IMAGINATIVE INQUIRY is a pedagogy that enrolls students as a team of experts who encounter complex, real-world problems in an imaginary context. Guided by inquiry and fueled by research, students are immersed in authentic, place-based learning that engages not only their intellectual capacities, but also their physical, social, and emotional selves. As active participants in a fictional context, students use their skills, knowledge, emotions, and moral instincts to analyze situations, make decisions, and understand their impact on others.

Registration is open for the 2026 Summer Institute!
August 4-7, 2026
Friends Seminary, New York City

SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR IMAGINATIVE INQUIRY

A four-day intensive introduction into the methods of Imaginative Inquiry, where participants experience examples of lessons for grades K-6 and explore how the conventions, techniques, and philosophy of Imaginative Inquiry strengthen students’ social imagination, allowing them to create, reflect, and practice becoming agents of change in our world.

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“The progressive values, seamless facilitation, and interactive elements made this workshop one of the best PDs I’ve ever had.”

“I had heard great things about the Institute but the experience really surpassed my expectations. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and had the opportunity to be a learner in a community of learners again and that is invaluable.”

Participants will:

Enhance their progressive teaching practices

Connect teaching to children’s innate ability to imagine and play

Engage students in authentic inquiry and critical thinking skills

Utilize active and creative methods to engage all learners

Reflect on how to deepen their anti-bias and social justice lens

Build a cohort of progressive educators and practitioners of Imaginative Inquiry

Plan lessons around curricular units of study with support