"How was the weekend?" - I ask this simple question several times on Mondays while circling the playground at morning supervision. It's great to connect with the students and I am genuinely interested in their answers. But I am also interested in how they can tell a story... or not.
8-year-old Kallie gets into a lengthy, detailed account of how their new puppy got lost, how the family was chasing him around the neighbourhood, until a nice old lady managed to lure the frightened little dog into her yard with some treats, and Kallie and her family were finally able to catch up with him. As she vividly describes the adventure, I can picture her sweating mom, the commanding dad, the little twin brothers who could hardly keep up with the pursue; I can picture the terrified puppy, (and although I never had a dog and I generally don't want them around me) I soon feel like hugging him. Luckily, some other students join in and take over the listener's duty, so I can continue my rounds...and connect with Samantha, who just missed a whole week of school. "We went to Disneyland!" she tells me with excitement. "We went on a whole bunch of rides and... it was fun! I got to eat that thingy... its like donut and French fries... very good. Yes, I saw...what's her name...she is in that show... On the plane it was fun..." I take a mental note to do a mini lesson in grade two, about the creative ways of using "triple-scoop-words" instead of fun and good, then I watch as Samantha's audience moves towards Kallie who is now mimicking how her mom reacted when the puppy once made a puddle on the kitchen floor. She has a whole circle around her, and Samantha slowly walks over and joins them.
Let's face it: some of us are natural-born storytellers, and other may be not. There are introverts and extroverts. Studies show that families with lower economic and social status, and with ethnic background often have children with lower vocabulary, due to less picture books or games in their homes and having less time for parent-child interaction. (Teepe, 2016) Some students might have speech disorders that require therapy, like my two students with DLD (although these two young ladies are the most outgoing and talkative ones you can imagine!) We are all different, but I truly believe that storytelling: using descriptive language, summarizing, vocabulary enhancement are skills that we need to constantly develop in our students, especially focusing on them in the primary years.
I often feel that kids these days watch screens way too much and often miss the kind of social interactions that older generations used to have naturally, in their everyday lives. I used to count the people on screens in waiting areas: at the doctor's office, at the swimming pool, on public transportation, in restaurants. 80% of the parents stare at their phones, while their kids either look bored, have their own screen to look at, or constantly nag the parent to hand them theirs.
For these reasons I try to use oral storytelling, books and natural, hands-on materials in library time, as much as I can, especially during the primary years. However, I recognize the importance of technology: I get excited by colourful, stimulating apps just as much as the students do, and I often see how motivating the use of a new app could be for the whole class. As an educator, it's part of my mission to "set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness". (ISTE Standards) How should I use technology while avoiding technology?
We can classify technology-supported pedagogy into three categories: when technology functions as replacement, amplification, or transformation of traditional instruction techniques.
An example of replacement is when during storytime I project the illustrations, rather than holding up the small book, therefore the whole class can see them better. I could do with the book, but I chose to use the projector or the document camera instead.
Amplification helps us do a task more efficiently and effectively, for example, when distribute QR codes for resources rather them making the students type in lengthy URL addresses.
Transformation brings students' work into the next level by enhancing the project with interactive features and exciting new possibilities, like teaching French with Book Creator, where the app can be set on French speech and instantly read to the students the text they are creating, also, recording their own voices while they imitate the pronunciation. Grade 7 Core French students at Arrow Heights Elementary (G.D.)
When it comes to storytelling in primary grades, my usual method is to start with oral storytelling with hand-made visuals, and later on, when students are creating their own stories, bring in technology for further enhancement and to widen the learning outcomes. I use a variety of techniques that engage the students, such as felt, puppets, acting, silent stories, paper theatre, magnets, stuffies and figurines, shadow puppets, Makey Makey. With an avid origamist in the family, I currently practice and explore the usage of origami in storytelling.
Various forms of storytelling at AHE: Loose Parts, 3D model, puppets, drama (G.D.)
Below you can see one of my favourite projects with grade 2 students last year. First, I presented an Indigenous story with shadow puppets in a dark-dark room (which made them very excited!). Then they planned and created their own story, drew and cut out their puppets, took photos of the subsequent scenes and produced their own interactive book on Pictello while recording their voices.
The following story is about a Knight (not a "night"), but that does not take anything away from the enjoyment factor!
Resources:
Ya-Ting C. Yang, Wan-Chi I. Wu. Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation: A year-long experimental study,
Computers & Education, Volume 59, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 339-352
