Igniting students' creativity creates win-win opportunities in classrooms. When students are given the opportunity to apply their learning in the service of creativity and innovation their engagement is increased and their learning deepened. The abiliaty to think creatively is innate in all learners- unlocking that potential requires five keys- opportunity, quality thinking, fluency, flexibility and time. During this workshop Garfield will bring clarity to the concept of creativity and will provide practical examples, tools and strategies that support the nurturing of one of the key global competencies that has the potential to both enrich and engage students in learning. By framing assessments that invite creative responses and building students' capacity to think both critically and creatively teachers can ignite students' passion for learning while building their capacity to develop thoughtful and innovative solutions to issues and problems facing society. Harnessing the potential offered through teaching for creativity supports future -oriented learing, helping to ensure that students find school interesting, relevant and rewarding.

Garfield Gini-Newman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at OISE, University of Toronto. He explores how to teach through sustained critical inquiry while nurturingdeep conceptual understanding and genuine competence. Garfield has worked with thousands of teachers across grades and subjects, helping them to frame learning around engaging and provocative activities and rich, authentic assessments.

Currently, Garfield is engaged with schools across Canada,  in South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Over the past two decades requests for Garfield's services have taken him from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean and across North America. His interest in effective teaching and learning has led him to actively explore the challenges and opportunities  presented by teaching and learning in the digital age. In addition to his work at the University of Toronto and delivering workshops, Garfield has also authored over 100 books, chapters, and articles as well as having taught in the faculties of education at York University and UBC.