Tom, an Associate Director of the Institute of Imagination (iOi), visited our year 12 and 13 psychology learners, introducing them to the incredible work iOi do in education and introducing an Employer Led Project involving learning theories.  
With over two decades of experience spanning charity, education, and cultural sectors, Tom's expertise lies in leading and managing diverse educational programs that involve multiple stakeholders.  

The Institute of Imagination (iOi), a London-based children and families charity with international outreach, specialises in creating and delivering creative learning experiences in the realms of arts, sciences, and digital technologies.  

During the session, Tom began by sharing iOi's vision, purpose, and focus. He discussed the challenges the current education system faces in preparing children for the future and highlighted the World Economic Forum's projection that 50% of employees will require reskilling by 2025. iOi addresses this issue by promoting STEAM-based learning, merging physical and digital learning experiences to foster exploration and creativity. Tom also elaborated on the various ways iOi reaches and educates young people, including online platforms and educational products. 

Following this insightful discussion, our psychology learners received the Employer Led Project brief. They were tasked with exploring how the learning theories they are studying intersect with a constructionism and embodied cognition approach. Their challenge was to establish connections and demonstrate how this informs the work at the Institute of Imagination. Learners were given the flexibility to present their findings through research posters, short films, or published pieces. Their goal was to design workshops that illustrate the connection between imagination and creativity for Key Stage children. 

Thanks to Tom for visiting and launching this engaging project, which perfectly aligns with and enhances our curriculum. Through this project, our year 12 learners will receive valuable support in their exploration of Learning Theories, while our year 13 learners will benefit in their study of Cognition & Development. 

'This is such an exciting project from an organisation close to my heart. We share the same values and passion in education transforming learning to enable creativity, imagination and open thinking. This project will enable my learners to do real world research for the iOi which is aiming to understand how children learn in an interacting way. The results of this Psychology project will be used by the iOi as part of their strategy and our learners will be published on their website! Hugely excited and very proud to enable my budding psychologists this brilliant opportunity!'