Imagination and Engagement Quality and Equality in Learning through Partnerships for Imaginative Education

Imagination and Engagement … in Shifting Thinking about Schooling Kieran Egan, Simon Fraser University … in Building Culturally Inclusive Schools Mark Fettes, Simon Fraser University … in Helping All Learners Reach Their Goals Debbie Leighton-Stephens, BC School District 52 (Prince Rupert)

Imagination and Engagement … in Shifting Thinking about Schooling Kieran Egan, Simon Fraser University

Development of children’s minds Social homogenizing Knowledge accumulation Psychological development Cognitive tool acquisition −> kinds of understanding What are cognitive tools? 75,000 years ago to today.

Kinds of Understanding IE is based on five distinctive kinds of understanding that enable people to make sense of the world in different ways  Somatic Understanding (pre-linguistic)  Mythic Understanding (oral language)  Romantic Understanding (written language)  Philosophic Understanding (theoretic use of language)  Ironic Understanding (reflexive use of language)

Somatic Understanding understand experience in a physical, pre-linguistic way

Somatic: the body’s toolkit Bodily senses Emotional responses & attachments Humor & expectations Musicality, rhythm, & pattern Gesture & communication Intentionality “little factories of understanding” Ted Hughes

With the development of language--further little factories of understanding Bodily senses Emotional responses & attachments Humour & expectations Musicality, pattern & rhythm Gesture & communication Intentionality Forming images from words/ abstract binary opposites Story Joking & buoyancy Rhyme & meter & number sense Puzzles Metaphor Sense of mystery How do the tools in the left column turn into, blend with, develop distinctly from those in the right column? How do the tools in the second column develop, or develop distinctly, from those in column one?

Mythic Understanding understand experience through oral language no longer limited to making sense of the world through direct physical experience can now rely on language to discuss, represent, and understand even things not experienced in person

Mythic: Oral language’s tool kit Story Abstract and affective binary opposites Affective images Jokes and humor Mystery and wonder

From cognitive tools to planning teaching

Examples Teaching place value in grade 2 Teaching “properties of the air” in grade 3

Romantic Understanding understand experience through written language realization of independence and separateness from a world that appears increasingly complex relate readily to extremes of reality, associate with heroes, and seek to make sense of the world in human terms

Romantic cognitive tools: from oral to literate culture Cinderella to Superman: Peter Rabbit to Hazel and Bigwig ‘win’ in ‘window’ : ‘at’ from ‘cat’ : stop and watch the stopwatch White bears on Novaya Zemla; Blue shamrocks on Sirius 5.

Romantic: Literacy’s toolkit Extremes and limits of reality Associating with the heroic Matters of detail Humanizing knowledge Romance, wonder, and awe

Examples Teaching about eels in grade 8 Teaching “interior opposite angles are congruent” in grade 7

General principle All knowledge is human knowledge; it grows out of human hopes, fears, and passions. Imaginative engagement with knowledge comes from learning in the context of the hopes, fears, and passions from which it has grown or in which it finds a living meaning.

THE LUCID PROJECT Imagination and Engagement in Culturally Inclusive Schools Some insights from a Community-University Research Alliance Mark Fettes, Simon Fraser University Funded by the Community-University Research Alliances program of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Diversity, quality and equality Diversity is… a defining feature of teachers’ work that schools are ill-designed to accommodate, perpetuating unequal outcomes a fact of life in modern societies that requires intellectual and emotional engagement and dialogue based on knowledge and understanding a potential resource for teaching and learning that offers much of value for academic, social and personal development in schools

Inclusion through imagination A theory of learning that views all cultures as educative and all students as capable of creative and energetic thought A set of principles for connecting the facts, concepts, and skills of the mainstream curriculum with the roots of human meaning An approach to classroom teaching that works with learners from diverse backgrounds and with a diversity of abilities and needs

Teaching in layers Look for the transcendent qualities of any topic, such as wonder, courage, wisdom, ingenuity, rebellion, power, beauty Plan a narrative structure for the unit that will allow your students to experience these qualities for themselves, and incorporate cognitive tools (tools of imaginative engagement) that keep heart, head and hands working together Draw on the resources of your students and their communities to build an increasingly complex picture of the human meaning of the topic

Transcendent qualities Narrative frame Facts, concepts, skills Strategies and activities Tools and Resources for Imaginative Engagement

Three examples The following teaching plans were developed by teachers in the LUCID project, in BC School Districts 33 (Chilliwack), 50 (Queen Charlotte/Haida Gwaii) and 52 (Prince Rupert). These plans have all been used in mainstream school classes following the BC curriculum. We have seen a consistent pattern of engagement in these classes, in which students who are typically disengaged, and may even be written off by other teachers, show themselves to be energetic and talented learners.

