Social Imagination

Social imagination is a powerful thing! We see teachers and groups of people always tackling the issues of social justice and the events that are going on around the world. In chapter 17 we learned about multiple projects that were designed to encourage children's social imagination. In Maxine Greene's video she stated "Learning is very interesting," and she is still interested in learning. Then she proceeds to say that she wishes children would think learning is interesting and the way to do that is to, "communicate to the children the excitement of education and seeing new things, possibilities." She then goes on to talk about her worry that children do not see the importance of learning in school. In the art room we need to establish the idea that everyone is free to speak their mind and opinions without the fear of being judged. This idea relates me to my classroom management statement that I have on my website. http://lindseyjerdee.wix.com/arteducation#!my-philosophy/u1rv5 We need to talk about how to create a safe environment and what that entails. There are many ideas that go into creating a safe environment like how to be a good listener, respectful comments, body language, and discussing topics when there are differing opinions.

We all have our own ideas and values and that can hold true when talking about social responsibility, but as a teacher we need to keep from pushing our values onto our students. In our classrooms there will be differences among our students. We will need to talk about all sides of the topic, give opposing ideas, sort of play the devils advocate and have our students to continue to think and evaluate the situation. By allowing students to problem solve and research the topics it makes the student come to a conclusion and their own ideas without pushing our own values. Being aware of what I say and how I say something is also very important so I do not sound subjective towards a certain topic.


I feel that when talking about social imagination that like all topics some students will understand it right off the bat and others will need further discussion. For myself I feel the best way to teach social imagination would to first start a discussion and then break into small groups about what it is and the definition. Then I would go farther and show examples of how to use social imagination and the two social justice projects that we read about in chapter 17. Having the students make connections between the projects and understanding how "Fallen Heroes" and "Hopes, Wishes, Regrets" made impacts in similar and different ways. I think that when the students are making personal connections that they are more likely to act on their ideas and make a difference. Showing students examples and ideas can spark their motivation into start a project that they are invested in. Pushing students to be creative problem solvers and to create personal connections to the topics will allow students to understand the importance of social justice and social imagination.