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Jul 01 2025

The Slow Work of Great Teaching – Why Speed Can’t Be the Only Metric for Student Success

By John Spencer Depth Advantage, Podcast 2 Comments
When I was a student, I thought I was a top tier reader. My teacher didn't do numbers for our reading groups. She chose large cats. But I knew that it was better to be a Lion than an Ocelot. I knew my reading level.…
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Jun 04 2025

Deeper Learning is a Better Path Forward

By John Spencer Creativity, Depth Advantage, Podcast No Comments
Teaching has always been challenging, but right now it feels heavier. In this piece, I share a conversation with Mike, a fifth-grade teacher who’s feeling the weight of tech distractions, AI-written essays, student apathy, and the pressure to do it all. The usual quick fixes…
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May 21 2025

Teachers Are the Champions of Depth in a Culture of Distractions

By John Spencer Creativity, Depth Advantage, Podcast No Comments
In classrooms across the country, something subtle but powerful is taking shape. Amidst the distractions, the surface-level shortcuts, and the pressure to speed everything up, I’ve seen students quietly shift from passive to active. They've gone from compliant to curious and from distracted to dialed…
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Apr 29 2025

Why Deeper Learning Is a Critical Advantage in the Age of AI

By John Spencer Creativity, Depth Advantage, Podcast One Comment
The future is unpredictable. So, when we try to design learning experiences that "prepare students for the future," we have to recognize that we don't always know what they'll need. In this article, I explore the counterintuitive reality that the best way to prepare students…
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Apr 22 2025

In a World of AI, Content Curation Is More Important Than Ever

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Podcast, Technology and Media Literacy One Comment
Content curation is a vital part of the creative process. In this blog post and podcast, we explore why curation matters and how we can help students learn how to engage in the curation process. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy this blog but…
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Apr 16 2025

Sam Marsden on the Value of Improv Games to Spark Creative Thinking

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast No Comments
In my latest podcast episode, I interview Samantha Marsden, who shares how drama and improve strategies can help students gain creative confidence, improve their communication skills, and engage in iterative thinking. Her new book Acting Games for Improv is out and I highly recommend it.…
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Apr 08 2025

We Want Students to Be Creative, But How Do We Assess This?

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 8 Comments
We know that creativity is vital for student learning. We also know that we tend to value the things we assess. However, when we assess creativity, we can unwittingly cause students to become risk-averse. So, how do we assess creativity in a way that encourages…
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Apr 02 2025

Centaurs, Cyborgs, and Coffee-Bearded Logos – Seven Ways AI Is Changing Creativity

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Podcast One Comment
About a week ago, ChatGPT rolled out a major update to its image generation and suddenly my feed was flooded with AI-generated images in the style of Studio Ghibli. While the results are impressive (yes, it finally gets hands and text right) but also pretty…
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Mar 26 2025

Ten Ways to Use AI for Deeper Learning and Mastery

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Podcast No Comments
We often hear about AI and student cheating. This is a valid concern. But I'd like to highlight ways that we can use AI for deeper mastery. In this post (and podcast), I explore how we can move beyond using AI for quick answers and…
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Mar 20 2025

Ten Traditional Teaching Practices that Still Belong in a PBL Unit

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast, Project-Based Learning No Comments
While it's easy to reject traditional teaching practices as "less authentic" in PBL, we explore why these ten strategies actually belong in PBL unit plans. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy this blog but you’d like to listen to it on the go, just…
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Dr. John Spencer

I’m a professor and a maker. Sometimes I make things. Sometimes I make a difference. On a good day, I get to do both.

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    Dr. John Spencer

    As a former middle school teacher and current full-time professor and best-selling author, I’m a big believer in empowering students (and teachers) through the power of creativity. Whether you sign up for one of my online courses, enroll in one of my cohorts or invite me to spend time with your staff, I promise you’ll walk away with a fresh perspective and new ideas to transform your classroom.

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