What is imagination? Does it have limits? What are the uses of imagination? Despite it having a key role in human life, why is it undervalued? What about the darker side of the imagination? Why does imagination need to be educated and how can it be nurtured?
These are some of the questions that Dr Farid Panjwani, addressed in his talk during a webinar on “nurturing imagination through education” organised by AKU’s Institute for Educational Development.
Click
here to watch his full talk.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Imagination is not only associated with the arts, it is also associated with sciences, religion, human thought, identity, sense of freedom and many more aspects of human life.
- Our experiences such as our sensory experiences play a key role in either limiting or expanding our imagination.
- Imagination has a darker side as well. If left uneducated, it can lead to undesirable outcomes. Hence nurturing the ethical as well as the aesthetical imagination is key to help it play a positive role in human life and society.
- Nurturing students’ imagination is as important as knowledge and values because education is more than passing exams and mastering a body of facts.
- Economically imagination is becoming increasingly important as digitisation and atomisation are going to take away an increasing number of jobs. Only those professions are likely to remain intact that require imagination, creativity, care, empathy and problem-solving skills.
- As the world becomes more interconnected and people-to-people ties increase, imagination will play a central role. For example, it can help people to put themselves in others’ shoes and get sensitive to their concerns and needs.
- To educate the imagination, we need to see it as a natural capacity. The best time to nurture the imagination is during early childhood.
- Different pedagogical practices are required to nurture the imagination of learners in schools. Children need to be allowed some flexibility in the schools and at home to explore and experiment to enhance their imagination.
- Giving children exposure to alternative places, and physical and mental activities and allowing them the opportunity to experiment and make mistakes strengthens their imagination.
Dr Panjwani is an Associate Professor in Education and Religion and the Director of Centre for the Study of Education in Muslim Contexts at University College London, Institute of Education, UK.
What is imagination? Does it have limits? What are the uses of imagination? Despite it having a key role in human life, why is it undervalued? What about the darker side of the imagination? Why does imagination need to be educated and how can it be nurtured?
These are some of the questions that Dr Farid Panjwani, addressed in his talk during a webinar on “nurturing imagination through education” organised by AKU’s Institute for Educational Development.
Click
here to watch his full talk.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Imagination is not only associated with the arts, it is also associated with sciences, religion, human thought, identity, sense of freedom and many more aspects of human life.
- Our experiences such as our sensory experiences play a key role in either limiting or expanding our imagination.
- Imagination has a darker side as well. If left uneducated, it can lead to undesirable outcomes. Hence nurturing the ethical as well as the aesthetical imagination is key to help it play a positive role in human life and society.
- Nurturing students’ imagination is as important as knowledge and values because education is more than passing exams and mastering a body of facts.
- Economically imagination is becoming increasingly important as digitisation and atomisation are going to take away an increasing number of jobs. Only those professions are likely to remain intact that require imagination, creativity, care, empathy and problem-solving skills.
- As the world becomes more interconnected and people-to-people ties increase, imagination will play a central role. For example, it can help people to put themselves in others’ shoes and get sensitive to their concerns and needs.
- To educate the imagination, we need to see it as a natural capacity. The best time to nurture the imagination is during early childhood.
- Different pedagogical practices are required to nurture the imagination of learners in schools. Children need to be allowed some flexibility in the schools and at home to explore and experiment to enhance their imagination.
- Giving children exposure to alternative places, and physical and mental activities and allowing them the opportunity to experiment and make mistakes strengthens their imagination.
Dr Panjwani is an Associate Professor in Education and Religion and the Director of Centre for the Study of Education in Muslim Contexts at University College London, Institute of Education, UK.