As I said last post, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is hosting an amazing exhibit of Star Wars costumes. I went to the exhibit to see costumes, but I found myself enjoying lessons in creativity as well. Lesson 3: Ideas seldom emerge full blown. They grow and develop. Or, as I often say … Continue reading
The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is hosting a wonderful exhibit of Star Wars costumes. For anyone who has enjoyed the movies, the chance to see the original costumes is a treat. Unlike theater costumes, which often look best from a distance, movie costumes need to show well in close ups, so the details are … Continue reading
Last week I wrote about my hope that helping students see the variety of historical perspectives—and the conflicts that ensued—might allow them to more readily navigate today’s often-gridlocked perspectives on multiple issues. One source for doing so was the Stanford History Education Group’s website, Reading Like a Historian. In the February 2017 issue of Educational … Continue reading
I can’t decide if I should begin, “Oh my, is January half over?” or “Really? Is January only half over?” It seems the time since the all-too-short holidays has flown by, but I’m already pretty tired of sub-zero wind chills and, seemingly, half the people I know having the flu. Good grief. What should we … Continue reading
It’s a new year and a new time for thinking creatively about our world. And just in time to get us started, the Imagination Foundation has teamed with AT&T Aspire to sponsor the 2017 Inventor’s Challenge. This is not a long term project, but a good way to get the new year off to a … Continue reading
If you were a parent whose child asked to wear jeans to school on “Jeans Day,” what would you say? No problem, right? What if that child had a disability that meant he could not put jeans on independently or use the bathroom while wearing jeans? What then? How do you tell a child he … Continue reading
Brian Grazer, producer of such movies as Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and Friday Night Lights, is on mission. He wants to promote curiosity. He is passionate about it. And from that passion comes a book, A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life. In the introduction he says: Curiosity is what gives energy … Continue reading
If you are looking for a practical resource for adding some “sparks” of creativity to your curriculum planning, ASCD has a resource that may help. Patti Drapeau’s Sparking Student Creativity is subtitled “Practical Ways to Promote Innovative Thinking and Problem Solving,” and it delivers on that promise. The book is organized around four “roads,” one … Continue reading
Did you know there was an actual Mr. Ferris behind the Ferris Wheel? I didn’t. Like so many inventions, the Ferris Wheel originated with a challenge. In 1890, as the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago was being designed, the builders had a problem. Just the year before, France had created the Eiffel Tower for their … Continue reading
You know I’ve been spending time with pre-adolescents when a book titled I Love You More than Moldy Ham sets me chortling in the bookstore aisle. The book, targeted at primary grade students, tells the story of a young monster who trudges through swampland to gather ingredients for a special dinner for his mom. It … Continue reading
