The Creative Classroom with John Spencer

By John Spencer

Education K-12

What's The Creative Classroom with John Spencer about?

John Spencer is passionate about seeing schools embrace creativity and design thinking. In this podcast, he explores the intersection of creative thinking and student learning.

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LAST EPISODE

Interview with Shark Tank S...

03.27.2023

I recently had the honor of interviewing Shark Tank star and entrepreneur Daymond John. He just released a children’s book that I’m really excited about. In this podcast episode, he talks about rethinking financial literacy and entrepreneurship for children. Check ...

The Creative Classroom with John Spencer episodes:

03.27.2023 Interview with Shark Tank Star and Entrepreneur Daymond John I recently had the honor of interviewing Shark Tank star and entrepreneur Daymond John. He just released a children’s book that I’m really excited about. In this podcast episode, he talks about rethinking financial literacy and entrepreneurship for children. Check ...
03.24.2023 Jennifer Lagarde on the Future of Information Literacy in a World of Smart Machines In this podcast episode, I interview information literacy expert Jennifer Lagarde. We explore what it means to navigate the everchanging media landscape in a world of AI. I’m a huge fan of the books that she co-wrote with Darren Hudgins. ...
03.18.2023 Mark Schneider on the Role of Data and AI in the Future of Learning In this podcast episode, Dr. Mark Schneider (during of the Institute of Education Sciences) shares how data and AI are changing education. We explore future trends that we may see in the upcoming years. There were some fascinating things I ...
03.13.2023 Dr. Alec Couros on Redefining Information Literacy In An Era of AI With the emergence of generative AI, we now have newer concerns around deep fakes and misinformation. Older, more traditional approaches simply won’t work given the new media landscape. In this podcast episode, I interview an educational technology expert and professor ...
03.07.2023 What Does Personalized Learning Look Like in an Age of Smart Machines? #ChatGPT Eight students stood in line whispering to one another and fidgeting in excitement. A few of them had peeked into the windows to see what was new. One girl had a tiny notebook with a list. Most of the students ...
02.04.2023 We Can’t Predict How A.I. Will Change Learning #ChatGPT “What do you think all of this means for the future?” a friend asks. We’d been talking about ChatGPT for nearly an hour but suddenly it starts to hit closer to home. “I don’t know,” I answer. “I mean, our ...
01.23.2023 Donalyn Miller Shares How to Empower Readers with Voice and Choice In my latest podcast episode, I interview Donalyn Miller on what it means to take a student-centered approach in English Language Arts. Donalyn is one of my education heroes, so I totally nerded out in getting to interview her on ...
01.14.2023 What Our Adopted Greyhound Taught Me About Life, Learning, and Creativity Four years ago, we adopted Jasmine, a retired racing greyhound. We knew we wanted a dog that was lower energy, more introverted, and less likely to bark. We had done our research ahead of time and we knew she would ...
01.02.2023 Launching Into the New Year Each year, I choose a single word to focus on as my “one word.” I realize this might sound cheesy but I find it helpful. Having a single word helps me stay focused on a general theme for the year. ...
12.09.2022 Human Skills in a World of Artificial Intelligence Three years ago, I stood in a high-tech lab at a technical university and stared at the giant flat screen monitor. The professor asked me, “Can you tell me which of these samples was generated via Artificial Intelligence?” At the ...
12.06.2022 Always Teach in Beta In my first year of teaching, my mentor said something I’ll never forget. I taught a lesson that tanked. It was awful. I literally did everything wrong. It was the cringiest of cringe and I shared every detail with him ...
11.17.2022 Designing PBL to Decrease Cognitive Load It’s 4:25 p.m. and I’ve been working nonstop since 7:00 a.m. this morning. Actually, that’s not entirely true. On three separate occasions, I close my laptop, lace up my running shoes, and head for a walk in the brisk fall ...
11.01.2022 Scott Witthoft on the Curious Craft of Prototyping In my latest podcast episode, I interviewed Scott Witthoft, who shared an expanded view of what it means to prototype. I’ve written extensively about design thinking but his latest book This is a Prototype? challenged my thinking while also providing ...
10.20.2022 The Power of Student Conferencing If we want to empower students to own the assessment process, we need to incorporate meaningful self-assessment and peer assessment into our lessons. However, students still need guidance from their teachers. This is why I love five-minute conferences. Unlike a ...
