The Best Way to Learn is to Make – Creativity in a Gen AI World

This book draws together Tim’s understanding of future directions in technology as well as his deep understanding of what students need in our classrooms. It is essential reading for all teachers (Dr Helen Hughes).

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These are all important questions being discussed by teachers, education leaders and parents in a time when generative AI is forcing the education system globally to re-think how it does assessment. Each of the above questions is raised and discussed in an easy to read and conversational tone throughout Dr Tim Kitchen’s new book The Best Way to Learn is to Make – Creativity in a Gen AI World, the most recent publication from Mammoth Learning.

Who is Dr Tim Kitchen?

Tim delves into the above questions from the unique position of being a classroom teacher in Australia for over 20 years and an education consultant throughout the Asia Pacific region for over 10 years. As Adobe’s Senior Education Specialist since 2013, he has been at the cutting edge of implementing new digital creativity technologies into schools and universities with a focus on empowering the next generation to be lifelong creators.

Summary

In Tim Kitchen’s book The Best Way to Learn is to Make, the emphasis on fostering creativity stands out amidst the growing societal pressures to prioritise explicit instruction, standardized testing, and a teacher-centered approach to education, all exacerbated by the rise of new technological frontiers like generative artificial intelligence. This work reflects Dr Kitchen’s deep resonance with influential figures such as Professor Seymour Papert and Sir Ken Robinson, whose insights have profoundly shaped his journey as an educator and EdTech consultant. Drawing from his rich interactions with teachers and students worldwide, Dr Kitchen offers practical insights and Tips for Teachers in most chapters, providing simple yet effective strategies to nurture creativity across diverse curriculum areas and educational levels. These tips are designed to empower educators to engage their students creatively, regardless of subject or educational context.

Tim’s second book

Tim’s second book is still being written, is yet to have a title and is very different to his first. It is a history book that delves into the origins of the Kitchen family with a focus on his decedents who came to Melbourne during the Gold Rush of the 1850s from the UK to start new lives.

Here is the current introduction …

I’ve always had a deep interest in history. When I was about five in early 1970s, my parents moved my younger sister and me to Scotland while my father completed his surgical fellowship. During that time, we visited ancient castles and often travelled throughout the UK and Europe, exploring museums and historic buildings that offered glimpses into the past and ignited in me a developing passion for all things historical.

After spending about two years in Europe, my exposure to history deepened even further when my father began working as a surgeon in Nazareth, Israel as well as in Gaza, serving the Palestinian community alongside a number of Jewish, Christian and Islamic health workers. Many weekends were spent exploring towns mentioned in biblical scripture. I vividly remember visiting the ancient Tower of Jericho in the West Bank—a site that dates back around 10,000 years to 8,000 BCE.

When we returned to Australia in the mid-1970s, I was taught in primary school that our nation’s history began only a couple of hundred years earlier, when Captain Cook landed at Botany Bay near Sydney in 1770. This always troubled me, as I already knew that a rich and enduring Indigenous culture existed long before European arrival. Thankfully, today’s Australian Curriculum recognises and respects that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples represent the world’s oldest continuous cultures, dating back at least 60,000 to 65,000 years.

During my teaching career, I had the joy of working as a primary school teacher for several years, where I loved sharing my passion for history with my students. Later on, I spent a number of years teaching Religious Education at the secondary level. That gave me the chance to dive into the origins of some of the world’s major religions and highlight the many shared values and stories within the Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

Since 2013, I’ve been deeply involved in the world of educational technology. It’s been fascinating to watch how much things have changed in such a short time — from the early days of personal computers to the powerful mobile and digital tools we now use every day in homes, workplaces, and classrooms. These days, I work in an industry that sits right at the heart of the artificial intelligence revolution. With society changing so quickly, I think it’s more important than ever to look back and learn from those who came before us.

My first book, The Best Way to Learn is to Make – Creativity in a Gen AI World, was written just as the Gen AI revolution was starting to unfold in schools. I wanted to capture that exciting moment — one that I believe will be remembered as a turning point in the history of education. Published by Mammoth Learning in July 2024, the book quickly became an Amazon best-seller and is now recommended reading for anyone passionate about education, especially the ever-evolving world of educational technology. (look up timkitchen.net/book

One of my favourite quotes comes from the American historian David McCullough, who said, “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” That really resonates with me. It’s one of the main reasons I decided to write this book — to honour and remember some of my relatives I never had the chance to meet, but whose lives, achievements, and service continue to shape who I am today.

Why I started writing this book.

In 2024, I was invited to give a short presentation at the 120-year anniversary of Upwey Baptist Church in Melbourne’s outer-east. The presentation focused on my family’s connection to the Belgrave Heights Convention, which had its origins at that church in 1918. This prompted me to revisit some family history research conducted by my father, Paul, in the years leading up to his passing, in 2011.

Among the documents, I found a publication titled Origins of the Kitchen Family (2009), authored by my father, as well as memoirs written by my great-grandfather, John James Kitchen, and my grandfather, Charles Philip Ridley Kitchen, always known as Ridley Kitchen. Additionally, I discovered a family tree my father had been compiling, tracing our lineage back to 1771. There were also ancestral history records about the Kitchen clan and memoirs from my great-grandmother Clara Kitchen and great-aunt Lillian Kitchen, which had been published by my aunt, Merridie Costello.I also re-read a document that was given to me by a distant relative Tony Kitchen titled History of J. Kitchen & Sons (by Arnold Riches, 1944). I met Tony for the first time in 2016 when the Channel 9 media organisation invited members of my family to a special viewing of what was produced during series 12 of The Block which was based on converting part of the former J. Kitchen & Sons Soap and Candle making factory in Port Melbourne to a set of high-end apartments. See more about this via timkitchen.net/2016/10/30/theblock/ (Kitchen, 2016).

Researching my family history and compiling this publication has been a truly fascinating journey. What lies ahead is a glimpse into Melbourne’s history, centered around the rise of a highly successful manufacturing business. It also tells the story of the growth of Christian evangelicalism in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and its connections to Christian missionary work across the globe. Most importantly, this is a story about the enduring power of faith, love, service to others and family across generations.