Fueling Creativity in Education

Is game-based learning just about making lessons more fun? Or can it actually deepen how students think, learn, and solve problems? And what happens when students are given space to fail, try again, and learn through play?   In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Adam Watson, an educator and author who explores how tabletop...

🎉 Celebrating 5 Years of Fueling Creativity in Education Special Anniversary Episode | World Creativity and Innovation Day What happens when two educators set out to bridge research and practice in creativity… and simply keep going? In this special anniversary episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood reflect on five years of conversations,...

What if the challenge in education is not a lack of creativity, but how we choose to prioritize it? In this reflective debrief episode, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood revisit three conversations from Season 12, featuring Susan Riley, Dana Henrickson, and Emma Watson. Together, these discussions raise a deeper question. Is creativity truly missing in schools, or is it already there, just...

What happens when learning feels more like exploring a museum than sitting in a classroom? And how can we create spaces where students are driven by curiosity instead of routine? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Emma Widmer, an educator who brought the idea of a “Wonder Museum” into her school to create hands-on, curi...

Does creativity make learning more engaging? Or does engagement create the conditions for creativity? What might we be overlooking when we assume we can easily tell when students are engaged? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Danah Henriksen to explore what research reveals about the connection between creativity a...

What helps educators move creativity from the margins to the center of teaching and learning? And what systems might be quietly shaping what’s possible in our classrooms? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett speak with Susan Riley, founder of the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM and author of Creativity’s Edge: Unleashing...

What if the problem in education is not a lack of creativity, but how we prioritize it? In this reflective debrief episode, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett revisit three powerful conversations from Season 12, exploring creativity through the lenses of AI, constructive dialogue, and educational research. Rather than calling for a complete overhaul of the system, they challenge a common na...

What helps students believe they can shape the world with their ideas? And what might quietly discourage them from trying?   In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett speak with creativity researcher Dr. Maciej Karwowski, Professor of Psychology at the University of Warsaw and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Creative Behavior. Toget...

In a time marked by strong emotion and deep polarization, how do we help students stay in conversation rather than shut down or attack? In this episode, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Caroline Mehl, co founder and executive director of the Constructive Dialogue Institute . Caroline explains that constructive dialogue is not about changing minds or abandoning beliefs. It is about...

How is AI changing creative work right now? And what does that mean for the way we teach and assess students? In this episode, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett talk with James Taylor about what he is seeing on the front lines of business and innovation. James shares his idea of “super creativity,” which is simply the idea that humans and machines can work together to create better ideas t...

What happens when we lose handwriting as a form of creative expression? What do we miss when we limit creativity to the sports field? And what would change if schools clearly identified their non-negotiables and truly lived by them?   In this first debrief of Season 12, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on insights from recent conversations with Carlos Moreno of Big Picture Learnin...

Is creativity only about coming up with lots of ideas? Or does it also involve choosing the right idea in the right moment? What can sport teach us about thinking under pressure? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome sports psychologist Dr. Daniel Memmert to explore how creativity shows up on the field. Listen in as the co...

Is handwriting still relevant in a world of screens, tablets, and AI? What role does writing by hand play in creativity, learning, and thinking? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cindy Burnett welcome handwriting instruction specialist Holly Britton, M.Ed to explore why handwriting still matters — especially for developing minds. Holly brin...

As we kick off Season 12 of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, we explore a question that sits at the heart of education reform. What does it actually look like to design a school around preparing young people for the real world? In this episode, we welcome Carlos Moreno, educator, author, and Executive Director of Big Picture Learning. Carlos brings a systems-level perspective shaped by...

Welcome to Season 12 of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast! In this special preview episode, co-hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on major milestones—five years of podcasting and 250 published episodes—and offer a glimpse into the conversations ahead. This season dives deep into Teaching Creativity, where it is most challenged: within systems, under pressure, and thr...

Recorded live at the National Association for Gifted and Talented (NAGC) Conference in Pittsburgh, this final episode of the Winter 2026 Listen & Learn series brings together Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett with emerging scholar Jimmy Wilson and researcher Dr. Julie Delgado. Together, they explore how creativity can become a powerful pathway for twice-exceptional (2e) learners—partic...

In this special on-location recording at the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett sit down with Sarah Caroleo, Ph. D. to explore the powerful role of professional learning in advancing gifted education. Together, they unpack how thoughtfully designed professional learning (PL) can elevate teacher pra...

In this Winter 2026 episode of the Listen and Learn series, Dr. Jennifer Riedl Cross joins Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett to challenge traditional views of giftedness. Moving beyond IQ and high achievement, she introduces Transformational Giftedness—the idea that intelligence and talent are most meaningful when used to tackle societal challenges and create positive change. The conversat...

In this special end-of-year episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cindy Burnett and Dr. Matthew Warwood reflect on their accomplishments throughout 2025, sharing candid insights into the goals they've met and the challenges they've faced. From launching their YouTube channel and refining their website , to penning an almost-complete book titled "The Future Creative: 10...

In the season finale of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Matthew Worwood, and Cyndi Burnett welcome their emerging scholar in residence, Jimmy Wilson, for a dynamic exploration of micro schools and alternative educational models. Drawing from Jimmy's personal experiences and research, the episode dives deep into the benefits and trade-offs of innovative school structures versus t...

In this debrief episode marking the end of season 11 and 2025, hosts Dr. Matthew Warwood and Dr. Cindy Burnett dive into three pivotal topics they explored with recent guests: AI’s impact on student creativity, the reframing of creativity through “innovation-ish” thinking, and the power of game-based learning for creative and critical thinking in education. Reflecting on discussions with experts l...

What if students saw themselves not just as learners, but as world builders, empowered to design, problem-solve, and imagine new possibilities through playful learning? In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cindy Burnett and Dr. Matthew Warwood dive into the dynamic potential of game-based learning and world-building with guests Stephen Slota and Trent Hergenrad...

In this captivating episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Cindy Burnett and Dr. Matthew Warwood sit down with Dr. Tessa Forshaw and Richard Cox Braden, co-authors of "Innovation Ish," to unpack what it truly means to think and act like an innovator. The discussion dives deep into the often-blurred lines between creativity and innovation, clarifying how creative problem...

If AI can generate endless ideas, does that mean it's actually more creative than humans—or are we losing something uniquely ours in the process?   In this thought-provoking episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Florent Vinchon, an occupational psychologist and researcher at Paris Nanterre University, to discuss the inte...

Is our education system stifling creativity by sticking to labels and standardized solutions—or can we truly unleash the creative potential of every student and teacher? In this dynamic debrief episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, hosts Dr. Matthew Warwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett reflect on three thought-provoking interviews covering the future of gifted education, repurposing tec...