Early Childhood Teacher Candidates’ Learning Experiences with Storytelling Teaching Strategy

Abstract

Relevance A 2019 study of 241 early childhood preservice teachers (Zhulamanova & Raisor, 2020; see also Zhulamanova, 2019) demonstrated that preservice teachers leave teacher education programs with mixed beliefs and understandings about how play relates to learning, teaching and curriculum-making in early childhood classrooms. The purpose of this lightning talk is to present some SoTL research in progress on a possible remedy for those mixed beliefs and understandings: adopting and exploring storytelling as a teaching method for preservice teachers. Student experiences and engagement with storytelling as a teaching method were studied by collecting data over two semesters of EDUC 242 (Growth and Development in Early Childhood) on two forms of student engagement with course content -- in-class group activities and individual homework -- both of which involved students using their understanding of childhood developmental stages to complete and analyze stories provided to them by the instructor. This presentation will cover the methods used and preliminary data derived from the study so far, covering work done in the Fall semester of 2021. Purpose & Takeaways One obstacle encountered as a part of the process of collecting and analyzing the data is something that might otherwise be a terrific outcome: in their individual homework, students went beyond the parameters of the assignment to do highly creative work in their own storytelling, often in a way that made it difficult to assess their work relative to the actual study design. The audience for this presentation is asked for feedback and methodological suggestions for improving the assignment prompts, assessment, and/or analysis criteria. References Abrahamson, C. E. (1998). Storytelling as a pedagogical tool in higher education. Education, 118(3), 440. Alterio, M., & McDrury, J. (2003). Learning Through Storytelling in Higher Education: Using Reflection and Experience to Improve Learning. Routledge. Coulter, C., Michael, C., & Poynor, L. (2007). Storytelling as pedagogy: An unexpected outcome of narrative inquiry. Curriculum Inquiry, 37(2), 103–122. Zhulamanova, I., & Raisor, J. (2020). Early childhood preservice teachers’ perceptions on children’s play. International Online Journal of Primary Education, 9(2), 128–143. Zhulamanova, I. (2019). Learning, NOT playing: Mixed methods analysis of early childhood preservice teachers’ perceptions on children’s play. In Han, M. & Johnson, J. E (Eds.). Play and Curriculum Play (163-181). The Association for the Study of Play (TASP): Play and Culture Studies.