Professional Development
Professional Development &
Workshop Possibilities
Have you ever looked around at an educator's professional development session and seen teachers on their phones? Or teachers grading? Or teacher furiously scribbling notes? Here’s the problem: professional development often consists of a consultant standing and talking at the audience. The information being delivered could be extremely valuable and vital to the success of learning, but teachers have so much they are juggling that their minds are elsewhere. They are sitting in their seats thinking, “When will I have time to actually implement this information?”
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Curiosity 2 Create’s education experts know exactly how that feels, so they created professional learning environments that function as workshops. Our trainers will design training to fit the specific needs of your district, educators, and students, and the session will be delivered in an engaging and hands-on manner. During each session, teachers will actively work on revising a current lesson or unit to infuse it with creative and critical thinking. Together, our educators will collaborate with you to build rigorous, engaging creative lessons and classrooms.
Keynote Speaking/Breakout Sessions
Why the world needs creative and critical thinkers- NOW!
According to recent research, the top skills needed in the future are creative and critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Are schools truly preparing kids for the future, or are we so focused on test scores and content that we don’t have time to properly prepare students for what they will face once they enter the workforce? Will they be prepared to answer questions not found on Google? How do educators juggle the need to prepare students for standardized testing and ready them to answer society's toughest challenges? This workshop will engage educators in various ways to infuse their existing curriculum with creative and critical thinking skills.
How to build a supportive environment where students embrace risk.
Risk can be scary. Showing vulnerability in front of your peers is intimidating and often parilizing. Especially in a world where failure can be seen as unacceptable. Building a school and classroom environment that embraces and welcomes failure can be a challenge but the rewards are vast. How do educators create a culture where students and staff feel comfortable facilitating risks? Students are quick to judge and as a result the environment within a classroom can be stifled and creativity squashed. How can we encourage students to express their ideas without the fear of judgement? How can teachers and students work together to build an open and welcoming environment?
Building teams that transform the learning environment
Collaboration is a sought after skill. The ability to work in teams, listen to different perspectives, evaluate ideas respectfully and unite to create a unique and successful product is an essential part of any environment. Each step of the collaborative process can be taught and practiced in order to strengthen and transform how teams function now and in the future. How do you incorporate group work into your classroom when students would rather work independently? How do you make sure groups are balanced and functioning well? How can you take the team approach to learning and make it engaging and fun?
Embracing the joy of education - again
It’s not secret that teaching is hard. It always has been hard, yet over the last few years teachers and administrators are leaving the field and the joy of teaching is overshadowed by elements educators can not control. Schools focus on social-emotional learning for students but what about the teachers? Creativity can boost our well-being, help us become more confident, and give us the energy we need to face our daily challenges. In this hands-on creative session, let’s bring back the joy in teaching.
How to assess creativity
Educators understand the importance of creativity. However, they struggle with assessing it. How do you grade an assessment that is full of choice and creativity? How do you create a rubric that covers all the different aspects of the assignment? If everyone in the classroom creates something different, how do you grade in a fair and equitable way? Often, these questions keep educators from implementing creative assignments into the curriculum. There is a way to assess creativity that embraces rigor, skills, and standards.
What’s with the attitude? Building attitudes for change and growth
“Why do we have to learn this? How is this going to benefit me in the future?” These questions can be heard in classrooms around the nation. How we view the learning process, ourselves, and others can significantly impact the ability to be curious and creative. Learning how to shift attitudes and embrace the “not yet” allows learners to be more confident decisions makers. Combining a growth mindset and affirmative judgment allows one to approach creative ideas with an open mind, even while evaluating them. Learn how to encourage students to align their attitudes with unique situation and enable them to encounter curiosity and creativity.
Information overload - how to curate content
Think of content curation as creating a mix tape or playlist. It can be overwhelming to get to know all the possibilities available and narrow it down to the best options. Teachers have prescribed skills and curricula that must be taught each year. But, that shouldn’t stop a classroom from being creative with the required content. Content Curation is sharing knowledge in an in-depth, relevant, and challenging manner. It allows educators and students to consume information critically, become inspired to learn more, and creatively question ideas.
What’s with kids today? How generations view creativity.
Discover how to build an environment where curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking are the focal point of learning and work environments. Looking at the differences and similarities of generational motivations will explore how teachers, managers, parents, and grandparents can infuse the future generation with creative and critical thinking in manageable and engaging ways.
Professional Development Services
Full-Day Professional Development
In this full-day interactive workshop, participants will:
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Understand and embrace the importance of creative thinking in the classroom
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Explore the characteristics of a creative classroom environment
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Discover how to nurture creative and critical thinking in students
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Revise a current unit to engage and motivates students to embrace creativity and curiosity through the CREATE method
Half-Day Professional Development
In this four hour interactive workshop, participants will:
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Understand and embrace the importance of creative thinking in the classroom
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Explore the characteristics of a creative classroom environment
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Discover how to nurture creative and critical thinking in students
Two-Hour Presentation
In this two-hour interactive presentation, participants will understand and embrace the importance of creative thinking in the classroom, rxplore the characteristics of a creative classroom environment and receive a brief overview of the CREATE method.
One-Hour Presentation
In this two-hour interactive presentation, participants will understand and embrace the importance of creative thinking in the classroom, rxplore the characteristics of a creative classroom environment and receive a brief overview of the CREATE method.
Professional Development Packages
(these packages can be tailored to fit the individual needs of school districts, the following packages are examples of what Curiosity 2 CREATE can provide)
One Month Package
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Includes two half-day workshops (or one full day)
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Four Profession Learning Community coaching sessions
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Four individual coaching sessions
Three Month Package
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Includes one full-day training session
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One half-day training session
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Five Professional Learning Community coaching sessions
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Five individual coaching sessions
Six Month Package
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Includes two one-day workshops
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Two half-day workshops
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Six Professional Learning coaching sessions
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Six individual coaching sessions
Scholarship Opportunities
June D. Barnard Scholarship Fund
Curiosity 2 Create is proud to launch the June D. Barnard Scholarship Fund to support educators seeking to enhance their students' learning experience in the classroom. The scholarship will provide financial assistance to individual educators and entire school districts who are passionate about furthering their education and refining their skills through our professional development and coaching programs. We believe that investing in the professional development of educators will ultimately lead to better outcomes for students and stronger, more effective school communities. We welcome all eligible applicants to apply for this scholarship and look forward to supporting their journey toward excellence.