CIRCE is interested in the varied roles of imagination in leadership and leadership for social change. We are engaged in research that aims to better understand the nature of imagination that supports social and eco-justice, how it grows, and how it is employed to transform schools. We explore the ways in which leadership that transforms schooling to re-connect learners with Land and Place is rooted in imagination—the human imagination and the imagination of the Earth itself.
We wonder:
- What is the role of imagination in educational leadership?
- What leadership capacities and processes are rooted in imagination?
- How can leadership imagination be cultivated?
- What roles does imagination play in leadership that supports the creation of socially and ecologically just communities?
- How do leaders engage, grow and use imagination to support the inclusive and equitable learning communities?
- How does imagination deepen school leaders’ understanding of educational issues?
- How does imagination support the generation of new ideas in educational leadership?
- How can school leaders employ tools of imagination to increase the collective capacity for imagination and creativity in their school communities?
Research and practice of imagination in leadership brings us to the field of Relational Leadership Theory and an interest in the in-between, shared spaces of possibility in which leadership emerges and in and through which change is possible.
Here is our first book-length attempt at exploring these questions:
Gillian Judson & Meaghan Dougherty, Editors; Foreword by Scott Brandon
Cultivating Imagination in Leadership: Transforming Schools and Communities
Teachers College Press
The Cultivating Imagination: Leading Toward A Just Future SSHRC-funded knowledge dissemination initiative focuses on how imagination contributes to leadership and the practical ways leaders can and do cultivate imagination to support social and ecological justice. The 12 podcast episodes and 19 blog posts amplify practical and collaborative enactments of leadership that cultivate imagination and open up new possibilities for just education.
Our leaders’ stories are shared through podcasts and blogs. They explore how the distinct ways of engaging imagination in the world at the heart of Imaginative Education shape their leadership. In this way, they offer a critical, reflective examination of their imaginative practices and how those practices promote equity and social justice.
Visit the project webpage: www.cultivateimagination.ca
You can also find the podcast episodes on Spotify or Apple podcasts!
For more about our work on imagination and leadership, see the following subpages on “Educating Imaginative Leaders” and “Imaginative Eco-Leadership”. In addition, we recommend taking a look at Gillian Judson’s Leadership page on imaginED.
A range of leadership processes, practices, and capacities find their roots in imagination. What tools and processes are available to cultivate leadership imagination? One approach can be found in Imaginative Education. By using cognitive tools in practice, effective leaders may enrich their own imaginative capacities and the imaginative capacities of others.
Learn MoreUnderstanding imagination as soil can bring needed clarity to what imagination is and does in the context of leadership. It can help differentiate words like “creativity” and “innovation” that are often, and wrongly, used synonymously with imagination.
Learn MoreLooking for more?
Learn how to cultivate imagination in your leadership and school community. Follow imaginED for upcoming professional learning opportunities.