Creativity is about Change in the System with Michael Hanchett Hanson

Have you ever heard of the participatory framework of creativity? 

In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Dr. Michael Hanchett Hanson, a developmental psychologist, author, and leader of the Participatory Creativity Lab. Among many other notable roles, Michael is one of the leading advocates for the participatory framework of creativity, emphasizing the diversity of roles people take up as participants in change.

Listen in to hear Michael break down the participatory framework of creativity and how it can be applied to educational environments and maker spaces. He highlights how the participatory framework of creativity fosters a continual creative process in a child’s day-to-day life and helps students become aware of the creative processes happening in their classroom. 

“Once you make this slight shift in how we think, there are really broad and deep implications… The core question implied by the idea of creativity shifts.” – Michael Hanchett Hanson

Michael also sheds light on a few ways to support teachers’ creativity, then shares what he learned from writing his new book, “Creativity and Improvised Educations: Case Studies for Understanding Impact and Implications”.

Michael’s Tips for Teachers and Parents: 

1. Think about it as creativity in the service of good education, not education to produce creative people. If people are well educated and deeply engaged in a domain, they will have ideas.
2. The combination of formal, traditional education and self-directed learning is different in each case, but both are absolutely necessary.
3. Really good education is understanding the deep questions that drive domains of knowledge.

Recommended Resources:

Learn more about Participatory Creativity Lab

Creativity and Improvised Educations by Michael Hanchett Hanson

Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad GlaveanuListen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker

Listen to the episode with David Cropley

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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. 

Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at questions@fuelingcreativitypodcast.com!

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

About Michael Hanchett Hanson:

Michael Hanchett Hanson is a developmental psychologist; Director of the Masters Concentration in Creativity and Cognition at Teachers College, Columbia University; leader of the Participatory Creativity Lab (www.participatorycreativitylab.org); and a founding board member and Secretary of the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation (ISSCI). 

Michael is one of the leading advocates for the participatory framework of creativity, which emphasizes the diversity of roles people take up as participants in change. He has written on the history of the construct of creativity within psychology; creativity in education; the ideological uses of the construct; ironic thought patterns as a creative heuristic, and creative practices in the construction of the self. His most recent book, “Creativity and Improvised Educations: Case Studies for Understanding Impact and Implications”, looks at case studies of creative work across a variety of domains and what these cases can teach us about the roles of education in lifelong creative development.

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn

Buy his book, Creativity and Improvised Educations