Imagination in Teaching and Learning: The Middle School Years

Dennis Blake is a high-school history teacher with the Halton Board of
Education.

Kieran Egan, a professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser
University, is an established author of works on education. This book
begins with a historical overview of Western civilization’s
understanding of the “imagination” before launching into an
exploration into the ways that such an understanding can be used to
engage the student and teacher in meaningful educative experiences.

Egan’s goal is to provide a practical framework that educators can
use to broaden their understanding of the focusing role the imagination
plays in the approach, appreciation, and valuing of fine teaching and
enriched learning.

It is a polite and humble work that seeks not to cajole but rather to
affirm, through documentation and invitation, the importance of the
affective domain. In a pedagogical climate where value is measured in
terms of practical application, it is refreshing to read a truly
philosophical application of the love and joy of knowledge to the
classroom situation. Perhaps without planning to do so, Egan goes a long
way toward reaffirming a faith in the art of teaching.