Fueling Creativity in Education

What is a makerspace and how can makerspaces change the landscape of education? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Caroline Haebig, author of The Maker Playbook: A Guide to Creating Inclusive Learning Environments. Caroline sheds light on today’s makerspace movement and the benefits of high-impact, inclusive maker learning culture inside schools and school systems.   Listen in to learn how educators from different fields can use a makerspace to foster innovative design thinking and creativity, the importance of integrating design ethics into the prototype design process, and the must-have and nice-to-have materials (both raw and digital) to include in a makerspace. Then, Caroline offers expert advice on finding entry points in your curriculum for maker learning and creating a more inclusive culture in your makerspace.   “Maker learning has a lot of opportunity to help kids develop their metacognition, reflection, and self-assessment skills.”  - Caroline Haebig   Caroline’s Tips for Teachers and Parents: Maximize opportunities for kids to share curiosities and ask questions. Provide a scaffolded design process so students know what they’re expected to know, do, and engage with during specific parts of the design process. Get kids to think and talk about the choices and decisions they are making.  Resources Mentioned: The Maker Playbook by Caroline Haebig Makedo morphi app Disruptus Mission Feature Feature Tinkercad ScratchJr   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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 Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!   About Caroline Haebig: Based in Wisconsin, Caroline Haebig has extensive experience designing and leading professional learning for teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators nationwide. Focused on helping educators develop innovative teaching, learning, and assessment practices, she has successfully facilitated student, teacher, and administrator preparation for school system 1:1 technology initiatives to support student learning and led district -wide work in the areas of inclusive maker learning and technological literacy.  Caroline Haebig is also the author of The Maker Playbook: Designing Inclusive Learning Experiences, a book for K-12 leaders and educators. An accomplished educator, Haebig was named an ISTE Emerging Leader, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Innovator, and a recipient of the Wisconsin State Superintendent Service-Learning Award, the University of Indiana Jacobs Educator Award, and the ISTE Outstanding Young Educator award.    Connect with Caroline Haebig on LinkedIn Follow Caroline on Twitter

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.   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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!    

What would it be like if creativity was a core pillar of your school system’s education? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Eitan Buchalter, Creativity Researcher and Practitioner.   Most recently, Eitan has designed and tested a school-based learning initiative that empowers students to look after and develop their creative thinking capabilities. He shares details on this unique initiative as well as his approach to developing a creativity program in school within the constraints of a curriculum or classroom environment.    Listen in to learn how Eitan is expanding creativity research to science as he highlights his research on how scientists generate ideas and produce creative outcomes. The trio also talks about creativity skills that bridge the gap between science and art, how to help your students find their interests and passions, and the importance of teaching your students to articulate their ideas.   Eitan‘s Tips for Teachers and Parents: Incorporate intrinsic motivation and your student’s personal interests into your lessons. Model vulnerability so your students know it’s okay to make mistakes. Make friends with uncertainty and risk.   “I’m a big fan of uncertainty and thinking of uncertainty as an important material.”  - Dr. Eitan Buchalter   Resources Mentioned: Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross Listen to the episode with Sally Reis Nurturing Creative Thinking   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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!   About Dr. Eitan Buchalter: Eitan is the Director of Innovation at the Global Governance Institute. He has two decades of experience in creativity and innovation which includes education in schools, college and university. Eitan has also brought his expertise in creative thinking to the commercial world and has worked for a wide variety of clients including: NASA, Proctor & Gamble, The Football Association and Tate Modern.    Most recently, Eitan has designed and tested a school-based learning initiative that empowers students to look after and develop their creative thinking capabilities.    Eitan has degrees from Oxford and UCL including a PhD on Ideas in Science. Most importantly though, Eitan is a father of two boys and can often be found chasing them around the beautiful Kent countryside!   Connect with Dr. Eitan Buchalter on LinkedIn

