Reading Reflection

 

Storytelling to Children with Special Needs

    While storytelling can take place anywhere and to any group, there are definitely considerations a storyteller should take when presenting to audiences with special needs.  Children with special needs enjoy a good storytelling presentation especially when the storyteller goes the extra mile to prepare for their specific needs.  According to Ellin Greene and Janice Del Negro, authors of Storytelling Art and Technique, “The storyteller who tells to children with special needs must have all the qualities of a good storyteller—only more so” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 111).  We’ve all been there, steady into a lesson or presentation when the “train goes off the rails”.  Instead of blaming the audience and feeling defeated, use these tips to help become prepared for future storytelling events.  After all, “the emphasis must be on the whole child and whatever method of storytelling works best with that child” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 111).  

          When storytelling to blind or partially sighted children, Greene and Del Negro state, “a pleasing, musical voice is a great asset to all storytellers, but it is vital for the storyteller who tells to the visually impaired.  Since facial expressions and body movement are lost to blind or partially sighted listeners, the storyteller’s voice quality and choice of words are extremely important” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 111).  “Rhythmic, expressive language, such as that found in poetry and songs, is often especially successful with these groups” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 111).  Think of the sounds your story creates as you are crafting or preparing your story to tell.  When it comes to storytelling to deaf or hearing-impaired children, “almost any age-appropriate story will work…with the possible exception of scary stories that rely on scary sounds or overhearing disembodied voices” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 116).  “Rhymes are difficult, nonsense words are brutal, and puns, don’t translate well into any language, including ASL” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 116).  “Physical stories with lots of action work well, as do animal tales and pourquoi stories” especially stories with only a few characters (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 116).  One thing I had never thought of before was the fact that “children with impaired hearing cannot use their eyes and ears simultaneously.  They cannot look at pictures and read lips or watch signing at the same time” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 117).  Not only do you want to keep your presentation down to one story or two short stories, but “if you are using a picture book, close the book (instead of holding it open with the pages turned toward the children) as you tell.  Then open the book to show the picture, or show the pictures after each section of the story as appropriate” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 117). 

          Storytelling to children who are inattentive is an area I feel like all beginning storytellers and old alike could use tips for.  “Storytelling programs can be beneficial, particularly if they are repeated on a regular basis so that children can learn to understand the storytelling culture, build trust with the storyteller, and learn the behaviors appropriate for story listening, participating, and retelling” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 114).  It takes a lot of time to gain the trust of children who have had “numerous experiences with adults whose behavior has been inconsistent and condescending and they have little reason to believe that what we as teachers and storytellers have to offer is worth their attention and respect” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 114).  Of course, the kinds of stories picked to share “play an important part in building this respect by creating a metaphorical space in which the teller and audience have shared experiences that they can use to connect to each other and that the students can connect to their lives” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 114).  I just now feel like I am beginning to build a good rapport with the students who visit my class for library each week and we are already a nine-weeks into the school year.  Just this week I had an experience with a child who has been inattentive and just plain rude each time he has stepped into the library.  It took me having a conversation one-on-one with him about my expectations from him and recognizing that he may be allowed to speak that way at home, but in our school and library it will not be accepted to finally get through to him.

          When librarian Carrie Rogers-Whitehead noticed there was a special population of children whose parents weren’t bringing them to the library for fear they wouldn’t be accepted, she sought to create a specific program for those children with autism.  In the article, “Storytime for the Spectrum,” a very simplistic, but relatable definition for autism was presented.  “Autism is a brain disorder.  Their brains work differently.  There are lots of reasons for this, but one main reason is that kids on the spectrum process information in a different part of the brain than a typical child does.  So the information needs to be presented differently in order for kids to be engaged” (Cottrell, 2016).  While sharing some tips for starting your own sensory story time, a few other suggestions were helpful.  “Most kids on the spectrum are very concrete thinkers, so when telling a story, it helps to have a tangible way to understand it” (Cottrell, 2016).    This can be achieved by using “figures on a table or shapes on a felt board to tell the story, rather than just turning the pages and showing pictures” (Cottrell, 2016).  “In addition to processing information differently, most children on the autism spectrum struggle with some sort of sensory issue” (Cottrell, 2016).  This can be any noise that may seem minute to others in the room.  “Their brain isn’t doing it for them, so they have to do it physically” (Cottrell, 2016).  “Enjoying a program looks totally different for kids with autism.  They might not always be looking at the librarian or repeating the refrain, but it doesn’t mean they’re not taking the information in” (Cottrell, 2016).  Don’t get hung up on the fact that all participants aren’t leaned in, hanging on your every word.  As long as they aren’t disturbing others around them, give them the space and room that best fits their needs.

