Abstract
This chapter builds on research by Lawrence and Cranton (2015) who created imagined dialogues with characters from novels, using their experiences to better understand transformative learning. Creating imagined dialogues by getting into the head of another helps create empathy and allows us to see the world from other perspectives. Strategies for teaching and learning through reading, viewing and writing fiction are discussed. Examples of imagined dialogues with real people and fictional characters are offered to demonstrate how engaging in this process can help us to better understand ourselves and others. Lawrence is working primarily with graduate students studying education, but illustrates that these techniques can be useful for professionals across multiple disciplines. She shows that they can also be helpful in resolving intrapersonal, interpersonal and even global conflict.
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Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank Brian Dashew and Karen Grossman for their contributions to this chapter and Patricia Cranton for helping to give birth to The Butterfly Café.
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Lawrence, R.L. (2019). Tales from the Butterfly Café: Imagined Dialogues with Fictional Characters for Research and Practice. In: Jarvis, C., Gouthro, P. (eds) Professional Education with Fiction Media. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17693-8_6
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