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Sometimes our talk about student creativity verges on treating it like a magic "special sauce". Here are some concrete exercises which we can teach students to seed or spark creative approaches.

A fascinating walk through interesting syllabi (and isn't that still the preferred plural?) From conventional documents with interesting tweaks, to Prezi presentations, to a "fold-your-own quarto", lots of experimenting going on.

A discussion with Kenneth Crews of Columbia University about copyright. It opens with a nice primer on the concepts of copyright and fair use, and takes an interesting turn at the end as the discussants consider the ownership of faculty and staff copyrights, and Creative Commons licensing.

The Essentials group on Oral Expression made the point that listening is as important as talking for good discussions. Many of the points in this article are no surprise, but the lens that deep listening leads to deep creativity is an interesting one.

A report on studies which show the positive impact of exercise and being in nature on subjects' creativity and mood. Next time your class begs "can we have class outside", why not suggest a discussion during a walk to the other end of campus?

Jose Bowen, president of Goucher College and author of the book _Teaching Naked_, is starting a 5-part series on liberal arts education as the "degree of the future". In part one, I'd note the implied difference between "critical" and "creative" thinking.

"Students who didn't learn about the scientists' struggles were more likely to say that those scientists had innate talent and aptitude which separated them from everyone else." Do you draw attention to the processes of discovery and creativity in your course content, including setbacks?

"From love letters to pen pals, families, relationships, friendships, professional and creative collaborations, and the brilliant sudden intimacy between new acquaintances, correspondence over distance has sustained us for ages uncounted." Hopeful thoughts about pen pals, chain letters, and "writer's letters" from Sean Michael Morris.

The authors describe ways in which design thinking gives students a chance to practice interdisciplinarity and engage with big questions. What if students were encouraged to bring those skills to bear on campus issues?

This is a video posted by the Harvard Business Review. The speaker provides examples of how disrupting one's routine -- and of those around you -- can lead to new ways of doing things. I think the analogy of Miles Davis with a professor is pretty clear.

Very interesting podcast episode. Turnitin inspires some strong reactions. Some professors are intentional and creative in the way they integrate it with their writing pedagogy. Others raise a number of important ethical questions about they way the tool makes assumptions about your classroom environment.

Fascinating example of the creative use of typography to explain complex concepts. The example is about the use of color to connect an equation with its definition, but I can easily imagine the same principle working for maps or conceptual models. (And do read the comments about using appropriate color palettes for the colorblind.)