The Participatory Creativity Guide for Educators debunks our outdated cultural understanding that some people are creative and others are not. Offering an embracing approach to creativity that encompasses invention and innovation, this practical guide reframes creativity as a mode of experience that all young people and adults have the opportunity to participate in. Bringing the principles of participatory creativity into the classroom, this book helps educators reframe invention and innovation, democratize the creative process, and leverage the knowledge, skills, background experiences, and cultural perspectives that students bring with them every day. Key concepts are illustrated through rich vignettes and pictures of practice as chapters walk you through the what, why, and how of incorporating participatory creativity into your teaching and learning environment. Designed for educators in a vast array of settings (including schools, community centers, museums, afterschool programs, and grandpa’s backyard workshop), this book is key reading for any educator looking to use creativity to strengthen and expand their teaching and learning.

"The Educators Guide to Participatory Creativity debunks our outdated cultural understanding that says some people are creative and others are not. Offering an embracing approach to creativity that encompasses invention and innovation, this practical guide reframes creativity as a mode of experience that all young people and adults have the opportunity to participate in. Bringing the principles of participatory creativity into the classroom, the book helps educators reframe invention and innovation, democratize the creative process, and leverage the knowledge, skills, background experiences, and cultural perspectives that students bring with them every day. Key concepts are illustrated through rich vignettes and pictures of practice as chapters walk you through the what, why, and how of incorporating participatory creativity into your teaching and learning environment. Designed for educators in a vast array of settings (including schools, community centers, museums, afterschool programs, and grandpa's backyard workshop), this book is key reading for any educator looking to use creativity to strengthen and expand their teaching and learning"--

Participatory Creativity: Introducing Access and Equity to the Creative Classroom presents a systems-based approach to examining creativity in education that aims to make participating in invention and innovation accessible to all students. Moving beyond the gifted-versus-ungifted debate present in many of today’s classrooms, the book’s inclusive framework situates creativity as a participatory and socially distributed process. The core principle of the book is that individuals are not creative, ideas are creative, and that there are multiple ways for a variety of individuals to participate in the development of creative ideas. This dynamic reframing of invention and innovation provides strategies for teachers, curriculum designers, policymakers, researchers, and others who seek to develop a more equitable approach towards establishing creative learning experiences in various educational settings.

The Principal’s Special Education Calendar is a pragmatic, “do-now” guide that addresses a building leader’s special education responsibilities over the course of the school year. Developed for novice and experienced principals, it also meets the needs of professors and aspiring principal candidates looking for a resource to bridge theoretical approaches with the practical aspects of the job. Based on quarterly marking periods for ease of planning and organization, this book provides a comprehensive guide for principals. It includes real-life scenarios, legal red flags, must-have resources to illustrate, “Why this is important,” and key monthly tasks with concluding checklists that recap the top action items for follow-up – all in a conversational, easy-to-read format. With a focus on what information principals need to know, when to know it, and why, this book is the ultimate hands-on special education guide for principals everywhere to build compliance and fill in the gaps left bare in preparation programs.

Visitor participation is a hot topic in the contemporary world of museums, art galleries, science centers, libraries and cultural organizations. How can your institution do it and do it well? The Participatory Museum is a practical guide to working with community members and visitors to make cultural institutions more dynamic, relevant, essential places. Museum consultant and exhibit designer Nina Simon weaves together innovative design techniques and case studies to make a powerful case for participatory practice. "Nina Simon's new book is essential for museum directors interested in experimenting with audience participation on the one hand and cautious about upending the tradition museum model on the other. In concentrating on the practical, this book makes implementation possible in most museums. More importantly, in describing the philosophy and rationale behind participatory activity, it makes clear that action does not always require new technology or machinery. Museums need to change, are changing, and will change further in the future. This book is a helpful and thoughtful road map for speeding such transformation." -Elaine Heumann Gurian, international museum consultant and author of Civilizing the Museum "This book is an extraordinary resource. Nina has assembled the collective wisdom of the field, and has given it her own brilliant spin. She shows us all how to walk the talk. Her book will make you want to go right out and start experimenting with participatory projects." -Kathleen McLean, participatory museum designer and author of Planning for People in Museum Exhibitions "I predict that in the future this book will be a classic work of museology." --Elizabeth Merritt, founding director of the Center for the Future of Museums

This resource offers teachers a simple framework to seamlessly add reflective practice to their day and encourages educators to critically reflect on instructional planning and practice. Commonly used in other busy professions, the SOAP Notes structure makes it easy to reflect on student progress through any lesson or learning activity, regardless of grade band or content area. Each category—Subjective, Observation, Assessment, and Planning—allows for documentation of obstacles, difficulties, or challenges within a lesson so educators can address these concerns in subsequent lessons. Each chapter features an in-service teacher who used SOAP Notes reflections in their classrooms to improve their instruction and student learning. Contributors are from diverse teaching backgrounds, schools, and student populations. The authors include instructions for using the template in a variety of scenarios, blank worksheets, completed SOAP examples, and important take-aways. Whether there is an hour or only minutes in the day to focus on reflective practice, these teachers demonstrate how this framework makes this activity possible in any classroom. Ideal for preservice and in-service teachers, administrators, and other education professionals across K–12 settings, this accessible read demonstrates the ease of reflective practice while celebrating teacher voices. This simple structure makes adding reflection and intention to teachers’ routine immediately doable.

Stage It provides a simple-to-follow roadmap for teachers to help students dive into the dramatic, romantic, and playful world of Shakespeare. Originating from the highly successful NYC-based arts education program, Stages of Learning, this resource enables your drama, arts, or ELA class to learn the basics of Shakespeare's language, themes, characters, introductory staging, and directing. Designed for busy teachers, Stage It enables you to choose your own adventure depending on time, grade level collaboration, and student interest. This professional teacher’s guide has simple-to-use instructions and worksheets, such as acting tools for instruction about the plot synopsis, cast of characters, and paraphrasing; and directing tools for tips about the play and the theater-making process. Accompanying the book online are abridged versions of four of Shakespeare’s well-known plays: Hamlet, Henry V, Julius Caesar, and Othello, as well as paraphrasing worksheets, a culminating performance program template, and more. Stage It meets or exceeds many standards-based frameworks including New York State Learning Standards in the Arts, benchmarks of the New York City Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts K-12: Theater, the U.S. Common Core/State Standards, and National Arts Standards. Teachers of students aged 9–12, as well as educators in after-school or community programs, can foster a deep connection to the material through a gradual process that engages everyone in the classroom. This approach not only brings Shakespeare's timeless stories to life but also cultivates essential skills like public speaking, teamwork, and self-expression for students of all identities. For more information on Floyd Rumohr and the book, visit www.stageitplays.com.