In this episode of the Fueling Creativity Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Anna Abraham, an E. Paul Torrance Professor in UGA’s Department of Educational Psychology and Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education.    In part two of this two-part interview, you’ll gain insight into the work of E. Paul Torrance, the father of creativity and education, along with the work that Anna is now doing within the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development. She shares her vision for the department and how she intends on building upon the work of Torrance, particularly via The Torrance Festival of Ideas. As the Founding Editor of The Cambridge Elements Series in Creativity and the Imagination, Anna also sheds light on the key insights she’s learned about imagination and wonder.   “If you’ve managed to cultivate wonder in your student, you have done something magical.”  - Anna Abraham   “Being in the College of Education, our role is to be a resource, an educational resource, and part of that is getting people very instrumental together to talk about ideas that are really relevant for the community at large.”  - Anna Abraham   Anna’s Tips for Teachers and Parents: See creativity as not the domain of a few, but a skill that is basic to all of us.  Having recognized that you have this creative ability, think about what it can do for you- not as a way to make money or prove your productivity, but as a way to discover yourself and the power of your own mind. Don’t stop being creative. Keep at it, even if it’s for a few minutes each day!   About Anna Abraham: Anna Abraham, Ph.D. is the E. Paul Torrance Professor and the Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. Her educational and professional training has been within the disciplines of Psychology and Neuroscience, and she has worked across a diverse range of academic institutions and departments the world over, all of which have informed her multidisciplinary focus. She investigates the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying creativity and other aspects of the human imagination. Her wide-ranging contributions to the field of creativity include theoretical, methodological and empirical advances in the context of basic and applied research. She has penned numerous publications including the sole authored book, The Neuroscience of Creativity (2018, Cambridge University Press), and the multidisciplinary edited volume, The Cambridge Handbook of the Imagination (2020). She is the Founding Editor of The Cambridge Elements Series in Creativity and the Imagination.    Visit Anna's websiteConnect with her on LinkedIn   Resources Mentioned: Listen to part 1 linked needed Sign up to join The Torrance Festival of Ideas Listen to the episode with Natalie NixonListen to the episode with Jeffrey Davis   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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!  

Is there a difference between an imaginative mind and a creative mind? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Anna Abraham, an E. Paul Torrance Professor and Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. Anna investigates the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying creativity and other aspects of the human imagination.   In part one of this two-part interview, you’ll gain insight into the similarities and differences between a creative mind and an imaginative mind based on neuroscientific research. Anna breaks down her findings on the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying creativity and how teachers can translate these to a classroom environment. Anna also identifies problems and potential solutions in unimodal forms of teaching and learning as part of the standard educational curriculum.    Plus, she shares her candid thoughts, from a neuroscience perspective, on the question: Can creativity be taught?   About Anna Abraham: Anna Abraham, Ph.D. is the E. Paul Torrance Professor and the Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. Her educational and professional training has been within the disciplines of Psychology and Neuroscience, and she has worked across a diverse range of academic institutions and departments the world over, all of which have informed her multidisciplinary focus. She investigates the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying creativity and other aspects of the human imagination. Her wide-ranging contributions to the field of creativity include theoretical, methodological and empirical advances in the context of basic and applied research. She has penned numerous publications including the sole authored book, The Neuroscience of Creativity (2018, Cambridge University Press), and the multidisciplinary edited volume, The Cambridge Handbook of the Imagination (2020). She is the Founding Editor of The Cambridge Elements Series in Creativity and the Imagination.    Visit Anna's websiteConnect with her on LinkedIn   Resources Mentioned: Listen to part 2 linked needed Internet of Us by Michael P. Lynch   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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!  

What were the biggest lessons learned during the first five episodes in Season Three of the Fueling Creativity podcast? In this Bridging the Gap episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood sit down and reflect on episodes that discussed reluctant creativity, inquiry-based learning, multi-cultural creativity, and integrating design ethics into the K-12 classroom.    Listen in as Cyndi and Matthew break down the following insights.   Major Takeaways from Season Three, Episodes 1-5:   Creative competency. Seeing creative thinking as a competency is more powerful and, most importantly, addresses its application in the real world. It's less about expressing the skill in the classroom and more about how you use and modify those skills in different environments.    Reluctant Creativity. When the pandemic hit, teachers across the grades were thrown into challenging teaching environments. The reluctant creatives who were less likely to engage creativity under normal circumstances were forced to engage to overcome many of these instructional challenges.    Resources Mentioned:   Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross Listen to the episode with David Cropley  Listen to the episode with Frank LaBanca Listen to the episode with Gene Letford Listen to the episode with Caroline Brookfield Listen to the episode with Bea Leiderman   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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!

