Schools are complicated places. Building creativity at the school or district level means thinking beyond individual classrooms to include all the people and systems that make schools work. Just as in creative businesses, one of the key differences between individual and whole-school creativity is the role of leadership. Leaders in organizations working toward creativity are … Continue reading
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
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
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
Because I live in Ann Arbor, where fairy doors are part of the local landscape—and because it was fun—I gave several fairy doors as gifts this Christmas. I bought some wooden fairy door kits and went to town painting, adding mosaic “porches,” and other embellishments. I had a grand time creating accessories for various holidays … Continue reading
When I first started teaching, eons ago, the one piece of advice we were given for “setting the tone” in our classrooms was the infamous adage “Don’t smile until Christmas.” I don’t know anyone who actually tried to manage that feat, but I suspect it had a real impact students’ early experiences in classrooms of … Continue reading
Teachers, how confident are you in your ability to engage students in learning activities? How confident are you in your ability to use a variety of effective instructional strategies? How about your classroom management? Are you confident in your skills in that area? A study from Turkey* suggests that teachers’ answers to such questions are … Continue reading
For the last few years, during annual Ann Arbor Art Fairs, I’ve enjoyed my personal SCAMPER scavenger hunt. It usually takes me a few hours, but I locate examples of interesting art that represent each of the SCAMPER verbs. SCAMPER, of course, is an acronym that can help spur creative thinking by asking key questions … Continue reading
Having a more creative school year is not about beautiful bulletin boards or teachers shouting from the desktops–though those don’t hurt. More importantly, it is about becoming a classroom in which students are encouraged to be their most creative selves, while learning content that matters. It is serious work, but it can be a lot … Continue reading
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