Nurturing Young Innovators

Cultivating Creativity in the Classroom, Home and Community

By Laura McLaughlin Taddei and Stephanie Smith Budhai

ISBN: 9781564843906

Published: August 2017

Length: 182 pages

Table of Contents

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“By spreading the responsibility as a collaborative effort between families and communities, educators now have the opportunity to carve creative thinking into their curricula. The authors provide a clear roadmap for teachers on how to get children to think creatively, work creatively with others, and implement innovative ideas.” -- From the foreword by Drew Boyd, Co-author of Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results



This book offers elementary teachers practical tools and ideas to foster risk-taking, curiosity and creative thinking in their students, helping them succeed as lifelong innovators.

Today’s students need broad skills to help them think creatively, work collaboratively and implement innovations in our complex and global society. These skills must be taught early to ensure success.

In Nurturing Young Innovators, PK-5 teachers will learn how to engage families and communities in activities that create environments where creativity, innovation and collaboration are fostered and valued, and where technology is used to redefine learning and promote responsible risk-taking.

This book includes:

• Examples of how teachers can collaborate with students, parents and the community to support student success and innovation.
• Practical tools, including sample projects, reflection questions and exercises to drive student learning.
• An action plan to help you track the steps you’re taking to facilitate creativity in students, and a Resources section to support the content in each chapter.

Written by two experts who are passionate about supporting early learners through effective uses of technology, this book is a singular source for learning how to encourage innovation and creativity in early learners so they can develop the skills they need to thrive.

Audience: PK-5 classroom teachers

About the Authors

Laura McLaughlin Taddei is an associate professor of education at Neumann University in Aston, Pennsylvania, and a professional development speaker in higher education and PK-12 settings. She is dedicated to teaching and modeling the use of innovation, creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration both within the classroom setting and beyond.

Stephanie Smith Budhai is an associate professor and director of graduate education at Neumann University in Aston, Pennsylvania. She developed and oversees a state-approved program to prepare K-12 teachers to design, deliver and assess learning in online modalities, and has published several books and articles about instructional technology. She serves as the Pennsylvania Association for Educational Communications and Technology southeast region treasurer.

Reviews

“Overall, each chapter is filled with wonderful resources, exercises, strategies, and suggestions....There are also CCSS aligned activities throughout the book, which makes it even easier for teachers to connect these ideas to their practice. For any pre-K-5 teacher who is looking to create a more engaging, supportive, community-connected classroom, the resources and strategies in this book are absolutely excellent.” -- Michael Karlin, EdTech Roundup