The Spirit of Haida Gwaii A Grade 8 English Unit By Leslie Puley, School District 50

Finding purpose in Grade 8 English Here we are at last, a long way from Haida Gwaii, not too sure where we’re going, still squabbling and vying for position in the boat, but somehow managing to appear to be heading in some direction. At least the paddles are together, and the man in the middle seems to have some vision of what is to come.… — Bill Reid In this unit, the canoe becomes an image of the classroom and all the characters on the boat are all the students in the class. Students will be imagining that life on the boat is their time during high school when they’re learning and figuring out their options for the future. The big question is what will happen to the characters when the boat lands? Or, metaphorically what will happen to the students in their lives after school? How will they contribute to society? Bill Reid asks us if there is a purpose to the journey at all…

Activities Discuss metaphors for community in poetry and art Write about a character in Reid’s sculpture Listen to Reid’s essay and the teacher’s adaptation of it Read Haida stories about the canoe characters Practice comprehension, vocabulary, etc in variety of ways Watch the video “Spirit of Haida Gwaii” Compose a portfolio for one character (description, poem, resume, achievement award) Engage with a speaker from the community who talks about Haida storytelling traditions and their relevance to contemporary life Apply what you have learned to produce something relevant to your own life and future goals (using writing, art, music, etc).

Mosquito Woman An oral language teaching cycle by Tannis Calder in collaboration with School District 33

Oral language in place The program was initially designed for a school where about a third of the students are Aboriginal, and traditional reading programs have had little success Each cycle of activities is based on a traditional narrative of the Sto:lo, the River People A transcendent quality central to the story provides the overarching theme of the cycle Activities are carefully ordered to engage the students with increasing levels of challenge and reward

A multi-week cycle A cycle lasts 3-4 weeks and progresses through four stages: First Encounter (listening to the story told orally, exploring it through guided imagery) Preparation/ Immersion (learning the story through rhyme/rhythm, building vocabulary through Mystery Words and other games) Creating/Inventing/Reimagining (one-minute talks, short role plays, and other short projects) Celebration/Integration (dramatic retellings, enactments, audio and video recordings)

Some engaging verse… When darkness fa!s and mothers call For all their children big and small, Th’owxeya with her basket deep Seeks out to snatch those not asleep. Th’owxeya’s evil appetite Is sated only with a bite Of young, sweet children who neglect To hurry home before sunset. …

Some mystery words… The first part of the this word means bad or wrong. This is what happens when something goes wrong when listening or talking The last part of the word comes from the root word “common.” It means “shared by all” or “together.” Miscommunication

A skipping rhyme… Tho’wxeya, Tho’weya, big and mean, Push her in the fire and hear her scream, It wasn’t a joke, There wasn’t any smoke, How many skeeters came out to poke? 1, 2, 3, 4,

Achieving multiple goals Students normally silent and passive become active and thoughtful participants Aboriginal culture and values infuse part of the regular curriculum Families are brought closer to the world of the school The focus on written, formal language is enriched by a new appreciation for the beauty and power of spoken language Mythic understanding is retrieved and developed Power relations in the classroom shift toward co- creation (become more “horizontal”)

By Colleen Pudsey and Raegan Sawka, School District 52

We would like to recognize the Elders of the Ts’msyen Nation, Sm’alygax Language Teachers and the First Nations Education Services Department of School District #52 (Prince Rupert) for their hard work and dedication in developing the cross-curricular units and resources for our district. Their mentorship and these materials played an integral part in the development of our Imaginative Yearlong Framework.

A Year-Long Journey Each student is part of a Crest group symbolized by an animal (wolf, raven, eagle, orca); students without a crest are adopted in a December feast The crest animals represent heroic qualities that are also to be found in each curriculum topic and in traditional “true tellings” (adaawx) The curriculum follows the rhythm of the seasons and of community life Culminating activities affirm students’ accomplishments throughout the year

Five Curriculum Phases Clans and Crest Phase (September) Community, narrative, history, identity Creation Phase (October-November) Astronomy, geology, exploration, physical fitness Feast Phase (December) Art, nutrition, formal speaking, cooperation Energy Phase (January-February) Physics, technology, natural resources, sports Survival Phase (March-June) Ecology, biology, literature, outdoor skills

LUCID and educational change Working with teachers Workshops, M.Ed. Program, planning, teaching, assessment Working with districts and First Nations Good collaboration but hard to change systems Working with students and parents Units are relatively easy, consistency is hard Developing curriculum resources Greater use of / demand for local resources Imagination means struggle

Imagination and Engagement in Helping All Learners Reach Their Goals Debbie Leighton-Stephens District Principal of Aboriginal Education School District 52 (Prince Rupert)

Sagaayt Hakalelsm (Work together) Hagwil Yaan (Walk slowly) Haawks (Believe)

Sagaayt Hakalelsm - build positive partnerships that are: genuine respectful and appreciate diversity

Hagwil Yaan - take time to develop relationships - listen & learn - build trust - change takes time

Haawks -know your learners -believe in your learners -high standards -empower - don’t save

Engaging & Imaginative Learning Teaching from our Feast halls: -everyone has a place -everyone works together -everyone has a purpose

- hearts and minds are involved in learning - learning is challenging & relevant - learning is fun & interesting

Research Protocol PRINCIPLES 1.Researchers will conduct research in partnership with Aboriginal people. 2.Researchers respect the culture, traditions and knowledge of First Nations people. 3.Researchers have an obligation to understand and observe the protocol concerning communications within the Aboriginal community.

Signing the protocol agreement