2009 Conference Dinner Boat Cruise
At IERG's International Conference this coming July, the dinner boat cruise will be on the authentic paddlewheeler the MPV Constitution

IERG's 7th International Conference, July 15 –18, Vancouver, Canada
Register for the conference and pre-conference workshop now! This year's keynote speaker is Eleanor Duckworth, author of "The Having of Wonderful Ideas." Our Dinner Boat Cruise, taking in the sites of the inner harbour and along Indian Arm, will be aboard the authentic paddlewheeler, HMV Constitution.

Teaching as game playing
Dr. Qingyu Pan gave a talk to the IERG and guests on Feb. 12th. 2009, in which he explored ways in which teaching might draw some useful guidance for engaging students imaginations and emotions by observing some of the central features of how games can be successful.

IERG related Publications
Various IERG members and associates have been busy scribbling away, and we are a little awed by the number of publications that have emerged recently about our work. You can download a list of books, articles, curriculum materials, journal special issues, resource “kits,” etc. here.

IERG Wins Grant to Study LiD
We have been awarded a grant to study pilot implementations of the “Learning in Depth” program. Dr. Allan MacKinnon will be one of the lead researchers, aided by Melanie Young, a Ph.D. student at Simon Fraser University. The project is to run for two years.

New M.Ed. program in Imaginative Education
We will be offering a new Master of Education program in Imaginative Education, beginning in Sept. 2009. Teachers in the lower mainland area of B.C. who might be interested in the program can come to an information session on Feb. 24th. 2009.

Workshop: “learning in Depth”
We are planning a workshop for those who want to know more about implementing the Learning in Depth program. The workshop will be held at SFU-Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver, on March 25th. Please email ierg-ed@sfu.ca if you are interested in coming, or would like to find out more.

Further books in Romanian
Stefan Popenici, “our man in Romania,” soon to move to New Zealand, has continued with Nadia Tarnoveau and Cipriam Fartusnic to develop IE ideas for children in Romanian schools with the symptoms of ADHD. They have recently published two further books that show how forms of imaginative education can significantly mitigate the problems such children experience and demonstrate.

IERG Post Doctoral Fellows
We are delighted to have two post-doctoral fellows working with IERG for the coming year. Krystina Madej will be continuing with us into, and we hope beyond, 2009. Joining us for 2009 will be Gillian Judson, who recently successfully completed her Ph.D.

Imaginative Media Education
For three years now Kym Stewart, the amazing Media Lab crew, and IERG have created memorable experiences for students, opening their eyes to the magic of TV, movies and videos as part of their unique media-education program based on the theories of Imaginative Education.

IERG ideas discussed on TV
You can see a discussion of the IERG’s aims and work on the TV program “Your Education Matters,” hosted by Paul Shaker.

New Chinese Section
We are beginning to add a Chinese language section to the website, and start it with a translation of the introductory pages of our current site. The most substantial item is a translation of the Brief Guide to Imaginative Education. 我们正在为本网站开通一个中文板块，以中文的首页介绍开始，并附上一份完整的中文版的“富有想像力的教育简介”。

Workshops in Romania
Annabella Cant, whom many of you will recall from our 2007 conference, is currently delivering workshops on Imaginative Education in Romania. She writes: “It was such a wonderful atmosphere, and I felt so relaxed and happy doing this! I was impressed with the great feed back and their questions. They were asking when is the next one!”

Circular Planning Frameworks
The latest development in our Planning Frameworks for teachers is Tannis Calder’s Circular frameworks. Many teachers find these more “user-friendly” than our other frameworks.

Teaching, Learning, and Imagination at Smith College
Smith College, Massachusetts, recently sponsored a conference on “Teaching, Learning and Imagination.” Many of the presentations were from teachers in the Smith College Campus School, where they have been experimenting with implementing IE ideas in their teaching.

Reimagining the School from the Ground Up
Published in September 2008, Kieran Egan’s latest book—The Future of Education: Reimagining the school from the ground up—is an attempt to show how both traditionalist and progressivist forms of education have let us down. The second half of the book is a “history” of education from 2010 to 2060, showing how we might realistically, practical step by practical step, remake the schools to better reflect the ideals of Imaginative Education.

Dr. Qing-yu Pan, visiting Scholar
We welcome Dr. Qing-yu Pan who will be with us for six months as a Visiting Scholar. He comes from Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China.