Creativity Archives - Page 8 of 24

Nov 15 2021

Dwayne Reed on the importance of STEM in education

Dwayne Reed on the Power of STEM Education

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 2 Comments

Last week, I had the honor of interviewing Dwayne Reed (aka Mr. Reed) about the importance of STEM education. In this interview, he shared big ideas about the purpose of STEM – including 3M Science at Home – but also specific practical strategies and first…

Oct 29 2021

Teachers Need a Genius Hour, Too

By John Spencer Creativity, Professional Development, Teacher Life 5 Comments

In my hardest year of teaching, we had a toxic school culture after a leadership change. I had panic attacks in the parking lot. Eight teachers quit by December. I had a stretch of nineteen days where I had no prep period. For me, community,…

Oct 11 2021

9 Teacher-Tested Ways to Build Student Ownership into Informational Reading

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast One Comment

When we think of choice-based reading, we often imagine silent reading with novels. However, we can take a student-centered, choice-based approach to non-fiction as well. In this article, we explore nine different areas of student empowerment within informational text reading. Listen to the Podcast If…

Oct 04 2021

Empower symbol with fist and lightning bolts

You Don’t Have to Be a Martyr to Do Student-Centered Learning

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowering Students, Podcast, Teacher Life 4 Comments

It's been quite a year so far in American education. Between school board battles over Critical Race Theory to protests over mask mandates, we are seeing significant social strife playing out in the context of our schools. We're also seeing school staff shortages, leading to…

Sep 27 2021

Dr. Sarah McAnulty smiles while holding a beaker with a squid inside

Dr. Sarah McAnulty on How Classrooms Can Connect with Scientists

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast No Comments

It's important that students get a chance to chase their curiosity and connect with experts in the field. This can help inspire possibilities for all students. In my latest podcast episode, I interviewed Dr. Sarah McAnulty about what she's doing to help connect classrooms to…

Sep 07 2021

Boy thinking with a thought bubble and a question mark

How to Use Strategic Confusion for Deeper Learning

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 12 Comments

For the last three weeks, I have been planning out this semester's courses. I am teaching eight courses ranging from fully in-person to fully virtual but synchronous (using Zoom) to fully asynchronous and online with a combined hybrid approach mixed in. My goal is to…

Aug 25 2021

How a Free T-Shirt Helped Me Rethink Professional Speaking Attire

By John Spencer Creativity No Comments

I am an incessant doodler and constant illustrator. I tend to make sense out of ideas by sketching them in notebooks and whiteboards and random scraps of paper. However, when I first began this blog back in 2002, I hid my artistic side. I wrote…

Aug 18 2021

What Ted Lasso (And These Three Other TV Shows) Taught Me About Being an Educator

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast, Teacher Life 2 Comments

I never cry while watching a drama. I can feel all the feels of a serious motion picture but it will never move me to tears. This isn't a hyper-macho "dudes don't cry thing." I'm a pretty sensitive guy. It's just a reality of my…

Aug 07 2021

Sometimes Student Choice Isn’t the Answer in Reading

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowered Readers, Podcast No Comments

In my previous articles, I've explored how we can empower students with voice and choice in reading. However, today's article provides some nuance. While we need to empower readers to own their learning and we need to create extended periods of choice-based independent reading time,…

Jul 26 2021

Less Work. More Reading.

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowered Readers, Empowering Students, Podcast One Comment

This is part of a series on empowering readers. If you're interested, I also have a self-paced course where I walk you through practical ways that you can empower your students in the reading process. Some people say that it's better to ask forgiveness than…

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.

Creativity

Dwayne Reed on the Power of STEM Education

Teachers Need a Genius Hour, Too

9 Teacher-Tested Ways to Build Student Ownership into Informational Reading

You Don’t Have to Be a Martyr to Do Student-Centered Learning

Dr. Sarah McAnulty on How Classrooms Can Connect with Scientists

How to Use Strategic Confusion for Deeper Learning

How a Free T-Shirt Helped Me Rethink Professional Speaking Attire

What Ted Lasso (And These Three Other TV Shows) Taught Me About Being an Educator

Sometimes Student Choice Isn’t the Answer in Reading

Less Work. More Reading.

Dr. John Spencer

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Dr. John Spencer

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