Blog - Page 29 of 49 - Spencer Education

Nov 15 2018

Taking Choice Menus to the Next Level for Student Ownership

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast 4 Comments

Recently, I asked my students (pre-service teachers who are currently in their practicum) about the ultimate goal of education. Some described the need for raising democratic citizens who will think critically about the world. A larger group described the need for preparing students for the global…

Nov 09 2018

Why Balance Is Critical for Creative Work

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 2 Comments

Earlier this week, my friend George Couros wrote a wonderful post about seeing the value in balance and it had me thinking about the role of balance in creativity and teaching. Years ago, my friend Wayne gave me some great advice about balance and self-care.…

Nov 03 2018

Why Teachers Should Experience Productive Struggle

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 3 Comments

I'm sitting in front of the computer blinking, ready to press the "submit" button; knowing that if I missed this problem, the progress bar will drop down another 25% and I'll spend half an hour trying to get back up to where I was. At…

Oct 26 2018

Seven Stages in Moving from Consuming to Creating

By John Spencer Creativity, Creativity Deconstructed, Podcast 7 Comments

I used to believe that creativity began in the mind. Ideas popped in and people responded externally by making things. I would get frustrated when students came into class having only used technology to consume rather than create. I would beg them to take risks…

Sep 30 2018

Seven Things That Happen When Students Share Their Work

By John Spencer Creativity, Design Thinking, Podcast 3 Comments

When my middle son was in the third grade, he volunteered to share a joke with a big audience at a family camp. As I watched him standing in the line with older kids and quite a few adults, I felt nervous. What would happen…

Sep 06 2018

What Can Making It Teach Us About Creativity in the Classroom?

By John Spencer Creativity, Creativity Deconstructed No Comments

I’m a huge fan of Parks and Recreation because of a surprising element: being earnest. Yes, the show is goofy and the city of Pawnee can feel cartoonish at first glance. However, the characters feel surprisingly real. Most comedies move their characters further and further toward…

Aug 31 2018

Five Structures for Helping Students Learn Project Management

By John Spencer Creative Collaboration, Creativity, Podcast, Project-Based Learning 14 Comments

If we want students to think like artists, entrepreneurs, and engineers, they need the chance to design real projects. But this also requires students to learn how to engage in project management. The following is a short video on the project management process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7yZutiwRso&t=26s …

Aug 24 2018

Ten Old-School Tech Skills Your Students Never Had to Deal With

By John Spencer Innovation, Podcast No Comments

I was born in the Ice Age, when Ice Cube, Ice-T, and Vanilla Ice were all the rage. If you had told me as a child that Ice-T would someday play a cop on TV, I would have thought you were crazy. As a kid,…

Aug 13 2018

Five Ways to Boost Metacognition In the Classroom

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 30 Comments

If we want students to develop into critical thinking, lifelong learners, we need them to develop metacognitive skills. Metacognition is vital for helping students become self-directed learners (both self-managers and self-starters). It will help them navigate the complexities of a changing world and it will…

Aug 01 2018

cardboard arcades from the LAUNCH Academy

Five Key Takeaways from the LAUNCH Academy #launchacademy

By John Spencer Creativity, Design Thinking No Comments

A.J. Juliani and I led our first ever LAUNCH Academy last week. At first, I was nervous and even overwhelmed by the epic feel of the ARC building. Seriously, this looks like something out of Hogwarts. (Picture by Autumn Elizabeth) But if the building was epic,…