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
The year 2020 will be known for many things, but one of them certainly will be innovation. All of us have had to flex in ways we never expected. Individuals, businesses, and organizations of all sorts have had to find new ways of operating. It should not be surprising that The Henry Ford Museum, home … Continue reading
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
I thought I was finished with blogging. Creativiteach had a good run–seven years at the point I paused—and as I looked toward phased retirement, it seemed a good time to wind things down. Last spring, I thought I’d take the summer off—then summer turned to fall and here I am, a year later, finding … Continue reading
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
One of the most important things we can do to help students prepare to be creative scientists is to help them understand how science works. We need to share science that looks like science—unpredictable and full of questions—rather than simple exercises in direction-following. We need students to understand the struggles and dilemmas of scientists along … Continue reading
Ever scratch your head wondering how to make a coffin shaped paper box? OK, I haven’t either, but now that I’ve thought about it, I’m curious. The thing that sparked my musings, about coffin-shaped boxes, paper polygons, “exploding boxes” (no actual explosives involved) and even a paper icosahedron—along with other paper platonic solids—is a fascinating … Continue reading
It is hard to do experiments in schools, particularly large scale experiments. A true experiment requires randomly assigning participants to an experimental group (which gets some kind of treatment) and a control group (which doesn’t). Imagine trying to randomly assign students to two different math or reading programs, especially in the same school. You can … Continue reading
Sometimes even the most interesting creative project can start to feel like a burden. Experiments don’t work and have to be redesigned. Poetry needs editing. Interviews have to be transcribed and paintings need work. Those moments, when the initial inspiration and excitement have to give way to persistence and hard work, can be particularly discouraging … Continue reading
One of my favorite books about creativity is titled Beautiful Oops. It makes sense because creativity, by definition, means thinking in new ways—sometimes incremental changes, but sometimes a complete change of course, a different perspective. Sometimes that means recognizing that ways we’ve thought before don’t work any more. Sometimes we have to say “Oops, I … Continue reading
