In this latest podcast episode, I interview Manuel Herrera on the idea of visual thinking and how to make it a reality in the K-12 classroom. Manuel shares specific strategies and key insights to help you on your visual thinking and sketchnoting journey. Listen to…
There are so many different ways we can empower students to own the learning; from owning the assessment process to doing choice menus and choice boards to having students engage in project-based learning. In this article, we explore how Geek Out Blogs allow students to…
Every year, I ask my pedagogy students about their most memorable learning experience as a learner, whether it was in school or out in the “real world.” Nearly every example involves a creative project. These were the moments when learning stuck and often it was…
In this episode, I interview Dr. Lorea Martinez about social-emotional learning. Dr. Martinez is the author of Teaching with the HEART in Mind: A Complete Educator’s Guide to Social Emotional Learning. She is a true expert in SEL and provides important ideas and key insights…
Creative collaboration can be challenging at every every level of education. Sometimes the issue is work imbalance, with one student doing the majority of the work while others slack off. The term organizational psychology is “cognitive loafing.” In some cases, it can feel like one…
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…
In our world, we have these rules that creative types are supposed to follow. However, Austin Kleon, a self-described, “writer who draws,” takes those rules and tears them to shreds. Or maybe not. Maybe he turns them upside down or folds them into a paper…
When I was a kid, I loved watching reality TV. Okay, it wasn’t really reality TV. It was PBS. However, I would watch an entire season of This Old House, as Bob Vila walked viewers step-by-step through a cumbersome restoration process. This never included a…
In my latest podcast episode, I interview Jed Dearybury. He’s a deep thinker and a creative spirit. As the co-author of The Playful Classroom, Jed advocates for integrating play into every aspect of school; from curriculum and instruction to assessment to the classroom culture to…
It’s supposed to snow this week, which reminds me of a moment four years ago when it snowed. We were from Phoenix, which meant our children had spent their lives experiencing the two seasons of blazingly hot and nice. The only thing that changed color…
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.
