Possibility thinking pedagogy: Exploring the role of the teachers’ meddling-in- the-middle in fostering children's possibility thinking by utilising learning resources linked to museum visits

Abstract

The pedagogies for children's aspiration of Possibility Thinking (PT) have been investigated for over a decade in early year and primary settings. This study focuses on qualitative findings related to the involvement of teachers in inspiring PT amongst 9–10-year-old children using museums as part of their learning, in Cyprus. Eight educators participated in the study, and findings were compared to existing literature, providing a detailed exploration of how they engaged with their students for inspiring their PT. The analysis revealed that educators had three distinct stages of involvement in facilitating PT: creating the narrative (taking an active role), participating in the narrative (actively engaging), and supporting the narrative (taking a more passive role at times). These findings serve as a starting point for future research on pedagogies that foster PT using alternative learning resources like museums. This paper presents the key findings of the study and concludes with suggestions for further research in this area.