Ronald Beghetto wears many others in studying and working to inspire creativity, especially in education. He is one of the speakers at the Creativity Conference at Southern Oregon University August 3-6. And he visits with us about his work on creativity.

“Each year, I have the opportunity to work with preservice teachers to provide a little bit of information for them about gifted education. During that workshop, someone always brings up the idea that one great way to work with advanced learners – particularly the teacher pleasers and ‘fast finishers’ among them – is to have them help the other kids with their work. These developing professionals, along with some of the practicing teachers with whom they work, are secure in their belief that this approach is a win for everyone. Students are kept busy, the struggling student has individual support, and surely the gifted learner will benefit because “we all learn something better when we have to teach it to others,” writes Catherine Little, a professor of educational psychology at UConn’s Neag School of Education.

Pondering Education (Professor Ronald Beghetto interviewed)

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), school psychology has “…evolved as a specialty area with core knowledge rooted in psychology and education.” Graduate students who choose to become school psychologists have two certification options, according to Sandra M. Chafouleas, Ph.D.

Professor, doctor, expert on creativity, whatever you call him, James C. Kaufman, Ph.D., knows the subject of creativity about as well as anyone. As a psychologist, Dr. Kaufman has been studying and writing about creativity for many years, and is currently a professor of educational psychology at the University of Connecticut.

James C. Kaufman, a psychologist whose research focuses on creativity, hypothesizes that the power of tarot cards to jumpstart creativity lies in their ability to stimulate “associational thinking.” That’s what happens when the brain tries to synthesize multiple distinct inputs, forming associations between ideas that, at first, seem unrelated.

Adults have more access to informal learning opportunities than ever before, says Robin Grenier, associate professor of adult learning at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education.

A new study of the educational needs of students who are native users of American Sign Language (ASL) shows glaring disparities in their treatment by the U.S Department of Education. The article, “If you use ASL, should you study ESL? Limitations of a modality-b(i)ased policy”, by Elena Koulidobrova (Central Connecticut State University), Marlon Kunze (Gallaudet University) and Hannah Dostal (University of Connecticut), will be published in the June, 2018 issue of the scholarly journal Language

Ronald Beghetto is interviewed about his new book, “What If?”

Morgaen Donaldson, a professor at the University of Connecticut, said the initial buy-in followed by pushback isn’t surprising, pointing to her own research in New Haven. To some, aspects of the initiative “might be worth endorsing at an abstract level,” she said. “But then when the rubber hit the road … people started to resist.”