Awarua and the dragon: storytelling as a stimulus for early childhood teaching and learning in two cultural contexts

Abstract

In this article, we examine how teachers in two kindergartens, one in New Zealand and one in China, used the stimulus of a fictional story combining mythical creatures from Māori and Chinese culture to enhance young children's sense of place and cultural identity. Sociocultural understandings about the role of collaboration and cultural tools in meaning-making informed the research design. Teachers' documentation about the children's learning throughout the project was analysed and focus group interviews were conducted with teachers and parents. Findings demonstrated that story-telling provided an effective stimulus for children's learning using a range of multi-literacies. It was also helpful for exploring and connecting children, teachers and families with significant aspects of the cultural backgrounds of the children. The research also revealed that teachers engaged in intentional teaching practices to achieve these outcomes but experienced challenges (pedagogical knots) as they used the story. Nonetheless, we argue that the use of storytelling can be a powerful tool for fostering greater understanding for children, teachers and families of their own and others' cultures.

Visual arts in ECE: Strengthening intentional teaching through a network professional learning community

“…Additionally, during the course of this doctoral study, I attended a study tour in Reggio Emilia including a series of lectures, workshops, and observational visits to preschools and infant and toddler centres. I have previously been a co-researcher in a project about the power of storytelling and visual arts for developing children's cultural identity in NZ and China ECE (Terreni et al, 2021). All of these experiences and interests have brought me to the proposed study examining ECE teacher professional learning about visual arts; individual and group learning processes and outcomes in PLCs; and the influence of leadership on such learning.…”

“…Recent research is clear that this polarisation is an over-simplification of a complex reality, and that there are in fact wide-ranging teaching practices between these two ends of the spectrum (Lindsay, 2016a). Positioned between such extremes is a facilitated teaching and learning approach, rich with opportunities for children to develop skills, explore thinking, make meaning, and build a creative identity (Brooks, 2021;Lindsay, 2016a;Terreni et al, 2021). The role of the teacher is reimagined here as active and participatory, fitting with a constructivist pedagogy appropriate to early childhood learning (Kouvou, 2016;Probine, 2016;Terreni, 2017).…”

“…At the same time, effective teachers remain sensitive to children's interests and preferences, allowing space for children to take a lead role in their own learning (Nutbrown, 2013). Bae (2004) Research findings in the field of art education appear to agree on this desirable pedagogy for highquality art education (for example, Bae, 2004;Lindsay, 2015a;Terreni et al, 2021); however, there is also the suggestion that teachers' common practices seldom meet these ideals (Craw, 2015).…”

“…This is not an exhaustive list, but even across these six points, the complexity of the teacher's role in art education for young children becomes apparent. Overall, visual arts education researchers have called for a move towards more intentional teaching practices in ECE visual arts (Brooks, 2021;Leggett, 2017;Lindsay, 2021;Richards, 2007;Terreni et al, 2021).…”

“…ECE teachers and leaders in NZ are required by various governing bodies -significantly, the Ministry of Education, Teaching Council Aotearoa New Zealand, and ERO -to include the perspectives of Māori as the indigenous people of NZ, to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to work towards rebalancing the valuing of mātauranga Māori 4 alongside pākehā 5 knowledges (Education Council New Zealand, 2018;Education Review Office, 2016;Ministry of Education, 2017). The area of visual arts education offers rich potential for incorporating the stories and symbols of Māori culture, as several studies have shown (Fuemana-Foa'i et al, 2009;Heta-Lensen & Wrightson, 2019;Terreni et al, 2021). Pohio (2017) writes that visual arts, "are a critical means through which children's cultural ways of knowing can be communicated and made visible" (p. 4).…”