiosity coupled with a passion and dedication to making the world a more toyetic place guides her followers to unlock their best ideas yet. Azhelle’s inspirational mantras and industry insights will be your guiding light into the fun, crazy, world of toys.  
 
Resources Mentioned:
Pixicade 
Marmals 
Animoodles 
People of Play Week- Young Inventor Challenge
 
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!
 

Bridging the Gap: Creativity Tips and Gifts for the Holidays

How do you support your children's creativity, and make meaning and connections this holiday season? What gifts should you get your children this year that will help nurture their creativity? We have some ideas! In this special holiday episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood share activities and traditions to promote creative thinking as a family during the holidays. Plus, they share lots of affordable gift ideas that promote creative thinking in children of all ages. 
 
“It’s not about the gifts, it’s about those memories that we want to make with our children and our students.” - Dr. Cyndi Burnett
 
What holiday memories would you like to make with your kids or students this year?
 
Low-Cost Creative Gift Ideas for Kids in 2021:
Bug box 
Foam Tiles 
ZOOB Builderz 
Magna-Tiles 
Outschool classes 
Guess Who Game?  Make your own Guess Who Game.
 
Mid-Range Cost Creative Gift Ideas for Kids in 2021: 
Boxer robot 
Shattered Glass Ceiling Necklace 
 
Higher-End Creative Gift Ideas for Kids in 2021:
Mindstorms
Dash and Dot 
Toybox 3D Printer 
Telescope 
 
Resources Mentioned:
How to combine two puzzles together.
Tips for Making Holiday Cards on DadsforCreativity.com
Family Game Night Make Your Own Rules Video!
Listen to the episode with Sally Reis
Listen to the episode with Natalie Nixon
Listen to the episode with Scott Barry Kaufman
Listen to the episode with Bryan Alexander 
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Nalder 
 
Please note: After we recorded the episode, a colleague recommended we insert affiliate links to help fund the production of the Fueling Creativity podcast.  Therefore, if you click on the links and make a purchase, you are also helping to support our podcast production!
 
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!
 

Tracking Wonder and Creativity with Jeffrey Davis

How are creativity and wonder connected? What happens when we infuse wonder into education? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Jeffrey Davis, an author, team culture consultant and educator, and CEO of Tracking Wonder Consultancy. For over 25 years, he’s inspired thousands of changemakers, leaders, and creatives to unlock their best ideas through the pursuit of curiosity, innovation, and wonder. 
Listen in as Jeffrey shares his thoughts on the connection between wonder and creativity as well as how educators and parents can create a culture of wonder in the classroom and at home. He offers insightful advice for burnt out teachers and parents on how to use wonder to reignite their sense of purpose and passion for teaching.
Plus, you’ll gain insight into the power of tracking your wonder for professional growth and learning, along with valuable lessons learned from Jeffrey’s book, Tracking Wonder, about the six facets of wonder, like curiosity and bewilderment. 
“Wonder is a heightened state of awareness that’s brought on by something unexpected that can delight us or disorient us or both.” - Jeffrey Davis
 
Jeffrey’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:
Bring your innate wonder back to the motor of human learning. 
Daily recognize the genius in every learner, including yourself and your colleagues.
Champion pragmatic idealism over default cynicism. 
 
Resources Mentioned:
Tracking Wonder by Jeffrey Davis. 
Listen to the episode with Ron Beghetto.
 
About Jeffrey Davis:
Jeffrey Davis equips creatives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to leverage their ideas into expanding their influence with integrity. His work and research with creative innovators, scientists, and social psychologists offers him leading insights on how creatives flourish in times of challenge and change. He has taught at and is a highly sought after speaker for numerous conferences, universities, and centers.
He’s author of the book The Journey from the Center to the Page (Penguin; Monkfish Publishing) the poetry collections City Reservoir (BarnBurner Press) and Coat Thief (Saint Julian Press), and other books. He also writes on the science of creativity as a regular contributor to Psychology Today and The Creativity Post. Davis heads up a renegade team of creatives, as a branding consultant, at the Tracking Wonder Consultancy.
 
Connect with Jeffrey:
Visit his website: www.trackingwonder.com 
Connect with him on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-davis-875b264 
 
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!
 

The role of Serendipity in Creativity with Dr. Wendy Ross

How does serendipity affect creativity? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Wendy Ross, a cognitive scientist, senior lecturer in psychology, and Chair of the Serendipity Society. Wendy’s research looks at the role of serendipity in creativity, using everything from experimental methods to ethnographic work.
Listen in as Wendy shares her research findings on the relationship between serendipity and creativity, why serendipity is a disruptive force in learning, and the importance of students building a tolerance to failure and adversity. She also gives powerful advice for educators on implementing this knowledge around serendipity in the classroom.
They also discuss the current debates on whether the pandemic has increased or decreased feelings of serendipity, as well as what teachers can do foster a norm of working through discomfort and mistakes. 
“That’s what makes serendipity a powerful tool, is that it relies on the prepared mind and it relies on this idea of scarcity of wisdom, of using the accidents that come to you and taking advantage of them.” - Dr. Wendy Ross
Wendy’s Tips for Teachers:
Encourage your students to get comfortable with discomfort and failure.
Generate interesting environments with many different moments of inspiration and pathways of creativity.
Most serendipity comes from interactions with people, not with things.
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the episode with Vlad Glaveanu. 
Listen to the episode with Ron Beghetto. 
 
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!
 
About Dr. Wendy Ross:
Wendy’s main topic of research is the role of material serendipity in higher cognitive processes such as insight problem solving and creativity. She draws on a range of methods from eye-tracking and experimental psychology to focused cognitive ethnography. She is currently co-editing two collections on serendipity: The Art of Serendipity (Palgrave) and Serendipity Science (Springer). She is Co-Chair of the Serendipity Society and Vice President of the Possibility Studies Network. In 2021, she was awarded the Frank  Barron prize by Division 10 of the APA.
Connect with Wendy:
Connect with her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-ross-670487191 
 
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!
 

Bridging the Gap: Lessons Learned from Season Two (Part 1)

What were the biggest lessons learned so far in Season Two of the Fueling Creativity podcast? In this episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down and have a debrief to reflect on the first 5 episodes of Season Two, highlighting the key takeaways and major lessons these conversations have taught them about creativity and education.
 
Listen in as Cyndi and Matthew break down the following insights.
 
Major Takeaways from Season Two, Episodes 1-5:
 
Heightening anticipation for students increases engagement and excitement about learning any content. Learn more about creating “hooks” in the classroom, by listening to the episode with Dr. Sally Reis and read about the Torrance Incubation Model.
 
There is immense value in identifying interests from an early age. It’s important to note that having too many interests may make it difficult to focus on one. Additionally, it may be hard for students to develop interests, so don’t force it. Simply help your children or students explore different areas and see what sparks curiosity.
 
Think about the future, and the skills that your students/children may need.  For more information on this, listen to the episode with Jonathan Nadler.
 
Human-centered education, or personalized learning, focuses on what each individual student needs to be successful, rather than treating everyone as though they have the same needs. To learn more, listen to the episode with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman. 
Resources Mentioned:
Read about the Torrance Incubation Model.
20 Lessons to Weave Creative Thinking into Your Curriculum
Listen to the episode with Jonathan Nalder 
Listen to the episode with Dr. Sally Reis. 
Listen to the episode with Leon Tynes. 
Listen to the episode with Donna Luther. 
Listen to the episode with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman.  
 
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!