Discusses Vygotsky's theory and the research stimulated by it. Notes that the vast literature on children's play reveals that its contributions to child development can be looked at from diverse vantage points. Suggests that Vygotsky's theory has much to say to teachers about the importance of promoting make-believe in preschool and child care…

Presents a framework within which to organize and synthesize existing knowledge about children's understanding of the mental states of imagination, pretense, and dreams. Concludes that by the age of three, children understand important fundamental aspects of the mental nature, origin, and truth-relation of fictional mental states, but that their…

This article presents a model to evaluate the imagination and creativity of strategic planners. Characteristics recommended for strategic planners include the cognitive styles of extroverted, intuitive, feeling, and perceptive; marginal personality orientation, which allows for an open-minded viewpoint with integrative skills; internal locus of…

Essential qualities of expert teachers are explored, examining the practices of three historical teaching masters: Zeno of Elea, Lao Tzu of Ch'U, and Jesus of Nazareth. The three qualities identified are profound moral and cultural worth; engagement of the imagination; and the story as the primary form of pedagogy. (SLD)

Four experiments confirmed the widely accepted hypothesis that, although children as young as two engage in pretend play, even four and five year olds do not understand that pretending requires mental representation. Children appear to misconstrue pretense as its common external manifestations, such as actions, until at least age six. (MDM)

Historical accounts by fourth graders at the beginning stage of learning history show that these young students lack an experience-based framework for grounding and connecting historical teaching. Implications for teaching history to elementary school students and aspects of children's reliance on imagination in constructing historical narratives…

Examined the effects of narrative statements used to evoke imaginal elaborations on children's recall. Found that children generated images that involved multiple referents and that children's memory performance was facilitated when their imaginal constructions were based on material created by themselves rather than on descriptions provided by…

Reviews the fundamental role of imagery in science and technology and our current knowledge of visual-spatial cognition. Results suggest that individual differences in perspectives should not be ignored. Contains 126 references. (DDR)

Examines the characteristics of the "storylistening trance" and any influences (positive or negative) that affect it. Discusses results, which show that many listeners experience a qualitatively different state while listening to some stories. Concludes with a theoretical model of the storylistening trance and the applicability of findings to…

Relates the author's experiences in a year-long creative writing workshop with a third-grade class, focusing especially on working with one child with a remarkable narrative imagination. Describes how it slowly dawned on the author and the classroom teacher that the boy was not sorting out the real from the imaginary in his descriptions to them of…

Offers children's answers to the question, "Why do we listen to stories?" Explores what a group of second graders had to say about literature, imagination, and the place of stories in their own lives. Discusses the role of literature in unleashing imagination, helping humans see the big picture, and how "knowing the old helps us make the new." (SR)

Learning style preferences of 1,554 students (ages 8-17) identified as gifted and nongifted were measured. Gifted students displayed a stronger preference for imaginative styles, while nongifted children displayed a stronger preference for practical styles. Compared with gifted boys, gifted girls were more likely to prefer imaginative styles.…

Considers the narrative function of children's play by focusing on story, imagination, and visual expression. Argues that children's storytelling brings into account their knowledge of the world and of narrative conventions. Suggests that context shapes and constrains the stories told. Concludes that storytelling can enhance literacy and should be…

Describes an early childhood educator's approach to teaching children about rain, rainbows, clouds, precipitation, the sun, air, and wind. Recommends ways to organize study topics and describes experiments that can help children better understand the different elements of weather. (MOK)

Describes a project based on the book "Roxaboxen" by Alice McLerran for a multiage summer program at the Loudon Country Day School (Virginia) where children create an imaginary town. Discusses benefits of the project, including connecting children with books, illuminating the importance of play, use of imagination, and suitability for various…