Mapping the landscape of an ICE community of learnership

ABSTRACT

Drawing upon the foundational principles of Imagination Creativity Education (ICE), our article examines the relational dimension in the context of classroom environments, as observed within the Canadian schooling system. We explore the landscape of a community of learnership – the lived and living practices of both students and teacher in the communal space in between, a space characterized as the transactional curriculum. We argue that teachers play a vital role in cultivating intentional relationships with students, one whose pedagogical responsibility focuses on establishing relationships, belonging, and dialogue; viewing students holistically for who they are and who they have the potential of becoming. Teachers who design such communities of learnership subscribe to pedagogical praxis, attending to their students’ lived curricula in which deep, engaged, and innovative learning is enacted. In this article, we outline the principles of ICE, through which a community of learnership can be forged. Grounded in Freire’s (1997) concept of gnoseologica of education, we expand on dialogic relationships that value curiosity, imagination, creativity, and innovation. We draw on one author’s Grade 8¹ classroom inquiry to describe the lived experiences of an ICE community of learnership.

KEYWORDS:

• community of learnership
• pedagogical relationality
• Imagination Creativity Education (ICE)
• pedagogical praxis
• gnoseologica

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. In Canada, elementary or primary school runs from Grade 1 to 8. In the province of Ontario, “middle school” includes Grade 7 and 8 (age 12–14) (Our Kids, 2022).

2. Although compulsory education begins in Grade 1 (age 5–6) in Canada, most provinces include Kindergarten (age 4), which is not compulsory (Our Kids, 2022).

3. Secondary school, or “high school” in Canada runs from Grade 9 to 12, except in the province of Quebec. Postsecondary education may include colleges or universities (Our Kids, 2022).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dany Dias

Dany Dias is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at St. Francis Xavier University. Her work explores the phenomenon of learning and teaching, especially as it pertains to pedagogical relationality, democratic classroom practices, critical literacy practices, and social justice education. Her research interests also include qualitative research methodologies that focus on entanglements of French culture and identity in Canadian Francophone minority contexts.

Blaine E. Hatt

Blaine E. Hatt is a Professor and Chair of Graduate Studies in the Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University. His research interests focus on imagination creativity education (ICE), pedagogical and andragogical relationality, and policy issues relating to pre-service and in-service teachers. He is past co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Education and a reviewer for several international journals. His most recent publication is a collection of Canadian essays, entitled Crushing ICE: Short-on-Theoretical, Long-on-Practical Approaches to Imagination Creativity Education.