The Challenge of Educating the Future Creative with Frances Valintine

In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Frances Valintine, Founder and CEO of The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab, two organizations providing learning pathways for educators and professionals to participate in and have a sustainable impact on our tech-driven future. Everything Frances does revolves around supporting people, business, and organizations to understand the impact of emerging technologies and the cultural adaptation required to embrace change and build that impact. So, how is that connected to creativity in education?   Tune in to gain insight into the type of future we can anticipate for our students, particularly with the rise in digital innovation, as well as the technologies that can help students make education more personal to them while building on their own unique strengths.    Frances breaks down the concept of compulsory education and the role of the educator in preparing students for non-traditional, more personalized careers and side hustles (think freelancing and entrepreneurship). She sheds light on how students are reacting to online learning and returning to in-person learning, along with how to effectively engage, motivate, and teach your students what they need to learn in order to thrive in a highly innovative, tech-driven future.   “What if we took away that need to lead every conversation and to set that tone and give the creativity back to the kids?”  – Frances Valintine   She also highlights the difference between cooperation and collaboration, the importance of embracing robots and cobots (collaborative robots) in and out of the classroom, and whether or not the future creative needs to develop the capacity and skills to operate outside of the algorithms.     Frances’ Tips for Teachers and Parents: Start with students asking the questions instead of answering them. Never use a learning opportunity to get the students to do the same thing.  Don’t be over-indexed by your own knowledge. Just because it was true at the time or place or in the group you hang out with doesn’t mean it’s representative of the real world or other people’s scenarios.   Resources Mentioned: The Mind Lab Tech Futures Lab Listen to the episode with Bea Leiderman Listen to the episode with Bryan Alexander Listen to the episode with David Cropley   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?  Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.   What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?  Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school?  Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.    Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at [email protected]!   You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!   About Frances Valintine: A well regarded and recognised technologist and educator, Frances has been focused on the future of work and the development of human capability for the duration of her career. She has a life mission to uncover the potential in anyone she meets -  if you have a conversation with Frances you’ll come away buzzing with inspiration, confidence and optimism for what lies ahead.   In recent years, Frances has built up The Mind Lab (started in 2013) and Tech Futures Lab (2016) to provide learning pathways for educators and professionals to not just participate in but have sustainable impact for the technologically driven future. Everything she does is about supporting people, businesses and organisations to understand the impact of emerging technologies and the cultural adaptation required to embrace change and build that impact.   Connect with Frances Valintine on LinkedIn