Creativity Archives - Page 13 of 23

Jul 22 2019

Here’s How to Empower Students While Also Hitting the Standards

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowering Students One Comment

Student ownership sounds like a great idea but what about the standards? How do we teach all of the standards while also empowering students with voice and choice? How do we accomplish this when we have a curriculum map? Rethinking the Curriculum Map It…

Jul 16 2019

Learning Is About More Than Just Speed and Accuracy

By John Spencer Creativity No Comments

When I was in the first grade, I was a tiger at reading. Tigers were fast. We knew how to tear through the text with speed and precision. But we weren't nearly as fast as jaguars. The jaguars sat at the front table, where they…

Jul 08 2019

Make Something Awesome This Summer

By John Spencer Creativity No Comments

I first wrote this blog post back in 2014. I was teaching 8th grade at the time and I wrote it as much for myself as for an audience. I'm reposting it now. "Dad, that's not even close to proper first position." "Okay, show me…

Jun 10 2019

Sometimes a Quieter Classroom Is Actually the Answer

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 3 Comments

A few years ago, my parents purchased the ultimate HGTV-style home, replete with vaulted ceilings, granite countertops, and an open floorplan. This was the dream space for entertaining. People could seamlessly move from the kitchen to the dining room to the family room – which…

May 30 2019

The Case for More Recess

By John Spencer Creativity 3 Comments

We tend to view recess as a break from learning. However, free play is actually a vital part of the learning process. Play boosts divergent thinking, flexible thinking, and creativity. It helps students learn critical social-emotional skills. Unfortunately, in many schools, students are losing recess…

May 20 2019

Growth Mindset is Great But Children Need Affirmation

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 2 Comments

A little over a decade ago, I read Mindset by Carol Dweck and it had a profound influence on my life. It affirmed something I knew as a teacher. Students show up to school with fixed and growth mindsets. As a teacher, I can do…

May 13 2019

What Happens When Students Don’t Finish Projects? (Hint: It’s Not As Bad As It Seems)

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 3 Comments

About a decade ago, I had a group of students who had a great concept. They would make a paper mural. It would be shaped like the U.S.-Mexico border and it would have a picture of the Statue of Liberty in the middle with a…

May 03 2019

Writing Prompt: Tell the Story of Your First Pet (Download for Free)

By John Spencer Creativity No Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a13Cj82rT7Y&t=1s I'm going to start sharing each video prompt I create on YouTube. If you like these prompts, please consider subscribing to my channel. This one is designed for younger students, though I could totally see secondary students running with this as a chance to…

Apr 25 2019

Download the Free Design Thinking Toolkit for Teachers

By John Spencer Creativity 3 Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrNvgyvs1GU Design thinking is a human-centered, empathy-driven process for creative work. The LAUNCH framework is a student-friendly design thinking framework you can use in your classroom. It includes three critical elements for creative work: structure, interdependency, and student ownership. As a teacher, you can use…

Apr 19 2019

Making Is Magic

By John Spencer Creativity, Design Thinking 3 Comments

This article is part of a longer series on design thinking, a flexible framework for empathy-driven creative work. The Power of Prototyping A few days ago, I got the opportunity to do a keynote in Boyertown, Pennsylvania. One of my highlights was the student display area,…