The real difference between telling what happened and telling a story about what happened is that instead of being a victim of our past, we become a master of it...We can't change our past, but we can change where we stand when we look at it. ~ Donald Davis
Stop the Game! Adarius stood akimbo in the middle of the soccer lot refusing to move. Mrs. Hoerr marched toward him and gave him one of two choices. Adarius chose to sit by the playground wall and sulk for a while, a good long while. Later, when Mrs. Hoerr approached him, she noticed his face had softened a bit and asked if he was ready to talk.
Adarius: Yes, I think I am. Mrs. Hoerr: Do you think that any apologies are necessary? Adarius: Yes, I'm ready. Mrs. Hoerr: Okay, you go do what you need to do. Adarius ran down to the soccer field and tapped Mrs. Dandrea (the paraprofessional/soccer star) on the side. Adarius: Mrs. Dandrea, STOP THE GAME! Mrs. Dandrea: Why? Adarius: Because I need to talk to the team. Mrs. Dandrea blew her whistle and called the teams in. They gathered around and Adarius announced: "I hurt my team because of my attitude. I apologize. Will you guys forgive me?" The team mobbed around him giving him hugs, pats on the back and confirmations of forgiveness. The game commenced while Mrs. Dandrea and Mrs. Hoerr stood teary eyed with pride. This simple story may be of no consequence anyone reading it, but what happened during that soccer game and the choices Adarius made exhibited profound growth socially, emotionally and behaviorally! Adarius had no coaching on what to say or do once he had calmed down. The entire story stands as is and everything was his choice. Relationships and Entertainment I have struggled with how to really reach my at-risk learners for many years. I really wanted to find a way to help my students truly buy into the habits and develop prosocial behaviors. Through my research, collaboration and experimentation I think I am finding the answer. Dr. Ruby Payne (2005) declares that the two most essential elements when working with impoverished children are relationships and entertainment. Throughout my research I saw both of these elements abound. By problem solving through stories we were all entertained and building relationships with each other, the story characters, and the puppets while developing our own concept of self.
Dr. Payne (2005) suggests the use of metaphor stories as a way to discipline. "A metaphor story is to be used one on one when there is a need to understand the existing behavior and motivate the student to implement the appropriate behavior" (Payne, 2005, pp. 85-86). I stumbled across this idea with some of my interviews with David. David presented dilemmas that were behavior issues with which the interviewee struggled. My hope was that through listening and to David, processing his dilemma, and supporting him with solutions, they would internalize appropriate behaviors the next time. All of our struggling students made significant progress with using appropriate problem solving strategies once the inception of storying and puppet interviews began (measured by observations, anecdotals and behavior logs). I believe that giving them the choice to be a part of the solution supported their success. "Storytelling can provide that experiential approach...imagined scenarios, like those within a tale, set the stage for later actions by allowing the child to experience the scenario and its consequences through the imagination. Further, in the act of listening to stories being told, children actually practice the virtues of courtesy and attentiveness" (Norfolk & Norfolk, 2006, p. 132). Storytelling appears to cover all the needs of my population. It builds relationships, entertains them and gives them a way to experience problem solving. The latter being most important for my research and a critical factor with impoverished students. I feel the need to find a way to save my students from all the conflict and trauma they endure as children. I wonder how they will learn the basic virtues and problem solving skills to succeed when they are old enough to be legally held accountable for their choices. But Dr. Payne reels me back in reminding me that "the role of the educator...is not to save the individual, but rather to offer a support system, role models and opportunities to learn, which will increase the likelihood of the person's success. Ultimately, the choice always belongs to the individual" (2005, p. 113). Process over Product My delightful friend and mentor warned me as I began my research to stay focused on the goal and not get too lost in the research. She knows me all too well and, alas, I did not head her warning. Here it is the day before my project is due and I am still writing and reading.
What I learned about myself is that I love the process. I love the research. I love the collaboration. I do NOT love creating a product to prove, or rather demonstrate, my findings. In the end, I had way more data than I could share in this project and I continue to find more and more relevant literature than I can read. At first, finding articles and books to help me answer my question, how do kindergartners use stories to solve problems?, was quite challenging. Once I found a few authors, their references took me to wonderful researchers and authors that believe that stories powerfully enrich children academically and prosocially as moral instruction. Maria Tatar is a strong advocate for the power that stories have on children. "From its inception, children's literature had been a vehicle for moral instruction, spiritual edification, and behavioral coaching" (Tatar, 2009, p. 166). Where shall I go from here? Since the research and data collection piece was fun and highly informative, I plan to continue on throughout the rest of the year. I believe, in the end, this information will be valuable to my colleagues, administration and school-wide behavior coach. In the beginning of the year I had spoken with the behavior coach about my concerns about some policies and understanding our population of learners. I figure if I keep researching, learning and collecting data, I may have something to present that can make a positive change for early learners across our charter. Two pieces that I plan to add to my research is how using stories stimulates imagination and supports academic success. A common theme I found across most readings was the critical need for children to exercise their imaginations. Lickona suggests that, "stories, read or told, have always been among the favorite teaching instruments of the world's great moral educators. Stories teach by attraction rather than compulsion; they invite rather than impose. They capture the imagination and touch the heart" (as cited in Norfolk & Norfolk, 2006, p. 15). Hamilton and Weiss also stress that, "Children need to have ample opportunity to exercise their imaginations so that they can begin to see that the pictures in their minds are valid too. Storytelling is unmatched as a tool for stimulating the imagination" (2005, p. 11). Supporting the development of a child's imagination, I feel, will be difficult to sell since imagination is immeasurable. There is clear research on stories and academic progress amongst learners, specifically reluctant and at-risk learners. While I touched on this briefly in this project, it was really just a valuable bonus from my readings. Researching the academic benefits will help me "sell" my findings to the behavior coach and administration, moreso the administration. So did I answer my burning question? Was my inquiry successful? I believe it was. I feel I learned more than I could have hoped for and the inquiry was/is beneficial to my students. And if my understanding of qualitative research is accurate, it is a good thing that my inquiry has led me to more wonderings. With that I will end with this quote: The questions which one asks oneself begin, at last, to illuminate the world, and become one's key to the experience of others. ~ James Baldwin |
Soccer is a daily battle of teamwork and prosocial development.
Dr. Ruby Payne gave some insight on working effectively with impoverished children.
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