Week 6 Response

In reading the Cassell (2004) article, one section stood out to me in particular:

“Despite descriptions of the multicultural aspects of storytelling activities, and some descriptions of their link to children’s literacy and other aspects of development (Labov, 1972; Lee, 1992; Miller & Hoogstra, 1992), virtually no attempt has been made to integrate their benefits into the classroom (see Pinkard, 1999 for a notable exception). Indeed, the specific kinds of language play demonstrated by African American children is sometimes devalued and belittled to such an extent that African American children lose their desire to participate in the classroom (Michaels, 1981).” (79)

I love the focus of this work on the power of storytelling, and the encouragement of construction rather than consumption. In that context, the above passage took my breath away. Storytelling can be a hugely powerful of a tool for literacy development, but the converse is also true—the stifling, or to use their terminology, “belittling” of narrative is a deeply effective tool for disempowerment. I think this is a crucially important paradox to bring to light. It’s important to think about how we can leverage storytelling in educational design, but it’s also critical to examine how, when, and in what context storytelling is being discouraged, and the implications of those practices.

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