Educating Perfinkers: How Cognitive Tools Support Affective Engagement in Teacher Education

Our intention is to share our lived experiences as educators of educators employing Imaginative Education (IE) pedagogy. We aim to illuminate IE’s influence on our students’, and our own, affective alertness, and to leave readers feeling the possibility of this pedagogy for teaching and learning. Inspired by the literary and research praxis of métissage (Chambers et al., 2012; Hasebe-Ludt et al., 2009; Hasebe-Ludt et al., 2010), we offer this polyphonic text as a weaving together of our discrete and collective voices as imaginative teacher educators. Our writing reflects a relational process, one that invites us as writers and colleagues to better understand each other and our practices as IE educators (Hasebe-Ludt et al., 2009). It also allows us to share with other practitioners our struggles, questions, and triumphs as we make sense of our individual and collective praxis: how IE’s theory informs our practice, and how our practice informs our understanding of IE’s theory. This text, like IE’s philosophy, invites heterogeneous possibilities.

Cultivating Leadership Imagination with Cognitive Tools: An Imagination-Focused Approach to Leadership Education

This conceptual and practical paper aims to expand understanding of imagination in ways that have direct implications for leadership education and research. First, imagination is conceptualized as soil, an analogy that can address misconceptions about imagination and broaden understanding of the multiple ways it contributes to leadership. Next, an educational theory called Imaginative Education (IE) is introduced that offers theoretical understanding of imagination and practical tools for its development. Finally, what imagination yields in terms of individual and collective leadership processes is described along with specific “cognitive tools” that may be used to cultivate imagination in school leadership.

Metaforic language of the Wrocław School of the Future Model

In this article I am looking for an answer to the question: What are the meanings and significances of metaphors in the Wrocław School of the Future? I show the use of metaphorical language in the school, where metaphors are treated as a source of knowledge about the surrounding world, as a kind of support for more effective communication and as a stimulator of the imagination. In the Wrocław School of the Future, it is believed that a child does not have to be doomed to education based on stereotypical behaviors. It is also believed that in the process of education there is a need for creative thinking, based on various associations in which the ability to create a mind map, imagination, or so-called imaginative education is used. Such education at the Wrocław School of the Future is supported by metaphors that play a primary role there.

Young Children’s Imagination

The following bibliography offers readers a glimpse into the breadth of research on young children and imagination and its impact on culture, research, and education practice. The writings are organized into seven sections: the Intertwining of Imagination and Creativity: A Symbiotic Relationship, Children and Imagination, Teacher Education: Strategies, Lessons, and Practice, Kieran Egan and the Theory of Imaginative Education, Imaginative Education Publications, Journals, and Handbooks. In many disciplines, the ideas of imagination and creativity have been conflated. This bibliography offers some key readings to help distinguish these two terms, while also confirming their interconnectedness. This complexity of definitions and usage of terms is more fully explored in the next section, which presents a variety of research projects looking closely at the role of imagination in early learning, play, and creative endeavors. The importance of imagination for young children’s development is further explored in the teacher-training section, where scholars, researchers, and educators share practical and theoretical suggestion for in-service teachers and current practicing teachers. This focus on education is deepened in the following two sections, focusing on a particular educational philosopher, Kieran Egan, and his educational theory, Imaginative Education—one of the most well-known educational theories. Following the major works about the theory of Imaginative Education written by its designer and creator, Kieran Egan, the bibliography collates articles that directly engage with the theory, in practical and theoretical settings, from early childhood to postsecondary education. Finally, the last two sections offer the reader a list of journals and handbooks about children’s thinking, education, and imagination.

