Abstract
This chapter presents research, findings and discussion which emerged from a theoretical exploration of imagination as cognition and metacognition. The researcher took a pragmatic stance in addressing a problem encountered in education practice: that an articulated understanding of ‘imagination’ is largely absent and its likely relationship with metacognition is little articulated, despite these being essential components of learning. Within an interdisciplinary approach, exploring theories across disciplines provided ideas to use in re-imagining imagination. This chapter describes and uses the model of imagination and metacognition which emerged through this process. The model suggests that imagination and metacognition are so inter-related that there is potential to consider them as one and the same, asking ‘is metacognition ‘just’ imagination?’. This question is discussed with the conclusion that it is better to acknowledge the complexity of this relationship than to reduce it to an ‘either/or’ claim. Discussion also includes consideration of a further, intrinsic relationship with personal and social agency, which led to an application of the model to inform and produce evaluative tools for a small research project: Imagination Agents. In conclusion, the chapter recommends that due to the close relationship between imagination, metacognition and agency, we should consider how to better support it within education systems where it is currently neglected.