Possibility thinking: from what is to what might be

The transformation from what is to what might be, what I have come to understand as ‘possibility thinking’, seems to be inherent in human nature. This phenomenon, particularly as it applies to everyday contexts for children and their teachers, has been the focus of qualitative research in England for over a decade. It is now informing two European research studies which are concerned with how children, young people and adults working with them, engage in ethical social change. This chapter explores what the research tells us about the nature of possibility thinking and what nurtures it, and discusses future directions of the work.