The CREATE Method
A new way to look at creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving for personal, professional and educational development
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Welcome to The CREATE Method, a new method to help bring creativity and curiosity into the classroom!
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Our method is created by teachers - for teachers and uses six unique steps to help curate the ultimate classroom experience! We know that every classroom, teacher, and student is unique, that's why we made sure that these six steps can be used in any order and completely tailored specifically to your needs! Now let's look at exactly what The CREATE Method does.
What is the CREATE Method?
The CREATE Method centers not just on the traditional creative problem-solving process but the unique creative person solving those problems.
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According to recent research, being a creative critical thinker is predicted to be one of the most important skills needed in the future. The problem is that either people don’t believe they are creative or we, as a society, do not nurture their creativity. Businesses and schools must start recognizing the significance of creativity in everyday practice - from curriculum to professional development.
of today’s youth
are less creative than their 1980s counterparts
85%
So What Does CREATE Stand For?
Content Curator
As educators, we know our content. But, curating the information means sharing knowledge in an in-depth, relevant, and challenging manner. The CREATE method allows educators and students to consume information critically, ignite curiosity, and creatively question information.
Essential Question: How can we determine what content is most relevant and meaningful to our students while maintaining learning objectives?
Content Curator ensures the knowledge you are sharing has:
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Depth
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Relevance
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Rigor
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Engagement
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Motivation
Strategies we will examine are:
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Choice
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Questioning skills
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Research
Risk Facilitator
Many students and teachers express anxiety about sharing new or contrasting ideas, fearing failure and judgment. This segment of the CREATE method aims to change that mindset and illustrate the importance of embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, being open-minded, and deferring judgment.
Essential Question: How can we encourage students to push outside their comfort zone and enter their creative zone?
Risk Facilitor emphasizes that sharing knowledge can be:
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Uncomfortable at times
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Transformational
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Experiencing failure
Strategies we will examine are:
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Formative Feedback
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Productive Struggle
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Creative Problem Solving
Experience Navigator
By creating unique, inquiry, and problem-based units, students can individualize their classroom experience. The CREATE method navigates educators through ways to engage and challenge students, to embrace challenges and problem-solving in a meaningful and relevant way.
Essential Question: How can we make the learning experience meaningful, relevant and beneficial for all students?
Experience Navigator ensures knowledge is shared in a way that is:
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Relevant
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Meaningful
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Engaging
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Challenging
Strategies we will examine are:
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Determining meaning for students through PBL
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Creative teaching versus creative learning
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How to manage ambiguity
Attitude Shifter
How we view the learning process, ourselves, and others can significantly impact our ability to be curious and think creatively and critically. Learning to shift one’s attitude to align with each unique situation filled with ambiguity is essential when presented with differing perspectives. The CREATE method examines open-mindedness, deferring judgment, embracing failures, and the impact attitude can have on a creative classroom environment.
Essential Question: How can we teach open-mindedness and acceptance?
Attitude Shifter works to create an environment that encourages:
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Belonging
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Purpose
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Open-mindedness
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Control over oneself
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Deferring Judgement
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Celebrating Failures
Strategies we will examine are:
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Establishing classroom norms
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Creating open communication
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Communication amidst conflict
Team Transformer
​Learning how to function in a creative environment allows team members to be stronger, efficient, confident thinkers and problem-solvers. This portion of the CREATE method focuses on the key tools and strategies to transform communication skills and team effectiveness.
Essential Question: How can we build strong, creative, collaborative teams with contagious energy?
Team Transformer strives to share knowledge in a manner that
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Embraces empathy
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Celebrates differences
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Builds on other’s strengths
Strategies we will examine are:
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Teaching empathy
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Effective Group work strategies
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Divergent and convergent thinking
Evaluation Designer
Soft skills such as creativity and curiosity can be a challenge to assess. During this section of the CREATE method, learn how to provide opportunities for students to take ownership of their learning, and design assessments that offer numerous chances for feedback, all while encouraging risk and creative thinking.
Essential Question: How can we encourage curiosity and creativity so that students can manage, monitor, and modify their own learning?
Evaluation Designer creates methods that assess
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Motivation and curiosity
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Different modes of creative thinking
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Student choice and voice
Strategies we will examine are:
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Methods to Manage, monitor, and modify Student Learning
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Teaching effective peer feedback
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Student ownership grading practices