What does Imagination have to do with Education?

  

"Imagination should be utilized in such a way as to bring it under the control, direction and self-discipline of the child.

"In mathematics, even in that pallid thing called arithmetic, it is necessary to observe and realize the existence of a problem, the factors of a problem and to combine these to predict an answer. In the entire field of life, it is imagination which delivers answers.

"If one cannot imagine, he cannot predict. The factors of life are more complex than the factors of arithmetic, but they do not differ so far as mental functioning is concerned; there are simply many more of them. One can teach a child by rote that two plus two equals four, but many an instructor and many a parent with the fondest hopes for the future of a child has, after the education was complete, discovered that the child either cannot or will not utilize the data to resolve problems of his own existence. In such a child the ability to imagine the answer by recombining existing factors has not been developed nor disciplined.

"...As apparently as precise a thing as mathematics yet requires in the good mathematician an enormous amount of imagination.

"...Thus when we are trying to teach a child, whether to be proficient in geometry or in handling his body, we must teach him as well to predict a future state of beingness1; if he cannot predict a future state of beingness, he cannot resolve problems. The prediction of a future state of beingness as a statement almost encompasses the function of the human mind. Prediction of beingness is somewhat different from simple prediction. It is necessary to have the potentiality of imagining what is going to happen to accurately assess a situation.

"Thus it may be seen that the inhibition to the imagination of a child directly results in the inhibition of the child's ability to resolve problems relating to his own environment and his own life." -L. Ron Hubbard excerpted from The Educators Course, pg 127

1 Beingness: Condition or state of being; existence.

Ensure that your child's educational program is designed to develop a healthy imagination, as LRH mentions above that this is the key to a successful future for your child.

If you do not have control over your child's educational program, one thing you can do is play games with your child that have him imagine different things. You can start really young.

I do want to note here that if you don't have any control over your child's educational program; you may want to look into changing things so that you do. As their parent, you are, ultimately, responsible for their education.

Yours for a better future,.  by Cheri Hall