In this country, rich with various forms of literature, storytelling has a different purpose than in countries such as Sudan. The refugees in Perry’s research were able to use their traditional method of communicating their culture and history to inform a global audience of the atrocities that have forced them to flee their country in search of safety. Their transformation from oral literacy to written literacy changed because the audience and purpose of the communication had changed. When the Sudanese were among their families and communities, their need to preserve their culture, history, language, and identity were easily met with storytelling from one generation to the next. Unfortunately, for these refugees, their need to share their experiences with the world in order to gain political change became their purpose for oral literacy in the form of speeches and written language expressed in newspapers and books to educate even larger audiences. It is apparent that all communities rely on some form of literacy, whether it is oral or written, to develop social relationships, beliefs, attitudes, and cultural identity. The subjects in Perry’s study, through support and education, were able to use their literacy practices from their native country to reach social activists and human rights organizations through transformed storytelling.
As a teacher, I found this research extremely interesting as we have an increased multicultural population in our community with limited standard English skills. Although they are not fleeing a country in turmoil, they are fighting to preserve their native culture in a school environment that can be drastically different from their home environment. When studying the folktale genre of literature, we can use that opportunity to encourage students to use storytelling as a way of preserving their own culture and identity. During holidays would be another opportunity to orally share their traditions and experiences at home so that we can appreciate other cultures while promoting tolerance and understanding. When we transfer these oral narratives to writing, it creates a meaningful context for students to engage in literacy. A reoccuring theme in many of these readings has been that making connections to our lives outside of school provides students with a sense of identity. I think using storytelling in the classroom would be an effective means in motivating students to write. Most children love to express their voice but many are reluctant to write their thoughts. If we could use oral language to encourage writing for specific audiences and purposes, students may see its value and embrace this form of literacy in the classroom.
Michelle Carlson
Comments (7)
I liked your point that “using storytelling in the classroom would be an effective means in motivating children to write.” In my experiences with kindergartners, they often don’t seem to realize in the beginning that writing stories means putting down on paper what they want to say with their voices! They write a sentence with little elaboration, and tell me they can’t think what else to write...so I ask “What happened, then, when you...?” They tell me, and I say “Ok, write that down!” and they look at me with amazement – they really didn’t KNOW that events in their lives tell a story! I remind myself “Baby steps, we are just taking baby steps!” so many times as we write at school! It is so exciting, though, when they get it, and begin to write whole thoughts – it’s what keeps me teaching.
Posted by Marlee Wright | June 17, 2011 3:03 PM
Posted on June 17, 2011 15:03
Michelle,
I really like your idea of bringing in different cultures when studying folktales. When I was teacher second grade we always did "Holidays Around the World" in December, but there were few other times to integrate our students' home cultures. Especially if they are stories that the children have heard many times with their families, they may be able to teach the teacher and the class about a folktale from their country. How great to make that student into a teacher!
Posted by Andrea Schlobohm | June 17, 2011 3:54 PM
Posted on June 17, 2011 15:54
Your right about our multicutural population growing and we, as educators, need to be sensitive to thier culture and heritage. I think storytelling is a great way for our students to share their culture with us. It is a natural and educational way for them to have a voice. I know the first grade SCOS includes goals about other cultures and their traditions along with holiday celebrations. So you hit the nail on the head when you suggested holidays being a time for those students to share their traditions and experiences. Another idea I had was after sharing thier experieces they could even make a book sharing those stories. Thanks for a great idea!
Posted by Karin Scott | June 17, 2011 4:12 PM
Posted on June 17, 2011 16:12
Michelle, reluctance to write has been an issue for many students. You are right; perhaps having the children orally share their stories would encourage them to embrace literacy. Once students are comfortable telling their stories they may be more willing to write about them. I believe they would see a value in their writing.
Posted by Holly Lawson | June 17, 2011 6:10 PM
Posted on June 17, 2011 18:10
Michelle,
I liked that you made the connection between the students in the article and yours. I think it's important to be able to learn from what you read and think about how it will help you in your classroom. I think you have great ideas. I'm sure your students will appreciate your acknowledging their culture in your teaching. And if you let them tell their stories in written form, they will be entirely engaged because it's about THEM. Good luck!
Posted by Carrie Brown | June 17, 2011 9:21 PM
Posted on June 17, 2011 21:21
Michelle,
I think that encouraging students to use storytelling as a means to preserve their culture and identity is a brilliant idea! I'm sure that all students have a story that has been passed down through their generations of family, and it would be great to have them write their story down and then present it to the class. Using the holidays, and the traditions of the holidays, is also something that all the students could relate to. I hope to use this idea in my class!
Posted by Lisa Beach | June 17, 2011 11:14 PM
Posted on June 17, 2011 23:14
Michelle,
What a great insight you wrote:
'A reoccuring theme in many of these readings has been that making connections to our lives outside of school provides students with a sense of identity."
Language, culture, memory, identity, voice, literacy -- all of the concepts really do begin to coalesce around storytelling! Great post!
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 20, 2011 10:56 AM
Posted on June 20, 2011 10:56