09.24.2022 Designing Socratic Seminars to Ensure That All Students Can Participate Socratic seminars are a democratic, student-centered, approach to class discussions. They can be used at any grade level with any subject area. In a Socratic Seminar, members meet in a circle (or more likely an oval, because, let’s be real, ...
09.01.2022 Taking a Gradual Release (GRR) Approach to Student Choice Over the last month, I have been sharing practical ways that we can empower our students to own the learning from day one. This is the core idea that AJ Juliani and I wrote about in our book Empower. It’s ...
07.18.2022 Creative Habits Versus Creative Momentum I stare at the blinking cursor — an apt term for the blank page rhythmically lulling me into a curse of nothingness, slowly gaining inertia with every passing second. It’s a silent metronome counting down the time I haven’t written. ...
07.11.2022 Elena Aguilar on Coaching for Equity In my latest episode, I interviewed Elena Aguilar about coaching, equity, and transforming teacher practice. She asked me a question that had me thinking about my own answer for days — and question what that means for my teaching practice. ...
07.05.2022 Sprints, Mini-Projects, and Project-Based Learning This would be the year. I would be a fully project-based social studies teacher. After reading every PBL book I could read and attending PBL sessions at a few summer conferences, I had a vision for a new way of ...
06.07.2022 Mike Kaechele and Dr. Matinga Ragatz on the Pulse of PBL Mike Kaechele and Dr. Matinga Ragatz are the co-authors of a newly released book, Pulse of PBL: Cultivating Equity Through Social Emotional Learning. Full Disclosure: I am a co-owner of Blend Education, the publisher of their book. It has been ...
05.24.2022 Showrunner Jerry Kolber on the Power of Creativity and Curiosity to Deepen Learning In this week’s podcast, I interviewed Jerry Kolber, a Showrunner and podcast creator. We talked about creativity, curiosity, and what it would mean to re-imagine learning in schools. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy this blog but you’d like ...
05.10.2022 Seven Strategies for Getting the Most Out of Peer Feedback in the Classroom Years ago, as I shifted toward empowering students, I ask myself the question, “What am I doing for students that they could be doing for themselves?” One of the most glaring answers was assessment. So, I began to incorporate peer ...
05.02.2022 Five Reasons Students Should Own the Assessment Process For years, I held a very teacher-centered view of assessment. I would grade student work and use that to modify lessons and pull small groups. Students would receive a grade, which would then motivate them to work harder. Later, I ...
04.27.2022 The Seven Types of Creative Teachers When I was a new teacher, I railed against boxed curriculum. I felt like a chef being forced to use Hamburger Helper or an artist forced to paint by number. It felt like they had taken the creativity out of ...
04.18.2022 Dr. Susie Wise on the Power of Designing for Belonging A few weeks ago, I had the chance to interview Dr. Susie Wise on the big idea of designing for belonging. Dr. Wise is a true design thinking expert who asks hard questions about the intersection of design and equity. ...
04.04.2022 PBL by Design – Exploring the Overlap of Project-Based Learning and Design Thinking Project-based learning and design thinking have both become buzzwords in the educational landscape. But beyond the buzz, both PBL and design thinking have rich histories that span decades. Both approaches also offer practical frameworks for teachers who are crafting authentic ...
03.22.2022 Daniel Lewer on the Importance of Student-Centered Social Studies In this week’s podcast, I interview social studies expert Dan Lewer on the power of student choice and authenticity in history classes. Check out the interview below. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy this blog but you’d like to ...
03.07.2022 How do you come up with great project ideas? (3 Starting Places) I love to come up with project ideas. The brainstorming process feels a bit like going to a candy store, where I get to peruse past experiences, seek out new interests, find materials, and feel inspired by whatever pops up. ...
02.21.2022 Dominique Foster On Designing a Creative Classroom for Early Learners In this podcast, Dominique Foster shares practical strategies for designing a creative classroom for early childhood students. She talks about instructional design and physical space design. She also shares ways we can partner with stakeholders to help them see the ...
02.07.2022 What Happens When Teachers Take Creative Risks? When I was a first-year teacher, my mentor teacher observed me teaching a lesson. Afterward, we met up during my prep period and she said, “John, your lesson was outstanding but I want to talk to you about how you’re ...
