We need I.T. But was is it?

If you think I.T stands for Information Technology, you are right. But let’s not limit our understanding of I.T to such a small subject. In its most glorious and expansive form, I.T means Imagination Time. But what exactly is Imagination Time?

It is the time you exercise your mind to let your thoughts run free.

A quick dive into the internet (perhaps using Information Technology to take you there!) reveals no shortage of thought-provoking quotes about the importance of imagination.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein.

“Imagination is like a muscle. I found out that the more I wrote, the bigger it got.” Philip Jose Farmer.

“An idea is salvation by imagination.” Frank Lloyd Wright.

“Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and, therefore, the foundation of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experience we never shared.” J.K Rowling

So, what does this mean for educators? Perhaps the answer can come by asking another question: How much Imagination Time do you allow and/or encourage your young people to have?

‘WHAT IS IT?’ is an Imagination Time exercise that you can conduct with your young people of any age. (It’s also a good one for adults of all descriptions too!)

WHAT IS IT? (An exercise that can be used for individuals and groups)

• Ask each student or group to choose a common object. For example: shoe, watch, football, lip gloss etc.
• The object provides the starting point for building a story. Note, each person in the group must take turns. If an individual is doing the exercise alone the turns come round quickly! The first question asked is: ‘What is it?’ It is here that Imagination Time begins because the person answering the question must think creatively. There are no limits. If the object is a shoe, it can be described as a shoe, or perhaps it is a spacecraft, or a relic found on an archaeological dig. In turn, the answer provides the fuel for another question, and then another answer, and so on. Here’s an example about a shoe.

Participant One: ‘What is it?’

Participant Two: ‘It’s a shoe that fell out of a garbage truck along Smith Street early this morning. But I want to know who found it?’

Participant Three: ‘Actually it wasn’t so much found by a who, but a what: It was picked up by my dad’s dog. But I want to know why the dog found it because it was 3.15 am?

Participant Four: Obviously you left the gate open in the front-yard when you got home from footy training the night before and your dad’s dog went wandering. But I want to know what the name of your dad’s dog is?’

Participant One: My dad named it Patty after Pat Cummins the Australian cricketer. Dad says Patty always ‘Cummins back’ when he’s called. But forget that for the moment, I want to know why the shoe has blood on it?

And on and on the story can go.

Numerous follow-up tasks can flow from this exercise. For example:

• Ask your groups to present their final story (or at least the ideas in it) to their classmates.
• Ask each participant in the group to write a short story (or song, poem, role play…they could even produce a short film!) using the information they have. This is always interesting because each person will have their own ‘take’ on events and will write their story accordingly.

Remember, there are no rules. Just let the thoughts run free.