In what ways can creativity be infused into mathematics education, especially for students who may not naturally gravitate toward math?
In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Matthew Worwood and Cyndi Burnett are joined by special guest Katie Trowbridge. Katie is a highly experienced educator and the President and CEO of Curiosity to Create, a nonprofit organization dedicated to incorporating creative and critical thinking strategies into education.
Throughout the episode, Katie emphasizes the importance of putting things into context and reflecting on the impact of teaching strategies. She discusses the need for teachers to help students make connections and highlights the power of deep reflections to demonstrate these connections.
The episode explores the vital role of creativity and critical thinking in education and the importance of teachers modeling the process of learning from failure and mistakes. Katie emphasizes the need to build a community around creative and critical thinking, involving both educators and parents. Critical thinking is particularly essential in today’s world, where students often seek answers without engaging in deeper analysis.
Finally, the episode encourages teachers to take risks and try new approaches in the classroom, allowing for reflection, mistakes, and growth. Katie highlights the significance of creative metacognition, which involves both critical and creative thinking, in developing knowledge and understanding of creativity.
...there is great power when teachers work together, when they collaborate, and they don't compete. And that's what the [teaching community] needs right now. For educators to come together, help each other out, support each other, come up with new ideas, and share those ideas.
Featured Guest
Katie Trowbridge has over two decades of experience as a teacher and mentor. She is President and CEO of Curiosity 2 CREATE, a nonprofit organization focused on helping educators incorporate creative and critical thinking strategies into their existing curricula and build creative classroom environments. Katie has won several Teacher of Excellence and Outstanding Educator awards, has a Master’s in Teaching and a Master’s in Education Administration, and is pursuing her ED.D at Northeastern University in Boston.