Fueling Creativity S3 Ep 6 with Bea Leiderman   What are the benefits of being a novice learner?  How does having a personal passion or interest benefit your work as an educator? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Bea Leiderman, an educational technology coach based in Virginia with over 20 years of experience in education.  In 2012, macrophotography became Bea’s gateway to learning about science, biology, and the natural environment. As a novice learner, Bea had the opportunity to consider learning from a new perspective, later changing her approach to teaching. Bea sheds light on the power of being a novice as an educator by sharing her first interaction with macrophotography and how it has since influenced her teaching methods. They talk about the importance of finding joy in learning for yourself, exploring non-educational blogs and resources, and the connection that can be built between educators and students when you’re both learning something new. Can you maintain a level of control while students explore their creativity? How do you raise curious children? Is it important to limit the technology and screen time your kids are exposed to? Listen in to hear Bea’s answers!   “Creativity is at the most creative when it’s cross-disciplinary, it’s outward-focused rather than inward-focused.” - Bea Leiderman   View Bea’s Macro Photography on Instagram   Bea’s Tips for Teachers and Parents: Expose your kids to lots of things, even things that may not be traditionally meant for kids. Different types of music, old movies, museums, festivals, factories, etc. Be interested in what your kids are interested in and don’t make fun of what they like.  Be open to social media and not “the hype”. Find the interesting, passionate, quirky people on social media. There’s something to learn from everything and everyone. Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to do something simple or be a novice. Look for things that bring you joy and fun.    “You end up learning all sorts of things by following people who are interested in things that are completely different from what you’re doing.” - Bea Leiderman   Resources Mentioned: Listen to the episode with Ron BeghettoListen to the episode with Dr. James Kaufman Listen to the episode with Dr. Caroline BrookfieldListen to the episode with Wendy Ross  Listen to the episode with Dr. Sally ReisCreativity blog series by Punya Mishra   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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!   About Bea Leiderman: Bea is an educational technology coach in Prince Edward County, Virginia, and has over twenty years of experience in education. Her focus has always been on giving students experiences that lead to learning. In 2012, Bea bought a macro lens attachment for her iPhone camera. Macrophotography became a gateway to learning about science, biology, and the natural environment in ways she didn’t initially anticipate. Being a novice learner gave Bea the opportunity to consider learning from a new perspective that has changed how she approaches teaching. Bea has written several books about insects showcasing her photography and inviting readers to explore and learn.   Follow her on Instagram Follow her on Twitter  

Why is inquiry-based learning such a powerful part of modern education? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Frank LaBanca, a teacher, educational researcher, and change agent based in Connecticut. Frank is one of the few public-school principals, nationally, that teaches students in his own classroom. Tune in to learn his approach to inquiry-based learning, a significant part of his strategic planning in founding the Westside Middle School Academy Magnet.    Frank shares why he prioritizes inquiry-based learning in the classroom over other approaches to education as well as the role of inquiry-based learning in developing creativity and problem-solving skills. He speaks on the power of teaching students to ask meaningful questions, how he does that, and how he helps teachers develop the capacity to implement and manage project-based learning in the classroom.    “Inquiry is questioning and investigation. In that simple elegance, it’s a wonderful way to approach learning because children can ask meaningful questions and seek their own idiosyncratic, diverse methods to try to solve those problems.” - Dr. Frank LaBanca   Frank also highlights the value of teachers not being the ultimate evaluators of students’ work, rather their work being evaluated by others in the real world. Then, he divulges how he selected new faculty for his school, the challenges he and his administrative colleagues are currently facing, and how his creative projects outside of school that inspire his professional development.   Frank’s Tips for Teachers and Parents: Spend time problem-finding. Don’t rush students through the process of developing ideas for study. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. Let it be exciting to not have answers for your students’/kids’ questions. Have confidence to facilitate the process of finding their own answers. There’s a continuum between developing ideas and solving ideas.  Don't be focused on just solving ideas.   “Developing questions takes time and students need and deserve the time to go through that process of evaluating questions.” - Dr. Frank LaBanca   “I think a really important part of inquiry is you learn to do and about at the same time.” - Dr. Frank LaBanca   Resources Mentioned: Listen to the episode with Natalie NixonListen to the episode with Jeffrey Davis Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad Glaveanu   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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!   About Dr. Frank LaBanca: Dr. Frank LaBanca is a teacher, educational researcher, and change agent. He is the Founding Principal of the Westside Middle School Academy magnet in Danbury, Connecticut. Previously he was the Director of the Center for 21st Century Skills at Education Connection as well as a 16-year high school biology and science research teacher. Dr. LaBanca has also taught and supervised research at the university level in both Biology and Educational Leadership. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, whitepapers, and research conference presentations. Having taught well over 2000 students, Dr. LaBanca’s most meaningful contribution to education is conducting extended open-inquiry authentic applied research with students. Over his tenure, numerous students have been nationally recognized for their work. He is one of the few public school principals, nationally, that teaches his own class with students.    Visit Frank’s website  Visit his blog Follow him on Twitter Connect with him on LinkedIn    

