Imagination in Teaching and Learning: The Middle School Years

stimulated and developed in education. Yet, few teachers

understand what imagination is or how it lends itself to

practical methods and techniques that can be used easily in

classroom instruction. In this book, Kieran Egan—winner of

the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for his work on

imagination—takes up where his Teaching as Story Telling

left off, offering practical help for teachers who want to

engage, stimulate, and develop the imaginative and learning

processes of children between the ages of eight to fifteen.

This book is not about unusually imaginative students and

teachers. Rather, it is about the typical student's

imaginative life and how it can be stimulated in learning,

how the average teacher can plan to achieve this aim, and how

the curriculum can be structured to help achieve this aim.

Slim and determinedly practical, this book contains a wealth

of concrete examples of curriculum design and teaching

techniques structured to appeal specifically to children in

their middle school years.

Introduction

A Very Short History of the Imagination

Introduction

Myth, Memory, and Emotion

Ancient and Medieval Imagination

Imagination in the Enlightenment

The Romantic Imagination

Imagination in the Modern Period: Philosophical Work

Imagination in the Modern Period: Psychological Work

Conclusion

Why is Imagination Important to Education?

Introduction

Imagination and Conventional Thinking

Imagination in Learning

Imagination and Memory

Social Virtues

Imagination and Freedom

Imagination and Objective Knowledge

Visualization, Originality, and Creativity

The Narrative Mind

Conclusion

III. Characteristics of Students' Imaginative Lives, Ages 8-15

Introduction

The Affective Connection

Extremes and Limits

Romance, Wonder, and Awe

Associating With the Heroic

Revolt and Idealism

Matters of Detail

Humanizing Knowledge

Conclusion

IV. Imagination and Teaching

Introduction

A Planning Framework For Imaginative Teaching and Learning

Exploration of the Framework by Means of an Example

Less Formal Implementations: Fragmenting the Framework

From Characteristics to Principles of Learning

Conclusion

VI. Image and Concept

Some Further Examples

Introduction

Mathematics

Science

Social Studies

Language Arts

Conclusion

Conclusion

The Role of the Teacher

The Imaginative Curriculum

Eliminating Social Studies and Humanities

Imagination and Entertainment

Interests and Abilities: Educational Clichés

The Moral Dimension

The Logic of the Heart

References

Index