Creativity is a necessary skill for all ages—young, old, and everyone in between. Cultivating minds to think creatively is vital to foster advances in science and innovation, and there is no better place to do that than in science centers and museums, since research shows that creativity is developed through hands-on, experiential learning.
A Powerful Framework
ASTC partnered with the Center for Childhood Creativity (CCC) at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, to present a two-day workshop, Monday–Tuesday, April 9–10, that explored how you can infuse CCC’s CREATE framework into your institution’s programming and boost creativity among your visitors. The framework comprises six research-backed elements for designing learning environments and experiences that inspire creativity.
During the event, CCC presented research from the academic fields of education, psychology, and neuroscience that supports the six key elements of the CREATE framework
- Child-directed/learner-directed
- Risk-friendly
- Exploratory
- Active
- Time for imagination
- Exchange of ideas
Focusing on Participants’ Projects
This pedagogical framework describes how organizations can design experiences that build creative problem-solving skills. Based on this framework, participants worked through the design thinking process to model a specific space, idea, or project they had in mind.
The goal for the workshop was to support museum leaders, educators, and experience designers in developing programs and exhibits that boost creativity in their visitors.
- Dates:
Monday–Tuesday, April 9–10 - Location:
Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito, California - Presenters:
Elizabeth Rood, Ed.D., Bay Area Discovery Museum/Center for Childhood Creativity
Amy Eisenmann, Bay Area Discovery Museum/Center for Childhood Creativity
Lisa Regalla, Center for Childhood Creativity - Fee:
$200 per person ($100 per person for ASTC members) - Hotel:
Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf, 555 North Point Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
If you have any questions about the workshop, please let me know.
About the Center for Childhood Creativity
The Center for Childhood Creativity (CCC) is the research and advisory division of the Bay Area Discovery Museum, working at a national scale to advocate for the critical importance of creativity development in childhood and to inspire the next generation of innovators, thought leaders, and problem-solvers.
Wendy Hancock is ASTC’s senior program manager, professional development.