When we find ourselves unable to reason (as one often does when presented with, say, a problem in algebra) it is because our imagination is not touched. One can begin to reason only when a clear picture has been formed in the imagination. Bad teaching is teaching which presents an endless procession of meaningless signs, words and rules, and fails to arouse the imagination.
Interpretation
Imagination is crucial for understanding and reasoning, especially in learning.
W. W. Sawyer emphasizes the importance of imagination in the learning process, particularly in subjects like mathematics. He argues that when students cannot grasp a concept, it often stems from a lack of engagement with their imagination, which is necessary for forming clear mental pictures and understanding complex ideas. Effective teaching should inspire curiosity and creativity rather than simply presenting abstract symbols and rules that lack meaning.
In practice
During a classroom discussion about the importance of creativity in math, this quote can illustrate the need for imaginative teaching methods.
Reading fiction is important. It is a vital means of imagining a life other than our own, which in turn makes us more empathetic beings. Following complex story lines stretches our brains beyond the 140 characters of sound-bite thinking, and staying within the world of a novel gives us the ability to be quiet and alone, two skills that are disappearing faster than the polar icecaps.
See, people are watching you. Especially your children. They're taking in every single thing you do. They are like video cameras with legs. And they are always in the record mode. They learn more from what you do than from what you say.
Every single minute matters, every single child matters, every single childhood matters.
We had nothing, no television, no radio, nothing to get in the way. We read by the streetlight at the top of the lane, and we acted out the stories.
Nine-tenths of existing books are nonsense, and the clever books are the refutation of that nonsense.
Sacrifice. Work. Self-discipline. I teach these things, and my boys don't forget them when they leave.
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