La Educación Imaginativa y la enseñanza de la historia

Este artículo analiza las propuestas de la Educación Imaginativa y sus potencialidades para la enseñanza de la historia. En la primera parte se reseñan los postulados teóricos de la Educación Imaginativa, centrando el análisis en las propuestas de uno de sus principales impulsores, el filósofo de la educaciónKieran Egan. En la segunda parte se estudia la manera en que este enfoque puede ser utilizado en la enseñanza de la historia, proporcionando, además, algunos ejemplos concretos. Según Egan, la enseñanza de la historia ha quedado reducida a los currículos, dejando de lado los aspectos vinculados con las emociones y la imaginación, lo que ha impactado el desarrollo integral de los estudiantes como miembros de la sociedad. A partir de la experiencia y la revisión bibliográfica, proponemos una aproximación a esta teoría, explicando sus fundamentos, sus principios y cómo esta puede ser una valiosa herramienta para la enseñanza de la historia.AbstractThis article analyzes proposals of Imaginative Education and its potential for teaching history. The first part presents the theoretical postulates of the Imaginative Education focusing on the proposals of one of its main promoters, the education philosopher Kieran Egan. In the second part, it studies the way in which this approach can be used in teaching history, also providingsome examples. According to Egan, the curricula has reduced the teaching of history to the transmission of knowledge without relating it to emotions and imagination, impacting students’ integral development as members of society. From the experience and the bibliographic review we propose an approach to this theory, explaining its foundations, its principles and how this can be a valuable tool for the teaching of history.Keywords: Imaginative education, understandings, cognitive tools, history teaching.ResumoEste artigo analisa as propostas da Educação Imaginativa e suas potencialidades para o ensino da história. Na primeira parte são resumidos os postulados teóricos da Educação Imaginativa centrando a análise nas propostas de um dos seus principais impulsores, o filósofo da educação Kieran Egan. Na segunda parte estuda-se a maneira em que esta perspectiva pode ser utilizadano ensino da história proporcionando, ao mesmo tempo, alguns exemplos concretos. Segundo Egan, o ensino da história tem ficado reduzido nos currículos à transmissão de conhecimentos ignorando os aspectos vinculadoscom as emoções e a imaginação, o que tem impactado o desenvolvimento integral dos estudantes como membros da sociedade. A partir da experiência e a revisão bibliográfica propomos uma aproximação a esta teoria, explicando seus fundamentos, seus princípios e como esta pode ser una valiosa ferramenta para o ensino da história.Palavras-chave: Educação Imaginativa, entendimentos, ferramentas cognitivas,ensino da história.

La Educación Imaginativa y la enseñanza de la historia

Este artículo analiza las propuestas de la Educación Imaginativa y sus potencialidades para la enseñanza de la historia. En la primera parte se reseñan los postulados teóricos de la Educación Imaginativa, centrando el análisis en las propuestas de uno de sus principales impulsores, el filósofo de la educación Kieran Egan. En la segunda parte se estudia la manera en que este enfoque puede ser utilizado en la enseñanza de la historia, proporcionando, además, algunos ejemplos concretos. Según Egan, la enseñanza de la historia ha quedado reducida a los currículos, dejando de lado los aspectos vinculados con las emociones y la imaginación, lo que ha impactado el desarrollo integralde los estudiantes como miembros de la sociedad. A partir de la experiencia y la revisión bibliográfica, proponemos una aproximación a esta teoría, explicando sus fundamentos, sus principios y cómo esta puede ser una valiosa herramienta para la enseñanza de la historia.AbstractThis article analyzes proposals of Imaginative Education and its potential for teaching history. The first part presents the theoretical postulates of the Imaginative Education focusing on the proposals of one of its main promoters, the education philosopher Kieran Egan. In the second part, it studies the way in which this approach can be used in teaching history, also providing some examples. According to Egan, the curricula has reduced the teaching of history to the transmission of knowledge without relating it to emotions and imagination, impacting students’ integral development as members of society. From the experience and the bibliographic review we propose an approach to this theory, explaining its foundations, its principles and how this can be a valuable tool for the teaching of history.Keywords: Imaginative education, understandings, cognitive tools, history teaching.ResumoEste artigo analisa as propostas da Educação Imaginativa e suas potencialidades para o ensino da história. Na primeira parte são resumidos os postulados teóricos da Educação Imaginativa centrando a análise nas propostas de um dos seus principais impulsores, o filósofo da educação Kieran Egan. Na segunda parte estuda-se a maneira em que esta perspectiva pode ser utilizada no ensino da história proporcionando, ao mesmo tempo, alguns exemplos concretos. Segundo Egan, o ensino da história tem ficado reduzido nos currículos à transmissão de conhecimentos ignorando os aspectos vinculados com as emoções e a imaginação, o que tem impactado o desenvolvimento integral dos estudantes como membros da sociedade. A partir da experiência e a revisão bibliográfica propomos uma aproximação a esta teoria, explicando seus fundamentos, seus princípios e como esta pode ser una valiosa ferramenta para o ensino da história.Palavras-chave: Educação Imaginativa, entendimentos, ferramentas cognitivas,ensino da história.

Learning to Teach, Imaginatively: Supporting the Development of New Teachers Through Cognitive Tools

We propose that teacher candidates need to have extended experiences with learning to teach imaginatively, which is to say that teacher candidates need to have experiences that enable them to consider new possibilities in education. We first attend to the general theoretical framework offered by imaginative education before moving on to consider the implications of imaginative education for teacher education programs. We conclude with some provocations to the field that we hope will be of use for those who might wish to join us in considering how we might teach teachers to teach in imaginative ways — a complex sentence with an even more complicated set of implications.