How does culture impact a person’s ability to learn and be creative?   In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak withGenein Letford, Founder and CEO of CAFFEE Strategies, a top 'intercultural creative thinking' professional development training organization that trains employees to unleash their innovative thinking and create sustainable, organizational inclusion strategies. Tune in to learn the fundamentals of cultural competence and Intercultural Creativity™ along with neuroscience-backed tips for teachers on helping kids grow their cultural competency.   As a trainer on creative thinking and Intercultural Creativity™, Genein has inspired and led many to reconnect to their creative abilities and produce innovative ideas for an inclusive workspace.   Genein shares her thoughts on the impact of knowing your students’ cultural value as well as how to help students become aware of their value and their cultural capital. She highlights the powerful role of emotions and storytelling in learning, then breaks down a few of the gems from her book, The 7 Gems of Intercultural Creativity, including empathetic imagination and perspective shifting. Plus, Genein sheds light on how her work as an educator has inspired her role as a mother.   “We can’t really ask people and young people to be at their full creative best if they’re not in an inclusive environment that really has those cultural connections… That cultural competence is a big part of your creative thinking and creative growth.”      - Genein Letford Genein’s Tips for Teachers and Parents: Share last. Your perspective may skew the perspective of the students, so encourage them to share their views and ideas first and then share yours afterwards. Say “thank you” to students who share their answers, ideas, and views. There are miracles in the metaphors. Bring metaphors into your day, your lessons, and your meetings and have fun with it. Arts are key. Artistry helps grow creativity. Observation is also key. You can’t be creative if you have no data to be creative with, so create activities that combine sensory information, for example, going outside and listening to the sounds of nature.   “Knowing that the cultural capital and the cultural experiences that the children are coming in with is key. That is gold because the brain doesn’t learn by just throwing new information to it, the brain learns through integration, by integrating new information to already learned information. And so, if the teacher or the educator… doesn’t know what the child already knows and what is important to the child, that integration is low.”                        - Genein Letford   Resources Mentioned: The 7 Gems of Intercultural Creativity by Genein Letford Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad Glaveanu The Torrance Incubation Model (TIM) Listen to Create and Grow Podcast Ep 74 Listen to Create and Grow Podcast Ep 66 Listen to Create and Grow Podcast Ep 79   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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!   About Genein Letford: Genein Letford is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author and corporate trainer on creative thinking and Intercultural Creativity™. She is the founder of CAFFE Strategies, and has inspired and led many to reconnect to their creative abilities in order to produce innovative ideas for an inclusive workspace. Her unique training intersects creative thinking development with building a culture of inclusion and belonging. She believes creative literacy is a critical skill and she is often called ‘America’s Creativity Coach’ for her work in reigniting creativity in our workforce.   Visit Genein's website Connect with her on LinkedIn Follow her on Instagram Listen to the Create and Grow Rich Podcast

How might we help ourselves and others be more willing to express our creativity? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Caroline Brookfield, a veterinarian, researcher, and stand-up comedian who delights in using humor and immersive experiences, backed up with research, to sway the most reluctant creative. Today, the dynamic trio delves into Caroline’s experience melding the worlds of veterinary medicine, comedy, and creativity. They also talk about the relationship between multi-passionate creatives and reluctant creatives.   For some of us, there is a desire or need to explore as many interests as we possibly can. Hence, the terms multi-passionate and multiple potentialities. For reluctant creatives, there is a resistance to acknowledging or expressing their creativity.   Listen in to learn the benefits of embracing your creativity and how to tap into it for future success. Caroline shares her science-based approach to exciting people about creativity and how teachers can use it to encourage students who say they’re not creative to express their creativity. She also highlights various creative thinking skills for dealing with judgement around what students, parents, and administration will think about integrating creativity and risk-taking into the classroom.    “Over the last 10-15 years, I kept getting drawn into these creative endeavors, like acting classes or trying stand-up comedy or building businesses, and it took me a long time to connect the dots and realize it’s all about expressing my creativity.” - Dr. Caroline Brookfield   Caroline’s Tips for Teachers and Parents: Try to incorporate more M’s for Maybes. School can be very black and white at times, so try to build in ambiguity to your lessons.  Edit later! Just try something new. Nobody is really going to care about what you do if the stakes are low.  Take time to regularly relax and turn things off. We need you so take care of yourself. “You actually don’t have to even be good at what you do creatively to get the benefits of it.” - Dr. Caroline Brookfield   Resources Mentioned: Read Caroline’s New Book: The Reluctant Creative! Listen to the episode with Dr. Sally Reis Listen to the episode with Natalie NixonListen to the episode with Jeffrey Davis Listen to the episode with Wendy Ross Listen to the episode with Jonathan Plucker   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   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!   About Dr. Caroline Brookfield: Caroline believes that if everyone took small, unconventional actions to embrace their creativity, we could change the world. Veterinarian, researcher, and stand-up comedian, she delights in using humor and immersive experiences, backed up with research, to sway the most reluctant creative. Benefits range from personal physical and emotional results to organizational success. Caroline presents convincing evidence of the ROI of creativity for individuals and organizations, expressed in her passionate yet lighthearted and engaging style.  She is always up for a challenge, like learning guitar, rock climbing, getting her kids to eat vegetables, surfing, meditation retreats with sniper rifles. You know, the usual stuff.  Caroline received honors for her veterinary degree from the Ontario Veterinary College, is a certified level 2 Creative Problem Solving facilitator, and holds a Certificate of Professional Management from the University of Calgary, where she lives, Her lectures go unheeded by her family. The dog listens, sometimes.   Visit Caroline’s website Connect with her on LinkedIn Follow her on Instagram