For this very special, one-year anniversary episode of the Fueling Creativity Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood have gone through all 28 interview transcriptions from the Fueling Creativity episodes and identified four powerful themes that have emerged from these discussions. They originally presented these themes at the Creativity Expert Exchange at SUNY Buffalo State.

Today, you get to listen in on this informative and powerful presentation! Or, you can read the transcript here.

If you’d like to book Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood to deliver this presentation as an interactive workshop to your school or institution, don’t hesitate to send them an email at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com.

Themes & Subthemes from Year 1 of Fueling Creativity:

#1 – Setting the creative environment of the classroom

Trust and Safety
Risk-Taking- feeling comfortable making mistakes
Openness to new ideas and perspectives
Allow time for questions and exploration Encourage respectful debate
Challenging students to highest ability- not average
Value differences
Think beyond the walls of the classroom

#2 – Creative Teachers

Creative Teachers are designers
Creative Teachers Model Creative Behaviors and Attitudes
Creative Teachers are Lifelong Learners
Creative Teachers are open and willing to try new things
Creative Teachers take risks and are willing to admit if they failed or made a mistake
Creative Teachers make time for self-care
Creative Teachers don’t have all the answers

#3 – Instructional Practice

Ask Open-Ended questions
Embed time for wondering and curiosity
Expose students to diverse things (books, museums, nature, etc).
Use Inquiry/Problem Based Learning
Spend time problem-finding
Help students find meaning, purpose and connection to content
Work through ambiguity, uncertainty and complexity
Get students comfortable with discomfort and failure
Shift student perspectives, allowing an openness to new ideas
Explore feelings and emotions related to the learning/creative process
Give students agency- a choice and voice on what they are doing

#4 – The Future Creative (Preparing our students for the future!)

A person who is cable of working with people of varied backgrounds and perspectives
A person who can think ethically when selecting ideas and developing solutions
A person who can work though complex problems and manage change
A person who can identify what humans do best, and what machines might do better
A person who can work in collaboration with AI

“This pandemic, although challenging, is really highlighting the creativity that exists within the teaching profession.” - Dr. Matthew Worwood

Do you have a theme that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know! Email us at questions@fuelingcreativity.com.

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Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?

Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.

What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?

Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school? Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.

You can also find The Fueling Creativity Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!

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