We propose that "teacher candidates need to have extended experiences with learning to teach imaginatively," which is to say that teacher candidates need to have experiences that enable them to consider new possibilities in education. We first attend to the general theoretical framework offered by imaginative education before moving on…

It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them. Educators are very serious about education in CES schools. However, in their earnest attempts to engage students in meaningful and thought-provoking work or dialogue, is it possible…

Using academic conflicts for instructional purposes is one of the most dynamic, involving, and least used teaching strategies. Teachers fear divisiveness and also lack fitting instructional models for structuring controversial discussions. This article discusses the controversy process and how teachers can organize and use it to enhance cognitive…

The authors assert that teachers are inherently performers and as such, techniques from the stage enhance and expand a teacher's ready repertoire of discipline-based content. Using performance theory, the authors demonstrate how an educator can transform ordinary classroom experiences into occasions that attract and engage students. In this second…

Includes an annotated bibliography of documents in the ERIC system that (1) provide insight on the value of role playing and dramatic play in the classroom and (2) suggest a variety of classroom activities that use improvisation as tool to help children retain ideas, emotions, or any academic lessons. (JD)

Based on the idea that drama infuses the classroom with activity, imagination, language, and powerful learning experiences, this journal offers commentary and suggestions on classroom drama practices at the elementary level. The first section argues that drama motivates self-active learning and promotes language development, learning across the…

This teaching guide provides teachers of young children with a philosophy and guidelines for teaching that address children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. The guide describes a curriculum that offers teachers guidance, support, and freedom to be creative and responsive with children, and provides children, including…

Incorporating diverse viewpoints and featuring articles by teachers and administrators on both the university and the elementary-secondary levels, this focused journal issue offers useful practical suggestions and pragmatic guidance for all levels of curriculum development. The articles and their authors are as follows: (1)"Teaching Students to…