Merlin Mann stated that employees’ motivation increases when they get to “build a robot” once in a while. That is, do something creative beyond regular work. Can we do this at school? Offices have “casual Fridays,” can we have “curiosity Fridays?”
All AboutCreativity
Fluency: Asking For (Way) More Than One Answer
Being able to generate many possible answers is key to high-level thinking. So why don’t we ask students to do it more often?
Torrance’s Manifesto for Children
My friend Brian introduced me to Torrance’s Manifesto for Children – and I wish I had seen it decades ago!
From Dull To Creative With One Simple Trick
How a small change, with very little effort on the teacher’s part, leads to a delightfully complex task that can suitably challenge students of all ability levels.
Highlighting the Messy Process Behind Beautiful Products
We’re very aware of our own messy processes, but end up comparing that with other people’s beautiful, final products. It’s a sure path to impostor syndrome, thinking you’re the only one who struggles to create.
21st Century Careers
I’ve been speaking recently about a topic dear to my heart: the exciting, 21st careers that await our students. But it’s easy to get caught up in what I call The Three Step Story: Get good grades Go to a good college Get a good job I wrote about this in Success Isn’t A Straight […]
Review: Creativity For Everybody
My friend Kathryn Haydon recently released a book called Creativity For Everybody. It’s a very quick read and a nice overview of creativity. My favorite qualities of this book are: Each pair of pages stand on their own. You can flip anywhere and read the idea without being lost. In fact, the authors expressly encourage […]
Creative Coloring Books
I recently took a trip to New York and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. In the gift shop they had a series of fantastic coloring books based on famous artists, including: Dali, Van Gogh, and Monet.
Start A Lesson With A Music Video
I love collecting intriguing images and videos – things that stop me in my tracks and pique my curiosity. I always figure that if it fascinates me, students would probably be interested also. Often, these visuals work as wonderful hooks for a lesson you need to teach.
Studying Ambiguous Sentences
This type of sentence has great possibilities for classroom application because of its two different interpretations. It’s a perfect tool to: demonstrate careful reading, showcase the need for editing while writing, and encourage creativity and divergent thinking.
