imaginED supports and enables imagination-focused teaching in all contexts, from formal to alternative learning contexts, and from primary school through higher education. imaginED is about education that inspires all learners. The professional community following imaginED–and contributing to it–is growing each day.
By imagination we mean wonder, we mean a lingering sense of awe, a desire to know more, and pleasure in learning. We mean the sense of the possible that has been the genesis of all invention in the world. We believe imagination to be one of the most, if not the most important dimensions of meaningful and memorable learning whatever the topic.
imaginED provides teaching ideas, activities and resources aimed at students of all ages (pre-k through post-secondary). Imagination-focused teaching applies to all educational settings (the traditional “classroom”, alternative learning environments, the homeschool etc.), and to all subject areas. The imagination is as important to learning mathematics, sciences, economics or languages, as it is to the arts. (Quick link: Imagination Misunderstood.) On imaginED you will find practical ways to centralize imagination and emotion in your teaching and, thus, to make what you teach more meaningful to your students.
Dr. Gillian Judson directs ImaginED. She is passionate about imagination’s role in Ecological or Place-Based Education. During her graduate studies, she began with the question, How can we develop students’ ecological understanding as part of their everyday education? Imaginative Ecological Education, or IEE, developed as a result of that research. IEE is about engaging the body and emotion in place-based and imagination-focused teaching. All ages, all topics, all contexts. The Walking Curriculum is the most recent publication on this topic, and is available on The Outdoor Learning Store.
We invite you to join us on Thursday, May 12 (4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern) for a free 60 minute virtual workshop with Gillian Judson (imaginED) and Heidi Wood (NOIIE). In this workshopthey will introduce a new resource for imaginative, Place-centered and Indigenous Education. Walking Forward: Learning from Place interweaves First People’s Principles of Learning (FPPL), Imaginative Ecological Education (IEE), and teacher inquiry. This resource applies an Indigenous lens to The Walking Curriculum (TWC), reframing the first 30 walks in TWC in ways that connect to the nine FPPL.
We also invite you to join this year’s 30-day Walking Curriculum challenge! Celebrate Earth Day, April 22, 2022, with educators around the globe (Pre-K through high school) and take imagination + learning outside for part of the day–rain or snow or shine–for 30 days. With The Walking Curriculum: Evoking Wonder And Developing A Sense of Place as a resource and guide for outdoor learning, educators can engage students in imagination- and inquiry-focused walks designed to enrich their understanding of the regular curriculum. Outdoor, walking-based learning fuels cross-curricular activities that students pursue throughout the rest of their day.
Gillian’s amazing resources are available on The Outdoor Learning Store:
A Walking Curriculum: Evoking Wonder and Developing a Sense of Place
Engaging Imagination in Ecological Education: Practical Strategies for Teaching
