I left elementary school absolutely convinced I could not draw and, in fact, that I was no good at art. Any art. I’m not sure exactly when that happened. As a young child I enjoyed drawing, painting, clay, and creating all manner of things with boxes, sticks, etc. But a few years later I knew, … Continue reading
Filed under Classroom Climate and Organization …
Habits for Creativity: Learning from Failure, Doing Hard Things
Failure is not an upbeat subject. Now, as the school year begins, even in this strangest of school years, few of us are likely to be thinking, “OK, let’s go in there and fail!” And yet, I’ve been thinking about failure a lot. First, of course, I’m thinking about failure because it is the last … Continue reading
Habits for Creativity: Stay Curious
I’ve always been a curious person. Most of the time that has served me well, though when I was young, it occasionally led me into trouble. Observing the insects in the yard was interesting. Exploring the plants in the nearby woods was problematic, when some of them turned out to be poison oak. The only … Continue reading
Habits for Creativity: Make New Rules
In my last post, I began thinking about The Henry Ford’s Modeli for innovation, and particularly its Habits of an Innovator, as they express social and emotional characteristics associated with innovation. Thinking about the first one, “Be Empathetic” was straightforward and I could easily envision how it could be be taught and supported in schools. … Continue reading
It Takes More than Thinking: Social Emotional Learning and Creativity
What a time we are living through. All around me, educators are wrapping up a crazy online school year mid-pandemic, with still very little knowledge of what is coming in the fall. And across the world, there is increasing awareness of long-term inequalities that gives rise to frustration, anger and calls for new ways of … Continue reading
Wonder and Skepticism Part 2: Finding Critical Friends
What makes science, science? In Carl Sagan’s essay, “Wonder and Skepticism,” he presented the core of science as two seemingly opposing points of view. On one hand, science requires openness and curiosity about the world. But openness to see is not enough. Science also requires that we examine our observations with care and caution—in Sagan’s … Continue reading
Skip a Rope: Talking to Young People About Race
When I was a teen, my uncle Jack Moran wrote a song called “Skip a Rope.” It was recorded by Henson Cargill and was nominated by the Country Music Association for Song of the Year. I was very proud, not because I was a country music fan (I definitely wasn’t), but because Uncle Jack had … Continue reading
Hurray for Creative Teens
I still chuckle at the memory of a mother of teens who said in only-partly joking despair, “I taught my kids to be independent, and now they ARE!” But she was onto something. It is easy to stereotype teenager years. Many of us have vivid memories the angst-filled days and peer drama that can be … Continue reading
Creativity in Your Toolbox
Would you like to use more creativity in your classroom? Could you use a little inspiration? How about some short videos for professional development? The American Psychological Association (APA) may have just what you’re looking for. You might start with the Psychology Learning Curve article on “Creative Teaching and Teaching Creativity: How to Foster Creativity … Continue reading
Are We Listening? Listening, Psychological Safety, and Creativity
What makes a safe space feel safe? What could you do to make your students feel safer to be creative? The question of how safe spaces become safe is one asked by an international team of researchers* who wanted to know how relationships in a work environment might influence employees’ creativity. If a supervisor listened … Continue reading