01.31.2022 Empowering Students to Self-Select the Scaffolds When I was a new teacher, I had a goal of differentiating instruction for every student. I would provide additional directions, project sheets, tutorials, and small group instruction for any student who needed help. My main focus was on providing ...
01.24.2022 Trevor Muir Answers Key Questions About PBL I had the honor of interviewing PBL expert Trevor Muir on what it means to get started with PBL. Check out the podcast below. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy this blog but you’d like to listen to it ...
01.18.2022 Why I’m Not Too Worried About Learning Loss All three of my kids have missed a significant number days because of the need to quarantine. The Omicron variant is sweeping through our neighborhoods and our local school district recently created a no-contact day this last Friday. Many caregivers ...
12.27.2021 Using the SLIME Method for Setting New Year’s Resolutions Back in college, I started making New Year’s Resolutions. I would turn these resolutions into goals. Typically, I would start something entirely new and often I would finish my goal halfway through the year. Unfortunately, I didn’t always develop the ...
12.22.2021 Miss B. Saves Christmas (A Story) On Monday, I wrote a silly tweet: I then started to think about how that tradition would have started and immediately began typing out a story. Initially, I thought I would share it privately with the early elementary teachers in ...
12.17.2021 Finding Renewal on Your Winter Break I wrote this post fifteen years ago as a 400 word reminder to myself to choose renewal and rest rather than work during winter break. I realize that it goes beyond the personal level. Often, the systems and structures fail ...
12.13.2021 Antonio Sacre on the Power of Storytelling in Education I had the honor of interviewing celebrated author Antonio Sacre on the power of storytelling in education. Check out the podcast below. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy this blog but you’d like to listen to it on the ...
12.06.2021 Ending the Semester with a Student Blogging Project December is exhausting for teachers. The days are shorter. The weather grows colder and (at least here in Oregon) wetter. Students are anxious — whether it’s a buzzing excitement for vacation or a sense of dread that some kids feel ...
11.22.2021 How to Be Proactive About Classroom Management in PBL I want to make something clear before we dive into this topic. I made huge mistakes in classroom management as a teacher. I let certain disruptive behaviors go unchecked because I was tired and I didn’t want to put out ...
11.15.2021 Dwayne Reed on the Power of STEM Education 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 ...
10.21.2021 Ask the Teachers Roy Kent gets it. There’s a scene in the last episode of this season’s Ted Lasso where the team’s game plan doesn’t seem to be working. The coaches huddle together in Ted’s office and debate whether they should stick with ...
10.11.2021 9 Teacher-Tested Ways to Build Student Ownership into Informational Reading 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. ...
10.04.2021 You Don’t Have to Be a Martyr to Do Student-Centered Learning 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 ...
09.27.2021 Dr. Sarah McAnulty on How Classrooms Can Connect with Scientists 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 ...
09.20.2021 Direct Instruction Is Still Necessary in a PBL Classroom Early on in my project-based learning journey, I made a vow to go 100% project-based. My students would learn everything through exploration and discovery. I would remain the guide on the side observing the process and helping out only when ...
09.14.2021 Dr. Kristen Mattson on Redefining Digital Ethics and Digital Citizenship In this podcast interview Dr. Kristen Mattson shares a bold vision for how we define digital citizenship and digital ethics. She also provides practical strategies that teachers can use in the classroom and integrate into their curriculum. Listen to the ...
09.07.2021 How to Use Strategic Confusion for Deeper Learning 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 ...
08.23.2021 10 Creative Risks to Take With Your Students This Year We aren’t sure what this year will look like. With the spike in Covid cases, it might involve more hybrid or virtual learning. Or it might be more of a “return to normal.” But regardless of the situation, we do ...
08.18.2021 What Ted Lasso (And These Three Other TV Shows) Taught Me About Being an Educator 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 ...
08.07.2021 Sometimes Student Choice Isn’t the Answer in Reading 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 ...

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