Creative Styles in Action: A New Way to Understand Creativity in the Classroom

Who are the creative students in your classroom? And how might your definition of creativity be shaping who you notice and who you overlook?

In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Matthew Worwood and Dr. Cyndi Burnett welcome Dr. Gerard Puccio and Cheri Sterman to explore a new way of understanding creativity through the Crayola Creative Styles Tool.

Listen in as the conversation explores how creativity shows up differently in each learner and why recognizing those differences matters. Gerard and Cheri introduce a framework built around three key areas, how we think, how we perceive, and how we engage, and explain how this approach can help educators better understand themselves and their students.

In this thoughtful conversation, they explore:

– Why many educators struggle with creative confidence and how that impacts teaching
– The importance of helping people see themselves as creative in their own way
– How creativity goes beyond thinking and includes perception and engagement
– The difference between seeing details and seeing connections in the creative process
– Why some people prefer to act quickly while others need time to reflect
– How understanding your own creative style can improve collaboration with others
– The role of self-awareness in building creative confidence and agency
– Why creativity should not be reduced to labels or fixed identities
– How this tool can help teachers better support different types of learners
– The connection between environment, experience, and creative preferences
– Why students rarely get the chance to learn about themselves as creative thinkers
– How a shared language around creativity can strengthen classroom culture

Gerard and Cheri also discuss how this tool can open up important conversations in schools, helping both educators and students better understand how they approach problems, ideas, and learning.

If you are an educator or school leader, this episode offers a new lens for recognizing creativity in your classroom and supporting it in more intentional ways.

 

About the Guests

Dr. Gerard Puccio is a distinguished professor at Buffalo State University and a leading voice in creativity research. He serves as chair of the Center for Applied Imagination and has published extensively on creative thinking and innovation. His work has received multiple awards, including recognition for research excellence and contributions to the field of creativity.

Cheri Sterman is the Director of Education at Crayola, where she works with educators, families, and communities to deepen their understanding of creativity. She leads professional learning programs and helps design global initiatives such as Crayola Creativity Week, which reaches millions of students and teachers worldwide.

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