Wonder-Full Education: The Centrality of Wonder in Teaching and Learning Across the Curriculum

257 Pages·2013·1.7 MB·English

by  Kieran Egan

Wonder-full education
“On the cutting edge of books adopting an international perspective. ... The
multicultural perspective is valuable for curriculum scholars and teachers the
world over. This book is revolutionary in the best sense of that word.”
William E. Doll, Jr., Louisiana State University (Emeritus), USA, and
University of Victoria and University of British Columbia (Adjunct), Canada
“...A novel, timely and worthwhile book – full of wonder in itself. It is a manifesto
for bringing awe and wonder back to education – and illuminating the poetic
and inspirational in all subjects. A valuable and original addition to the literature,
it will appeal to both beginning teachers and experienced researchers.”
Paul Ernest, University of Exeter, UK
For many children much of the time their experience in classrooms can be rather
dull, and yet the world the school is supposed to initiate children into is full of
wonder. Many forces conspire against making everyday schooling wonder-full.
This book offers a rich understanding of the nature and roles of wonder in
general, and provides multiple suggestions for how to revive wonder in adults
(teachers and curriculum makers) and how to keep wonder alive in children. Its
aim is to show that adequate education needs to take seriously the task of evoking
wonder about the content of the curriculum and to show how this can routinely
be done in everyday classrooms. The authors do not wax flowery; they present
strong arguments based on either research or precisely described experience for
the importance of wonder as a central educational concept, and show how this
argument can be seen to work itself out in daily practice. The emphasis is not
on ways of evoking wonder that might require virtuoso teaching, but rather on
how wonder can be evoked about the everyday features of the math or science
or social studies curriculum in regular classrooms.
Kieran Egan is Professor and Canada Research Chair, Faculty of Education, and
Director, Imaginative Education Research Group at Simon Fraser University,
Canada.
Annabella Cant is a PhD candidate in the Curriculum Theory and Implement-
ation Program, and Associate Director, Imaginative Education Research Group
at Simon Fraser University, Canada.
Gillian Judson is Lecturer and Director, Imaginative Education Research
Group at Simon Fraser University, Canada.
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Wonder-full
education
The Centrality of Wonder in
Teaching and Learning Across
the Curriculum
Edited by Kieran Egan, Annabella Cant
and Gillian Judson
First published 2014
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2014 Taylor & Francis
The right of the editors to be identified as the authors of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Wonder-full education : the centrality of wonder in teaching and
learning across the curriculum / edited by Kieran Egan, Annabella Cant,
and Gillian Judson.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Learning, Psychology of. 2. Wonder in children. I. Egan, Kieran,
editor of compilation.
LB1060.W654 2013
370.15´23–dc23 2012050551
ISBN: 978-0-415-82029-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-82030-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-49850-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by HWA Text and Data Management, London
contents
Preface vii
Part i
the nature of Wonder and its educational uses 1
1 Our Hearts Leap Up: Awakening Wonder Within the
Classroom 3
Laura Piersol
2 Wow! What if ? So What?: Education and the Imagination of
Wonder: Fascination, Possibilities and Opportunities Missed 22
Dave Trotman
3 Reclaiming the Value of Wonder in Science Education 40
Yannis Hadzigeorgiou
4 Wondering About Wonder in Mathematics 66
Dov Zazkis and Rina Zazkis
Part ii
engaging Wonder in everyday classrooms 87
5 Opportunity to Teach: The Joy of Teaching What You Know
Deeply, Find Fascinating, and Want to Share 89
David C. Berliner
vi Contents
6 Renewing the Sense of Wonder in the Minds of High School
and College Students 97
Keiichi Takaya
7 From “Unknown Questions” Begins a Wonderful Education:
Kyozai-Kaishaku and the Dialogic Classroom 110
Kiyotaka Miyazaki
8 The Talking Table: Sharing Wonder in Early Childhood
Education 122
Fleur Griffiths
9 The Upside Down Picnic Table: The Wonder of Learning
Through Improvisational Play 135
Lynn Fels
Part iii
dimensions of educational Wonder 147
10 Wonder, Awe and Teaching Techniques 149
Kieran Egan
11 Wonder for Sale 162
Annabella Cant
12 An Educational Leadership Perspective: Managing and
Revealing the DNA of Wonder in Teaching and Learning 178
Di Fleming
13 The Keys to Wonder-Rich Science Learning 190
Lynne Bianchi
14 Creative Imagination in Play-Worlds: Wonder-Full Early
Childhood Education in Finland and the United States 203
Pentti Hakkarainen and Beth Ferholt
15 Wonder as a Gateway Experience 219
Bronwen Haralambous and Thomas W. Nielsen
About the contributors 239
Index 243
Preface
The idea of writing this book originated in our acknowledgment of the lack
of literature on the topic of wonder in education. Our team of editors was
extremely curious about what other teachers, professors, and philosophers of
education thought about the pedagogical role of wonder. It was rather surprising
how many authors responded so positively to our invitation to contribute to
this book; many expressed interest and excitement about addressing this topic.
The resulting chapters revolve around the relationship between wonder and
schooling: how wonder can be integrated more frequently in the curriculum,
how teachers can evoke students’ sense of wonder with different curricular
content, and how schools can nurture and utilize the capacity of students to
sense wonder in the world. The philosophical and practical readings the
book contains are intended for a large international audience: teachers and
administrators, early childhood educators, undergraduate and graduate students
of education, and parents.
The book is structured in three sections. Part I, The Nature of Wonder and its
Educational Uses, invites the reader on a philosophical and pedagogical journey
into the nature of the sense of wonder as a valuable pedagogical tool. This section
includes two practical examples of wonder being employed as part of science
education and mathematics. Part II, Engaging Wonder in Everyday Classrooms, starts
with two philosophical chapters that discuss topics including the joy of teaching,
the fascination felt while learning from a passionate and knowledgeable educator,
and ways of rekindling the sense of wonder in high-school and college students.
The next three chapters in this section describe some practical ways to infuse
viii Preface
wonder in the teaching relationship between students and teachers, and students
and the curriculum. In Part III, Dimensions of Educational Wonder, the reader will
find chapters that continue the conversation on wonder as a pedagogical tool;
building from, and developing further dimensions of, the pedagogy of wonder.
Each chapter in the book—even if different in its approach, style, and even
perspective—connects to the others by a common thread: the necessity for
wonder’s prominence in the educational environment.
What distinguishes this book from other educational literature is the unique
distinction it makes between wonder as a childish feeling of joy and surprise, and
wonder as a powerful learning tool that has the potential to change the schooling
experience of both students and educators. Wonder is not an educational frill
but lies at the heart of learning.
Part i
The Nature of Wonder and
its Educational Uses