Tch Talks 22: Intention & Critical Creativity in the Classroom

What is Critical Creativity?

To Dan Ryder and Amy Burval, critical creativity is “students using creative expression to demonstrate deeper thinking and the nuances of understanding content.” It's a portmanteau of sorts, which has the potential to turn ideas into action and push your students toward deeper learning and meaningful understanding.

Dan and Amy believe that, “When students make connections, transform knowledge, and articulate the reasons behind their creative choices, learning becomes more sticky, meaningful, and authentic.” Articulation of creative reasoning is key, because as students learn the power of explanation, rationale, and intentionality, they shift from passive pupils along for the ride to active drivers of their own learning. And the best part of this shift is that it occurs in the midst of purposeful play.

On this episode of Tch Talks, Dan Ryder, Education Director of the Success and Innovation Center at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, Maine, joins us to talk about his and Amy's new book, Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom, and how a little rigorous whimsy can help you transform learning in your classroom right now.

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Dan Ryder

Dan Ryder is Education Director of the Success and Innovation Center at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, Maine. An idea wrangler, design thinker, improviser, and high school ELA teacher, Dan has taught nearly 20 years at Mt. Blue Campus. His students run WickedFocus.com, a Real World Scholars EdCorps classroom-based 3D printing company that makes fidgets for students experiencing stress and anxiety. He directs and performs improv comedy, is an ambassador for FlipGrid, works with Sevenzo.org, is a member of the Apple Distinguished Educator Class of 2017, and is a 2017 recipient of the ACTEM Achieve Award, Maine's ISTE-affiliated recognition for contributions to educational technology in Maine. Dan is co-author with Amy Burvall of the book, “Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom,” from EdTechTeam Press. Connect with Dan on Twitter: @WickedDecent. 

Related Resources:

• Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom by Amy Burval and Dan Ryder
• Follow @IntentionBook on Twitter
• Follow #IntentionBookChat on Twitter
• Follow #RigorousWhimsy on Twitter
• Follow the Success and Innovation Center at Mt. Blue Campus on Facebook
• Website: Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom
• Critical Creativity & Rigorous Whimsy Videos
• Try it Out: Samples from the Catalog of Creativity

Teaching Channel Resources:

Tch Videos

• The Power of Student Voice in First-Person Commentaries
• Fun & Funny Improv Activities
• Creating Found Poems
• Analyzing Texts with Storyboards
• Learning to Think: A Foundation for Analysis
• Comic Book Templates: An Entry Point into Non-Fiction
• Scaffolds for Critical Thinking

Tchers' Voice Blog Posts

• Fidgeting for Physics: Spinner Science in Six Steps
• Educating Students to “Think Intensively and Critically”
• Why Social Studies? It’s “Self-Evident”! - Featuring Amy Burval
• I Want to Get Better at... Social Emotional Learning Next Year
• Hamilton: The Ten Dollar Founding Father Proves Priceless in American Classrooms
• Making in Schools Series
• One Goal, Two Lessons: Teaching Critical Thinking To 11th and 4th Graders
• Design Thinking, Empathy, And Equity
• Design Thinking, Empathy, and Equity – Part 2

Tch Talks Podcasts

• Tch Talks 4: Infusing SEL In the Classroom
• Tch Talks 6: Social & Emotional Learning as a Dedicated Class
• Tch Talks 21: A Student’s Perspective on SEL in the Classroom