Nine Ways to Help Students Embrace the Revision Process Blog Post

I have noticed that students often hate the revision phase. In the design thinking cycle, they go from research to ideation and building a prototype. It seems cool. They’re excited about what they made. But then when we switch to testing and revising, they get…

Sometimes Less Technology Means More Creativity Blog Post

I’m a fan of digital writing. After all, I’m sitting at my computer typing right now. And yet, when it comes to my deepest writing, I nearly always scribble it out by hand. When I’m stuck, I doodle. When I plan, I sketch out webs….

Why “Wasting Time” Is Vital for Creative Thinking Blog Post

When I was a kid, I spent hours drawing pictures. Even when I wasn’t supposed to be drawing, I doodled. I sketched cartoons on the back of sermon handouts. I drew characters on the margins of the notes I took in class.  For me, drawing…

The Food Truck Mindset Blog Post

When we think of innovative companies, it’s easy to imagine an open-air tech startup with ping pong tables and free drinks and huge windows and chairs so modern you’re not sure how you’re supposed to sit in them. Sometimes I look at those spaces and think,…

Eight Alternatives to Boring Staff Development Blog Post

I’m not a fan of traditional staff in-service. I know that people are doing their best. However, it can be hit or miss, because it’s often stuck in a format or in a topic that doesn’t fit who I am. Here are eight alternatives that…

The Paradox of Play Blog Post

Christy and I are picking orange blossoms. Unlike the desert plants, the blossoms don’t affect my allergies one bit. Between the heavy scent and the thrill of dodging bees, it is hard to imagine that anything else exists in our world beyond the moment. We…