Books

Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

by Tom Kelley and David Kelley

This is my go-to book for all things creative. So often, when we ask people if they are creative, they reply no because they can't (insert a fine art skill such as drawing, music, etc. here). Creativity is so much more than being able to draw or play a song! Tom and David help dispel our societal beliefs about creativity and explain how we can each tap into our own personal creative thinking and build our confidence.

Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom

by Amy Burvall and Dan Ryder

If you need a book to help spark your creative thinking (in any subject area), then I highly recommend checking this out. Amy and Dan provide great ideas on how to take simple objects, such as Oreos, and turn them into activities that push our students' critical and creative thinking.

The Doodle Revolution

by Sunni Brown

Don't think sketchnotes and doodling belong in the corporate world? Think again! Sunni Brown is one of my favorite thought leaders in today's world and she shares the how and why of doodling and how it helps us to unlock our creativity, be innovative, and solve problems.

Design Thinking for School Leaders

by Alyssa Gallagher and Kami Thordarson

Design thinking is a framework that so many innovative companies use to promote creative thinking and problem solving. It is also a great framework to use in education. Alyssa and Kami explain how to change your perspective and begin to view things as a designer, and how that helps us to ignite change and solve problems.

Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student

by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani

John Spencer is by far one of my favorite thought-leaders in education. In Launch, he and Juliani share their LAUNCH framework for design thinking and how to use it get our students designing and making in the classroom.

Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning

by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani

This is another gem written by Spencer and Juliani. In Empower, they share strategies on how to help shift the process of learning from student compliancy to student empowerment. One of my favorite quotes from this books that I constantly ask myself is, "What am I doing for my students that they could be doing themselves?"