ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of Kieran Egan's theory of education development, highlighting the importance he places on engaging children's imaginations in learning and the power of the story form to teach units of work engagingly and meaningfully. Egan holds that much of the education research to which teachers are exposed seems to be dominated by psychological theories that lead to knowledge of psychological value and interest but offer only occasional implications for education. He offers an alternative approach based on four stages of development, namely mythic stage, romantic stage, philosophic stage and ironic stage. He feels that the dominant rational model of curriculum and lesson planning does not allow for unpredictability, spontaneity and creative imagination. Egan suggests that a child's imagination is a most powerful and energetic learning tool. Thus, Egan argues, imagination should be taken very seriously by educationists.