Digital Storytelling vs. Traditional Storytelling

          So you might be wondering whether to use digital storytelling or traditional storytelling for your program.  Which one is better?  Well that all depends on your goal and what you hope to bring to your audience.  Let’s start by defining both and then go into how they can be used with students.

          “Digital storytelling is a creative, multimedia activity that utilizes numerous technology applications to serve a range of storytelling purposes, including sharing personal narratives and pursuing and presenting research and curricular content” (Morris, 2013, p. 55).  “Digital storytelling provides engaging and intellectually rich learning environments through creativity, diverse forms of literacy, and multiple modalities.  Digital storytelling projects respond to kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learning styles” (Rebmann, n.d., p. 30).  While digital storytelling can be used by an adult storyteller to present to an audience, I feel that it’s better suited to be an activity in which students themselves produce to present to their peers.  “When students create a digital story, their roles change from passive information receivers to active knowledge developers” (Green, 2013, p. 27).  It is also one that is highly motivating even for your most struggling students and allows for a lot of personalization.  “This motivation has been attributed to a sense of authorship and ownership” (Green, 2013, p. 27).  “Digital storytelling can effectively capture the attention of students, supporting the teacher in presenting the subject in an interesting way” (Rutta, Schiavo, Zancanaro, & Rubegni, 2021, p. 22).  Overall, digital storytelling “can provide teachers with a clear instructional procedure to encourage student cooperation, create a learning environment that stimulates student creativity, and engage learners in active learning” (Chuang, Hsieh, Cheng, & Wang, 2019, p. 409). 

          “Most definitions of traditional storytelling in an early childhood classroom describe an act of telling or writing a story” (Lisenbee & Ford, 2017, p.130).  It can also be described as “a product of students interacting socially with the elements in a book” (Lisenbee & Ford, 2017, p.135).  “Traditional storytelling easily integrates activities for all subject areas by engaging students in experiences with academic content and the world around them” (Lisenbee & Ford, 2017, p.135).  I see traditional storytelling more from the viewpoint as the teacher sharing a story with her students and then integrating it into the different subject areas of her classroom.  While one is not better than the other, “both digital and traditional storytelling seem[ed] to provide students with practice of the 21^st-century skills of collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity.  Both traditional and digital storytelling focus on social interaction.  Both types of storytelling seem to be similar literacy tools which have the power to engage early childhood students in constructing their knowledge of academic standards from real-world experiences” (Lisenbee & Ford, 2017, p.136).  So whether you’re team digital or traditional, using some form of storytelling in your instruction is greatly beneficial to all involved.

 

Books I've Been Reading This Week:

Sir Simon: Super Scarer by Cale Atkinson

The Little Ghost Who Lost Her BOO! by Elaine Bickell

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Drago

Grandpa's Ghost Stories by James Flora

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker
 

The Scariest Story You've Ever Heard by Ron Keres

How to Scare a Ghost by Jean Reagan

References

Chuang, H.H., Hsieh, M.H., Cheng, Y.Y., & Wang, C.C. (2019). An 

    instrument for assessing the development of scientific imagination via 

    digital storytelling for elementary school students.  Creativity Research 

    Journal, 31(4), 408-418.  https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2019.1670025

 

Cottrell, M.  (2016, March 1).  Storytime for the spectrum.  American 

    Libraries Magazine. 

    https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/03/01/sensory-storytime

    -spectrum-   libraries-add-services-for-children-with-autism/

 

Green, L. S. (2013, July).  Language learning through a lens: The case for 

    digital storytelling in the second language classroom.  School Libraries 

    Worldwide, 19(2), 23-35.

 

Greene, E. & Del Negro, J.M. (2010).  Storytelling to young adults.  

    Storytelling: Art and technique (p. 110-128).  Libraries Unlimited. 

 

Lisenbee, P.S. & Ford, C. M. (2017, March 16).  Engaging students in 

    traditional and digital storytelling to make connections between 

    pedagogy and children’s experiences.  Early Childhood Education 

    Journal, 46, 129-139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0846-x

 

Rebmann, K.R. (n.d.).  Theory, practice tools catching up with digital 

    storytelling.  Teacher Librarian, 39(3), 30-34. 

 

Rutta, C.B., Schiavo, G., Zancanaro, M. & Rubegni, E. (2021).  Comic-

    based digital storytelling for content and language integrated 

    learning.  Educational Media International, 58(1), 21-36. 

    https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2021.1908499