Employing Imagination in Accelerated Learning - Part 3
The imaginative learning approach is one of the strategies used in some Western schools that relies on imagination in the educational process. We reviewed the tools of this strategy in the previous article and discussed the mechanism of interaction of imagination with abstract knowledge to produce learning within the learner. We also reviewed the benefits of employing imagination in learning. Finally, we presented one of the strategies used in these schools. In this article, we will review the planning process for teaching a subject in the imaginative learning approach, compare the accelerated learning approach and the imaginative learning approach, and present to you a concluding summary about the need to employ imagination in modern learning.
Planning to teach a subject in the imaginative learning approach:
According to the imaginative learning approach, if we employ cognitive tools and engage students' imaginations in learning activities, we will introduce novel and innovative educational approaches, taking into account the questions the teacher should ask when creating a lesson that captures the learners' attention, as well as the use of cognitive tools in a way that helps students understand the world around them.
The education plan in the imaginative learning curriculum consists of the following parts:
1. Determining the importance:
Here, the teacher provides emotional involvement that raises the learner's astonishment to know why we should learn this subject.
2. Forming the unit or lesson:
Using the cognitive tools we mentioned in the previous article, such as the story, antonyms, images, metaphors, puzzles and riddles, games and drama, patterns and rhythm, and other cognitive tools, the imaginative approach instructs the teacher to concentrate on presenting their subject in a way that engages the emotions and imaginations of the students.
3. Using body tools:
Such as the senses in clarifying previous knowledge and linking it to new learning.
4. Resources:
Here, lesson planning is concerned with choosing the materials that will be used to create a narrative about the subject of the lesson or unit, as well as the activities that will be carried out during the lesson.
5. Conclusion:
Here the story ends with the learners asking their questions, in a way that pushes them for more love of discovery related to the topic.
6. Evaluation:
Here, the imaginative learning approach does not exclude the part of learning assessment, and poses a question to the teacher, who must search for evidence that proves students' understanding of the topic of the lesson, and its importance and content.
We find that lesson planning requires the teacher's understanding of the cognitive tools and methods of investing them in lesson planning, and the skill of presenting the topic in a template that stirs the emotions and imagination of the learners.[1]
The accelerated learning approach when compared to the imaginative learning approach:
As opposed to the imaginative learning approach, which focuses on presenting, the accelerated learning method, for instance, offers the modern education movement in the world more than just new tools or methods for teaching. It is an integrated approach that examines the roles of the teacher and the learner, their relationship within the educational process, and the environment in which this relationship develops in a way that a learner achieves maximum benefit and pleasure.
Additionally, we discover that the teacher and learner roles are addressed differently in both approaches. The imaginative learning approach concentrates on a chosen group of teachers who can use cognitive tools and employ imagination as a method for presenting topics in the classroom, as they become consumers of the methods of the curriculum themselves. The class, which is primarily in charge of determining whether the learning process is successful or unsuccessful, starts by identifying the educational diseases that traditional education and the traditional teacher have and providing a treatment for them. The class then gives the new teacher hope by adopting the principles of rapid learning, which revive the learner's innate desire to learn and breathe new life into the educational process.
We also find that the rapid learning and imaginative learning approaches agree that the learner is instinctively ready with the basic sensory, cerebral and linguistic tools necessary for learning, including imagination and suggestion, but the imaginative learning approach puts these tools in groups to help the teacher choose the most appropriate tool for their subject, while the accelerated learning approach appears more flexibility in their ability to absorb all these and other tools used in the curricula and methods of modern learning through easy and simple techniques such as activities, educational frameworks, music or rhythm.
If we look at the planning aspect, we find that the planning of the lesson presented by the imaginative learning method is carried out through six parts that contribute to the integration of the subject presented in the imaginative method and by using thirteen cognitive and material tools, while the lesson presented by the accelerated learning method is designed in eight stages.
This method aims to attract the attention of the learner and open their appetite to the maximum to enter the life cycle of the educational process and build a positive learning environment through the application of accelerated learning techniques such as educational frameworks that add fun to the learning environment and make it more rich, and educational activities designed to meet the learning styles of learners, and background music - when necessary - that stimulates the senses of the learners and feeds them with positive feelings, and most of the teachers who provided their educational materials with the accelerated learning approach find that it is characterized by ease of application.
The most important part that determines the possibility of applying one of the two curricula or not is the process of training teachers and the period required to qualify them to start applying the new curriculum on the ground with the highest standards of professionalism and skill. Reality tells us that the process of training teachers, learners, and parents on the method of managing classes with the imaginative learning approach is essential at the beginning of the school year, and it takes a good amount of time to prepare students who are enrolled in schools that apply this model annually.[2]
All teachers can learn how to apply accelerated learning techniques and design activities and instructional frameworks by attending just one five-day training programme.[3] There is no need to train students, but it is important to meet with parents to explain the reasons for the noticeable change in the speed of learning of their children and their enthusiasm for going to school.
Future builders:
Learners today can really contribute to imagining and building the future if a positive environment is created for learning within schools, and the wonderful technologies provided by modern learning approaches are employed within the context of the educational process. The future is full of challenges that require creativity, rethinking the future, and envisioning living in it in new ways and methods that suit it and its requirements.
The key to developing effective solutions to these problems is to refocus on teaching students to make multiple connections so they can view future problems and challenges from multiple and different angles and contexts based on what they have learned in various curricula. It's also important to encourage learners to be producers of knowledge rather than passive consumers of it and to actively participate in creative activities, using the knowledge they acquire to solve problems in the course of the lesson. This thing can transform our schools into active cells for learning, innovation and creativity.
In conclusion:
I suggest that education authorities in countries seriously consider providing forums for imaginative activities. This could include self-reflection, creative writing, listening to inspiring non-lyrical music, immersing yourself in creative movies or books, and so on.
Before we start shaping the future, we first need to define the type of future we want to live in, and imagination is a powerful tool to use in drawing the future. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum says: “The future is for those who imagine it, design it, and implement it. It is not something you wait for. You make it.” The ability to envision the future is exciting and radical for us as individuals and societies and fuels human progress. This may be the reason behind Albert Einstein’s famous saying: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
[1] You can find these resources and explore many examples of imaginative learning here: www.ierg.net/teaching
[2] You can view a sample of a school that applies the imaginative learning curriculum by visiting the link: http://corbettcharterschool.blogspot.com/
[3] You can contact the Dubai Accelerated Learning Center to provide you with more real stories and experiences by visiting the link: https://www.dalcenter.com/site/index?lang=ar