Using cooperative and partner learning models, this newly revised book illustrates how professionals can enhance their powers of creativity to facilitate learning and respond to academic and behavioral challenges, preK-12.

“Jeff and Staney emphasize that small acts of creativity can have huge consequences and that ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they can see the opportunities in front of them.” —Mitch Jacobson, Executive Director, Austin Technology Incubator, UT Blackstone LaunchPad, University of Texas at Austin Nearly all of today's major innovation workshops and programs call on organizations to drive innovation. What they miss is that innovation comes from the personal creativity of individuals. And creativity doesn't require an advanced education or technical skills—all employees can be creative. Often, all they lack is a fitting mindset and the right skills. The Creative Mindset brings how-to advice, tools, and techniques from two master innovators who have taught and worked with over half of all Fortune 500 companies. Jeff and Staney DeGraff introduce six essential creative-thinking skills that can be easily mastered with limited practice and remembered as the acronym CREATE: Concentrate, Replicate, Elaborate, Associate, Translate, and Evaluate. These six skills, sequenced as steps, simplify and summarize the most important research on creative thinking and draw on over thirty years of real-world application in some of the most innovative organizations in the world. It's time to rethink the way we make innovation happen. Individual creativity is an immense untapped resource, and you don't have to be Beethoven to make a big difference. As the spirit of chef Gusteau proclaims in the Pixar classic Ratatouille, “Anyone can cook.”

The traditional system of education requires students to hold their questions and compliantly stick to the scheduled curriculum. But our job as educators is to provide new and better opportunities for our students. It's time to recognize that compliance doesn't foster innovation, encourage critical thinking, or inspire creativity--and those are the skills our students need to succeed.

'The Creative Seed' is the prefect guidebook for anyone who has an interest in exploring some form of creative expression. Even if you think you don't have an ounce of creative flair, you can discover and nurture a new, exciting dimension in your life. Whether you are already involved in some form of creative expression, a raw beginner or well established, this book provides a host of strategies to keep you inspired and on track in living your creative dream. The book is written in two parts. The first is designed for newcomers to identify the creative interest they would like to explore. The common myths of creativity are challenged and stimulating exercises are provided to help the reader discover their creative strengths. This section concludes with an original concept explaining the creative process called the SEED approach – an acronym that stands for skills, experimentation, evaluation and discovery. The concept is aimed at guiding beginners and established creators to clearly understand the nature of the creative process.Part Two addresses the common difficulties people experience, such as anxiety, low self-confidence and procrastination. Chapters provide case histories, questions and exercises to assist the reader in gaining self-awareness and practical skills to be active and successful in their creative expression.

Education and the arts offer multiple, mutually clarifying lenses through which to examine and understand issues of poverty and empowerment. Here, both are combined in a fascinating look at how these two often overlooked elements promote social equality and cultivate personal agency across Africa's diverse political-economic landscapes.

As technology continues to advance, the educational landscape will undoubtedly be transformed. "Empowering Education: Exploring Emerging Technologies in the 21st Century" aims to shed light on the exciting possibilities and challenges presented by these innovations. By exploring various emerging technologies and their potential applications in the educational field, this book seeks to empower educators, administrators, policymakers, and all stakeholders in their quest to shape a brighter future for education.