I’m back! I know there is a small-but-loyal following for this blog, and perhaps some of you noticed my being AWOL the last few months. Truth is, I’ve been so busy writing that managing a blog, too, was more than I could do. I just finished the manuscript for the 7th edition of Creativity in … Continue reading
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
Whether you are teaching in person or online, helping young people understand COVID precautions is likely to be a part of your job. One way to do that creatively is through the website Wash Your Lyrics. I discovered the website in my own university-required COVID training. Wash Your Lyrics allows you to create your own … Continue reading
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
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a list of characteristics associated with creativity that didn’t include some version of “risk taking.” Creativity, by its nature, requires going beyond the norm and trying something new—always an endeavor that requires some risk. Most creativity doesn’t involve physical risk but it does require risking looking foolish, being thought … Continue reading
In recent weeks, social media has exploded with a debate about schools reopening. And—like pretty much everything else related to schools—everyone seems to have an opinion, regardless of whether they’ve been near a public school in recent years. Can you tell I’m frustrated? I think I’ve read one too many posts suggesting teachers need to … Continue reading
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
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
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
In 1995, Carl Sagan published an essay titled “Wonder and Skepticism,” in which he described the push/pull of wonder and skepticism as the bedrocks of science. Science involves a seemingly self‐contradictory mix of attitudes: On the one hand it requires an almost complete openness to all ideas, no matter how bizarre and weird they sound, … Continue reading
creativiteach 