Imagination And Literacy

In her newest book, teacher researcher and bestselling author Karen Gallas investigates imagination in the classroom to understand its function in literacy learning. Using rich examples from her elementary classroom, she proposes that imagination is a central, but untapped, component of learing accross all subject areas—language arts, science, social studies, and math.

Storytelling helps pupils develop a wide range of skills. Do they dream and fantasize? Do they lie, waffle and distract? These are not just bad habits but marvellous starting points for teaching an art that can help them to pass on experience, train and use imagination, develop language skills, promote their own confidence, communication and creativity and much more. Storytelling and story making may indeed be essential catalysts in developing critical and analytical thinking skills too. Storytelling and Imagination: Beyond Basic Literacy 8-14 is the complete guide to using creative storytelling in the primary school classroom and for transitions to Key Stage 3 at secondary school. Taking a holistic approach incorporating reading, writing, speaking and listening, this book covers the skills of developing stories from conceiving a tale through to performance and the oral tradition. Tried and tested by the author and by teachers in hundreds of workshops, this book provides: ideas for sparking children’s imaginations and harnessing creativity information on using storytelling in cross-curricular contexts with examples and ideas games and practical activities in each chapter a range of original and traditional stories for use in the classroom different stages of work to suit all abilities joined up thinking about stories and storytelling. More than a box of good tricks, this book is an indispensable guide for all literacy co-ordinators, practising and student teachers who are looking to create an inspiring and cross curricular approach to literacy.

In her newest book, teacher researcher and bestselling author Karen Gallas investigates imagination in the classroom to understand its function in literacy learning. Using rich examples from her elementary classrooms, she proposes that imagination is a central, but untapped, component of learning across all subject areas—language arts, science, social studies, and math. This book gets to the heart of a theme which has been a strong undercurrent in her previous books. “Karen Gallas shares persuasive insights that will be of importance to educators at all levels. As one pre-service teacher put it after reading the book, ‘I am now inspired to unleash the imagination of my students and see where it takes us!’” —Gordon Wells, University of California at Santa Cruz “Karen Gallas’s inquiry into imagination and literacy is an engaging illustration of the power of inquiry to inform teaching while making a substantial contribution to current theory and research on the meaning and power of imagination.” —Curt Dudley-Marling, Lynch School of Education, Boston College “Eloquent and intellectual . . . Karen Gallas offers us insights from her teaching journal and connections to philosophers from Freire to Bakhtin, showing teachers and researchers how to re-envision and improve our work with our students. I loved this book and have already recommended it to colleagues and friends.” —Ruth Shagoury, author of A Workshop of the Possible, Mary Stuart Rogers Professor of Education at Lewis & Clark College

For teachers charged with the great responsibility of helping students achieve basic literacy, delivering instruction in stimulating and engaging ways is not an ideal-it's a necessity. Recognizing this, award-winning author and educator Kieran Egan puts the fun in fundamentals of literacy by helping teachers stir students' imagination and emotions.

Bringing together strands of public discourse about valuing personal achievement at the expense of social values and the impacts of global capitalism, mass media, and digital culture on the lives of children, this book challenges the potential of science and business to solve the world’s problems without a complementary emphasis on social values. The selection of literary works discussed illustrates the power of literature and human arts to instill such values and foster change. The book offers a valuable foundation for the field of literacy education by providing knowledge about the importance of language and literature that educators can use in their own teaching and advocacy work.

Imagination is the Source of Creativity and Invention This series of essays has been collected expressly to bring readers new ideas about imagination and creativity in education that will both stimulate discussion and debate and also contribute practical ideas for how to infuse our daily classrooms with imaginative activities. In a world that values creative innovation, it is distressing that our schools are dominated by an educational paradigm that pays too little attention to engaging the imagination and emotions of students in the curriculum and the worlds challenges that the curriculum is designed to prepare students to meet. The ability of children to think creatively, to be innovative, enterprising, and capable, depends greatly on providing a rich imagination-based educational environment. It is only when we consider the imagination a vital component of our lives and one of the great workhorses of learning that we recognize the importance of adding the imaginative to the study of the affective, cognitive, and physical modes of our development. Doing so fills a gap that has led to incomplete accounts of childrens development, their subsequent learning needs, and indeed, how to fulfill these needs in educational environments. This discussion, about the importance of imagination and creativity in education, has been taken up by researchers and educators around the world. It is represented here by writings from authors from Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Italy, Israel, Japan, and Romania. In the first part of this book these authors explore and discuss theories of development, imagination, and creativity. In the second part they extend these theories to broader social issues such as responsible citizenship, gender, and special needs education, to new approaches to curriculum subjects such as literacy, science, and mathematics, and to the educational environment of the museum.

Technological advances and the way young people interact with them means children are thinking and processing information in an increasingly visual manner. Visualising Literacy and How to Teach It recognises that many, if not most, children are attracted to visual images and uses this as a basis for introducing and developing a range of thinking skills and strategies for learning. This practical resource offers a selection of visuals, each accompanied by activities that give children practice in using their imaginations in different ways. Visualising Literacy and How to Teach It not only explores creative and critical thinking skills but also pays close attention to the overarching thinking skill that we call imagination. The book contains around 150 practical activities that develop children’s imaginations, focussing on a range of thinking skills, including but not limited to the following: developing observational/attentional skills noticing details (focussing of attention) assimilating visual information increasing experience of inferential thinking, speculation, dealing with generalisations boosting vocabulary empowering one’s attitude towards exploring ideas learning different questioning techniques increasing the ability to empathise becoming comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity Many of the visualisation techniques can be applied to developing different aspects of emotional resourcefulness, including empathy, positive self-image, anchoring positive thoughts and modifying negative thoughts and feelings. This is, therefore, an essential resource for any teacher or education professional who is keen on developing children’s ability to think and express their own ideas.

What to do when your imagination creates impossible situations.