Exploring the Imagination to Establish Frameworks for Learning

Abstract

This paper continues to explore the relationship between the imagination and learning. It has been claimed by Maxine Greene, amongst others, that imagination is the most important of the cognitive capacities for learning; the reason being that 'it permits us to give credence to alternative realities'. However little work has been done on what constitutes this capacity for the imagination. This paper draws on Husserl and Wittgenstein to frame a model of imagination that derives from the perspective of the 'transcendental phenomenology' of Husserl. The claim is made that by learning to be in the world in certain ways we must be able to construct imagined worlds with their own logics and presentations. This claim is supported by a discussion of the parameters required for owning and accepting to the self sensory and cognitive perceptions and beliefs. Imagination is also a necessary condition for the understanding of empathy; of grasping what it is like be another person. In this sense imagination can be better grasped through the category of ontology rather than epistemology. It can also, on the basis of ontology, be argued that understanding and acknowledging other cultures is a matter of being, imaginatively, in the other world. Some implications for approaches to teaching and learning are outlined.

Reliability, Validity, and Factor Structure of the Imaginative Capability Scale

“…Imagination is one of the most precious cognitive capacities and can be perceived as the vehicle of active creativity (Gaut, 2003;Heath, 2008). Similarly, imagination can be regarded as the conduit through which the unconscious self finds its way out in the form of creative mental imagery that can drive deliberate actions (Morosini, 2010, p. 35).…”

English teaching and imagination: a case for revisiting the value of imagination in teaching writing

“…Despite this, mainstream education in England has not embraced imagination as an aim; imagination has, in fact, been neglected (Hughes, 1988) and its influence meagre (Sutton -Smith, 1988). This could be for a number of reasons, including considerable problems with defining the term (McGinn, 2004;Roth, 2007) and its associations with fanciful, even irresponsible, thinking (Smith, 1992;Baldachinno, 2009), particularly in an age dominated by positivist discourse (Heath, 2008). However, this paper argues that there are valid reasons for re-visiting Warnock's claim about imagination, and to do so from the perspective of teachers, particularly in the context of teaching writing.…”

Applying TRIZ Instructional Strategies to Vocational Students’ Imaginative Learning and Practice

“…Imagination is the process by which mental images evolve and it is closely connected to imagery and emotions, which are based on existing image memory emotions and new images; senses are used to rearrange and reconstruct brand new images (Vygotsky, 2004;Gawain, 2016). Imagination is the ability to imagine, and it is a prerequisite for creativity and is the foundation for creative thinking (Heath, 2008;Jung, Flores & Hunter, 2016). Thus, through a focus on learner needs and by combining the applications of imagination and developing systematic learning strategies, learners could be assisted in extending the usage of existing foundational abilities to promote learning effects.…”