This great article by Lamisha Serf-Walls discusses 5 Reasons Imagination Is More Important Than Reality. Originally posted on Huffington Post, she argues that our dreams are made of imagination, and for dreams to become reality, we have to imagine them. Is it important to be in the here and now? Or is it more worthwhile…
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“BIM Incubator brings together participants from disparate fields of knowledge to think collaboratively about blackness and black culture in relation to architecture”. We love the idea of “scrambling” this architectural, technical acronym to provoke thought and self-expression in new ways as part of Black Imagination Matters. On a humid, grey morning at Princeton in a…
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This app is a really lovely example of innovation and technology being used to help young people. Thinking creatively means that social workers are able to reach children where they are, where they feel safe and in language they understand. It’s so important that we take the approach of tailoring services to what works for…
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We’re huge advocates of exploring the potential of play and its capacity to expand learning. What we liked about this article on research into outdoor play was what the team saw as the benefits of the snow study. Rather than just improving teaching methods, the children actually recognised the positive effects on their wellbeing for…
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A couple of weeks ago we looked at how sci-fi can be a positive way to understand social issues such as climate change. Here, NPR continues this thought by tracing how we get from today’s world to that future. It’s inspiring to see the growing support for imagination and creative thinking being applied in this…
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We love learning about the positive effects of simple, creative activities; it’s at the core of what we do at iOi and IM. Even better in this case, dancing is also a naturally communal activity that reinforces social bonds and benefits us all. So, feel the rhythm, catch the beat, and keep it moving. If…
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We’re huge advocates of alternative routes to learning, and making it relevant to all. Maths might be one of the biggest challenges; its rigid principles seemingly essential to understanding. The problem, says US educator and self-confessed “maths lover”, Dan Finkel, is that underestimating maths is leaving a gap in our everyday and future lives. Dan…
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This research into how creativity and ‘distant thinking‘ feed each other is fascinating. We focus a lot on the benefits of imagination for solving problems and navigating our world in the present, but it’s exciting to think that it can help us tap into our future potential. The common human default mode is that we…
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Climate change is at the forefront of many hearts and minds looking to build engagement. Tackling a subject using creativity and imagination can increase understanding, but just as important are optimism and hope. We love ‘solarpunk‘, the idea that the freedom of fiction allows us to imagine a better future and, crucially, how we might…
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Following our announcement of our Mega Maker Lab project, over the next few months we’re looking at the next generation of innovators. What better way to start than with poet Theresa Lola. In her new role as Young People’s Laureate for London she is helping young people reflect their experiences and create space for their…
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Being curious is often framed, even in childhood, as being nosy or even a nuisance, with sayings and fables warning against it. But should we be questioning this suspicion; are we curing more than just impoliteness? Being curious – being interested, asking questions – is the foundation of our work at iOi and IM. It…
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