“I don’t have time to think about creativity. Look at the amount of curriculum I have to cover this year. No time for anything else!” Ever felt like that? I suspect most teachers have. Fortunately, it is not an either-or choice. Really, it’s not. Creativity is not something extra to be pulled out late Friday … Continue reading
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Assessment for Creativity and Curriculum
Good curriculum and good assessment go hand-in-hand. So it is not surprising that the fourth key principle in developing curriculum supportive of creativity relates to assessment. In curriculum for creativity: Assessment includes multiple formative and summative assessments, including some that offer choices and use content in new ways. In all good curriculum, we start with … Continue reading
Making Learning Matter: Powerful Supports
Strategies that support students in their creativity also support their learning. I have been repeating this mantra for more than 20 years, and the more I learn, the truer it becomes. It makes me think about bridge beams, and the interconnectedness of their strength. Pieces of steel that directly support one thing also help support … Continue reading
Creative Thinking about Curriculum: Not Twinkies
It is back-to-school time, at least in most of the U.S. Depending on where you live, you are probably in the last stages of new-year planning or already in the thick of things. Either way, it is a good time to think about general principles for planning curriculum that supports creativity. Helping students think more … Continue reading
Big Questions, Big Ideas, and a Helpful Skinny Book
Knowing what to teach can be tricky. Really. Given the seeming endless lists of outcomes, objectives, core ideas, etc. teachers face each day, that might sound odd. It seems any number of people and groups are oh-so-happy to tell us what to teach. But that can be the problem. When the lists are long and … Continue reading
Creativize Your Curriculum
Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to work with some Korean teachers interested in incorporating more creativity in their teaching. We had only a short time together, and so it was important to stick to a few key ideas. Like many teachers, they have a required curriculum, and any creative adaptations must build on those … Continue reading