Season 1, Episode 1
Infusing Creativity into the Classroom
“You have to be an advocate for creativity outside of your classroom to do it in your classroom. You can close your door and you can do what you want to do, which is what a lot of teachers want to do, but you must also be that teacher leader who helps others understand the value of it. Then, it becomes more embedded in the educational environment because you can’t do it in isolation.”
– Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers
Hosts & Guests
Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers
Cyndi Burnett
Matthew Worwood
Resources
Episode Transcription
Infusing Creativity into the Classroom with Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers
How do you find joy in your classroom and infuse creativity into your students’ curriculum?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers, an Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State.
Susan teaches graduate courses in creativity, chairs the curriculum committee, and serves on leadership teams of various departments across campus dedicated to infusing creative learning into their teaching and learning practices. Her focus is educating the next generation of creativity experts who will utilize their degree in creativity in diverse professional and personal arenas.
“Good teaching is creative teaching.”
– Susan Keller-Mathers
Tune in to learn how to infuse creativity into your curriculum and how to find joy every single day you walk into your classroom!
You’ll gain insight into the importance of the practitioner-scholar model, the difference between teaching creativity and creative teaching, and the best practices for nurturing long-term professional learning in teachers. Susan also gives great advice for teachers who are overwhelmed or challenged with constraints in the classroom.
Susan’s Tips for Teachers:
- Your attitude and energy make a difference in the classroom.
- Remember why you’re an educator and come in refreshed and ready to engage with your students.
- Always think about how you can meet the needs of your students and bring out their creative thinking.
Guest Bio
Susan Keller-Mathers is an Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. Susan holds a BS in Elementary Education, an MS in Creativity, and an Ed.D in Curriculum and Instruction. She teaches graduate courses in creativity, chairs the curriculum committee and serves on leadership teams of various departments across campus dedicated to infusing creative learning into their teaching and learning practices.
Susan’s focus is educating the next generation of creativity experts who will utilize their degree in creativity in diverse professional and personal arenas. For nearly three decades she has continued the development of the Torrance Incubation Model (TIM) to infuse creativity into lesson, unit, course and training frameworks, develop creative learning and creative problem-solving initiatives in educational and business institutions and travel the globe teaching creativity to international educators on five continents.
Debrief Episode
Related Podcast Episodes
Bridging the Gap: 3 Big Lessons Learned from Season 1
In this debrief episode of Fueling Creativity in Education, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on Season 1, discussing teachers as designers, AI’s impact on creativity, and factors influencing creativity in education. Cyndi also shares insights on fostering creative thinking skills in students.
SEASON 1: Introducing The Fueling Creativity Podcast
Welcome to the Fueling Creativity Podcast! In this debut episode, hosts Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood share their mission and goals for the podcast. They shed light on their professional backgrounds and why they value the integration of creativity in education and at home, especially during the pandemic.
A Scholarly Journey to Redefining Creativity with Dr. Marta Ockuly
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Dr. Marta Ockuly, a humanistic psychologist and heuristic creativity researcher focused on the lived experience of human creativity. She’s also the founder and CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of the Creative Potential Institute.
Podcast Sponsor
We are thrilled to partner with Curiosity 2 Create as our sponsor, a company that shares our commitment to fostering creativity in education. Curiosity 2 Create empowers educators through professional development and community support, helping them integrate interactive, creative thinking approaches into their classrooms. By moving beyond traditional lecture-based methods, they help teachers create dynamic learning environments that enhance student engagement, improve academic performance, and support teacher retention. With a focus on collaborative learning and exploration, Curiosity 2 Create is transforming classrooms into spaces where students thrive through continuous engagement and growth.
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