Inspiring Creativity and Innovation in K-12. Douglas Reeves

      

       Solutions for Digital Learner–Centered Classrooms

      Inspiring Creativity and Innovation in K–12

      Douglas Reeves

      Copyright © 2015 by Solution Tree Press

      Materials appearing here are copyrighted. With one exception, all rights are reserved. Readers may reproduce only those pages marked “Reproducible.” Otherwise, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher.

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      Printed in the United States of America

      19 18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4 5

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Reeves, Douglas B., 1953-

      Inspiring creativity and innovation in K-12 / Douglas B. Reeves.

      pages cm

      Includes bibliographical references.

      ISBN 978-1-936765-30-0 (perfect bound) 1. Creative thinking--Study and teaching--United States. 2. Creative ability--Study and teaching--United States. 3. Creative thinking in children--United States. I. Title.

      LB1590.5.R44 2015

      370.15’70951249--dc23

      2015008897

      Solution Tree Jeffrey C. Jones, CEO Edmund M. Ackerman, President

      Solution Tree Press President: Douglas M. Rife Associate Acquisitions Editor: Kari Gillesse Editorial Director: Lesley Bolton Managing Production Editor: Caroline Weiss Senior Production Editor: Christine Hood Proofreader: Elisabeth Abrams Text and Cover Designer: Rian Anderson Compositor: Rachel Smith

      For Amy

       Acknowledgments

      One of the most important lessons in the study of creativity is that the myth of the lone genius is a particularly destructive one, leading us to believe that real creative endeavors are solitary. Work that acknowledges the assistance of others is, in one of the worst epithets that can be hurled in the academic community, merely “derivative.” Writers not only have muses but also those who provide intellectual and emotional support that are essential to the production of every book.

      Lauren Kruczkowski provided vital assistance in collecting an international sample of creativity rubrics and helped with their analysis. In addition, Lauren processed a decade of results on PLCs and helped to synthesize the data and render a complex and disparate sea of reports into a comprehensible set of data. In both cases, her efforts led to original research that is published for the first time in these pages. Brooks Reeves offered helpful comments on early drafts of the chapters and, in the course of vigorous discussions, helped to frame my thinking on this subject.

      Readers can thank Christine Hood and her colleagues at Solution Tree Press for proving Stephen King’s dictum that to write is human, to edit, divine. The book is shorter and more accessible because of their efforts. Douglas Rife, the president of Solution Tree Press, had the vision for a series of brief and focused books that bring complex topics to readers in a user-friendly format. Jeff Jones, the CEO of Solution Tree, leads an organization whose mission is to advance the work of its authors. Every author can only hope for the sort of supportive and intellectually challenging environment that Solution Tree provides.

      The reference section is woefully insufficient to acknowledge my debt to the authors on whose research and wisdom I depend. I must nevertheless single out for special appreciation Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Richard DuFour, Howard Gardner, John Hattie, and Grant Wiggins.

      Although I am grateful for the people listed in the foregoing paragraphs, the inevitable errors and omissions are mine alone.

      Douglas Reeves

      Boston, Massachusetts

      Visit go.solution-tree.com/technology to download the reproducibles in this book.

      Table of Contents

       About the Author

       Chapter 1: Why Creativity Is Vital

       Creative Discomfort

       Delayed Feedback

       Abdication of Authority

       Disciplinary Silos

       Chapter 2: Building a Creative Culture

       Mistake-Tolerant Culture

       Rigorous Decision-Making System

       Culture That Nurtures Creativity

       Leadership Team That Models and Supports Creativity

       Creative Environment Rubric

       Chapter 3: How Educators and Leaders Discourage Creativity

       Practices That Undermine Creativity

       Rarely Give Students Unfettered Rein

       Offer Creative Work to Students as a Reward

       Focus on Individual Rather Than Group Work

       Use Brainstorming as the Best Way to Generate New Ideas

       Demand That Student Work Is Right the First Time

       Insist That Creative Work Is Immune From Evaluation and Criticism

       Avoid Assessment of Creativity

       Attitudes and Beliefs That Undermine Creativity

       Creativity Is a Natural Talent or Gift

       Real Creative Work Is Distinctly Original

       Creativity Cannot Happen Without Inspiration

       Left-Brain and Right-Brain Differences Heavily Influence Creativity

       Creative Inspiration Is Like Lightning

       Standards of Evidence

       Personal Beliefs