Action 6

Model Creative Behavior

from The Future Creative: 10 Actions for Fueling Creativity in Education by Matthew J. Worwood and Cyndi Burnett.

Scanned the QR code from the book? You're in the right place.

 Students don’t just learn creativity from instruction, they learn it from watching it in action. Model Creative Behavior makes the case that educators are already engaging in creativity every day, through the way they troubleshoot a tech problem, navigate uncertainty, or try something new alongside their students. Thinking intentionally about what parts of the creative process you are displaying to your students is what this particular action is all about. 

“Modeling creative behavior doesn't come from telling others what to do — it comes from showing them what it looks like in practice.”
⬇  Download the Model Creative Behavior Resource Companion resource for Action 1 from The Future Creative — coming soon

Episodes referenced in this chapter

  • ▶

    Frank LaBanca

    Integrating Inquiry-Based Learning · Season 3

    The chapter's opening story — Frank taught engineering as a principal so his staff could see the school culture he wanted modeled, not just hear about it. The smell of fresh-cut wood drifting into the hallway said more than any memo could.

  • ▶

    Heather Lyon

    Exploring Levels of Student Engagement · Season 2

    Heather opens the chapter: teachers who are engaged in their work will have students who are engaged in their work — and teachers willing to celebrate progress and struggle will have students who do the same.

  • ▶

    Jonathan Plucker

    Discussing Excellence Gaps and Creativity · Season 2

    Jonathan makes the case for consistent modeling in front of students — and coins the phrase at the heart of this chapter: problems are meant to be solved by you.

  • ▶

    Susan Keller-Mathers

    Infusing Creativity into the Classroom · Season 1

    Susan introduces the concept of micro-moments — small, spontaneous instances of everyday creativity that arise when something doesn't go to plan and become the most authentic teaching opportunities of the day.

  • ▶

    Bea Leiderman

    Reverting Back to a Novice Learner · Season 3

    Bea's story of discovering bug photography — starting with a drop of water on an iPhone lens — is the chapter's example of what happens when educators reconnect with the novice learner inside themselves.

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    Fuat Ramazanov

    Best Practices for Experimenting with Generative AI · Season 8

    Fuat modeled AI experimentation in real time with his students — telling them he didn't have all the answers and they'd figure it out together. A masterclass in intentional shared inquiry.

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    Laura McBain & Ron Beghetto

    My Favorite Failure · Season 4

    Laura and Ron push past the "failure is fine" slogan to something more honest — modeling what it actually looks and feels like to fail, sit with it, and find a way forward.

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    Eitan Buchalter

    Integrating Creative Thinking in the Classroom · Season 3

    Eitan models vulnerability as a teaching practice — showing students that it's okay not to be okay, and that uncertainty isn't a weakness but a crucial ingredient in the creative process.

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    Elizabeth Radday

    Personal Interest Projects · Season 4

    Elizabeth's approach: do something you've always wanted to do, alongside your students. When teachers pursue their own creative goals in class, they make the whole process visible and human.

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    Izzy Gesell

    Building a Playful Classroom · Season 7

    Izzy's challenge to educators: learn something completely new. The discomfort of being a beginner again recalibrates how you understand your students — and becomes the GPS of the mind for modeling authentic creative struggle.

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