Nearly 5 years ago I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book Lifelong Kindergarten by Mitchel Resnick, an inspirational educationalist. I have also been fortunate to meet Mitchel Resnick and chat with him. In his book he said how important creative thinking was in the world then….well… just how important it is now! A world where the pandemic has changed so many of life’s ways of living.
We have all needed to be creative to navigate the challenges we have encountered. In this ‘changed’ world more than ever, our children need to be creative thinkers and problem-solvers.
Resnick wrote “I’ve used the phrase Lifelong Kindergarten not just as the title of my book but also as the name of my research group at MIT. I’m convinced that kindergarten-style learning is exactly what’s needed to thrive in today’s rapidly changing society”.
Resnick likes to think of the creative process like an Creative Learning Spiral where students of all ages can ….imagine —-> create—-> play—-> share—-> reflect—-> imagine—-> 
As children go through the spiral they develop and refine their abilities as creative thinkers. They learn to develop their own ideas, try them out, experiment with alternatives, get input from others and generate new ideas based on their experiences.
I’m sure most can relate that to our lives the last 2 years! How creative have we been as educators with hybrid teaching and learning!
This video is Mit Resnick talking about Lifelong Kindergarten and courses offered 🙂
Providing students with the opportunities and environments where projects, passions, peers and play (more on the 4P’s in the book) are available enables students to develop creative thinking skills. As an advocate for the Maker Movement and providing students with Makerspaces in the school environment, I believe is perfect for students to be makers, risk takers and problem-solvers using creative thinking during each stage of making.
Girls enjoying their own making….
