Teachers' understanding of imagining and creating

Reflections in the light of Vygotsky and Bakhtin's circle

Abstract

This paper examines the understanding of a group of teachers about imagination and creation in their pedagogical activities. The three basic concepts — imagination, creation, and understanding— are studied in the light of Historical-Cultural Theory, with an emphasis on Vygotsky, Volóshinov, and Bakhtin. The research was conducted in one of the schools that are part of a collaborative partnership project with the university. The analysis of a conversation circle, mediated by the dialog-understanding relationship, was employed as the unit of analysis to elucidate the teaching collective as a construct resulting from shared meanings. This construct expresses the culture and ideology of the teachers and the school in which they work.  In their daily lives, teachers engage in imaginative and creative activities that allow them to move temporally and spatially through historical and other people's experiences. These experiences are drawn from their personal and professional lives, which are shaped by their relationships and interactions with their students. This dynamic drives them to act and resist the reproduction of existing practices, motivating them to take ownership of their work. We posit that teachers seek to integrate imagination into their teaching activities, aiming to create a space for hope and resistance!