We often picture creativity as something big and bold. It’s the ambitious project that draws in the entire community. It’s the big project that kids remember years later. But creativity doesn’t have to be an event. In fact, some of the most powerful creative thinking happens in small, ordinary moments woven into the learning process.
In my latest article, I explore the idea of routine creativity and why small, consistent opportunities to create, experiment, solve problems, and think differently can lead to extraordinary results. The goal isn’t to add one more thing to an already crowded curriculum. It’s to make creative thinking a regular part of how students learn.
I want to be clear. I'm a huge proponent of using project-based learning to develop deeper conceptual understanding and to help students with critical durable skills.
However, the goal isn't to "do PBL." Instead, it's to help students improve in their creative thinking. This is why I'm starting a new blog series I'm calling "routine creativity."
My goal is to embrace both meanings of the term routine. Creativity can look routine. It’s small and mundane and unimpressive from the outside. But routine also means habit. It’s the idea that we can integrate creative routines into our practice as learners and makers.
And here’s the cool part. Often, something extraordinary can grow out of something remarkably ordinary. I've been thinking a lot about Dolly Parton lately. I had all of her albums on cassette back in the day. When other kids were deep into grunge I was secretly hoping my parents would take us to Dollywood. It never happened.
Anyway, Dolly Parton had a daily habit of getting up early and writing music. She didn’t focus on the quantity of the output. Some days she wrote full songs and other days she had small fragments that went nowhere. But one morning, she wrote both “Jolene” and “9 to 5.” The thing is, she didn't wait for inspiration and she likely had 364 days that year where it looked way less impressive.
The same thing happens in the classroom. Routine creativity doesn’t look that impressive. A student finds a different way to solve a math problem. Rewrites a paragraph in a blog post. Asks an unusual question. Makes an unexpected connection between two scientific ideas. Sketches an idea. Interviews an expert. These moments are small. So small an outside observer might miss what’s going on. But this routine creativity is developing the next generation of inventors, creators, and makers.
About the Blog Series
Throughout this blog series, I want to explore some of the counterintuitive ideas about how creativity works. We’ll see why quantity actually leads to quality and constraints can lead to creative breakthroughs. We’ll explore why structure can lead to freedom and how designing for the marginalized will benefit everyone.
Along the way, I want to push back against some of the lies we’ve been told about creativity. We tend to think creativity requires total freedom, a sudden burst of inspiration, or a big, bold project. But often, creativity grows out of things that seem surprisingly mundane. It comes from habits and routines. It comes from deep knowledge and focused attention. It comes from imitation, experimentation, and even failure.
This is why I’m interested in the idea of routine creativity. Creativity doesn’t have to be an event. It can happen in small moments woven into the learning process. Throughout this blog series, I’ll be exploring small tweaks that can make a big difference and introducing specific routines we can integrate into our pre-existing lessons. These aren’t meant to replace the larger PBL units we already love. Instead, the goal is to make creativity something students practice regularly, so that over time, creative thinking becomes a natural part of how students learn.
Read the Full Article
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Let's Work Together!
I would love to work with your school, district, or conference! You might be interested in keynotes or workshops on intentional tech integration (including AI), deeper learning, PBL, and empowering students and improving student agency (including student ownership of the assessment process).
I still have limited availability this fall but I still have some spots open. I'd also love to do something more in-depth throughout the school year. My workshops include access to my self-paced courses so participants can continue their professional learning after the day's event.
Please reach out to me at john@spencereducation.com or fill out the form on my speaking page, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I can send you a PD catalog with all the details.
