Meaningful narratives in classroom - Teachers’ intentions and practices

Author(s):

Raili Keränen-Pantsu(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

27. Didactics - Learning and Teaching

Format:

Paper

Session Information

27 SES 12 B, Schools and Identities Narratives

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-25

09:00-10:30

Room:

K3.05

Chair:

Meinert Arnd Meyer

Contribution

The aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ pedagogical thinking and classroom practices. To be more specific, what are the aims and goals for teachers when they decide to use narratives in classroom to promote meaningful education? The study was conducted in Finland in spring 2016 and it is part of a broader research that focuses on students’ and teachers’ intentions, teachers’ pedagogical thinking and students’ reflection in lessons applying in narrative pedagogy.

The concrete research questions were:

1. What is the role of the narratives in worldview education?

- How does the teacher use the narratives?

- What are the principles and practices of using narratives as part of worldview education?

- What are the experiences teachers have of narratives in teaching?

2. What kind of narratives the teachers consider relevant in worldview education?

- How does the teacher define a meaningful narrative?

3. What makes the narrative relevant at student's point of view?

Theoretical underpinnings

In this study, meaningful education is seen as education that assists children in finding meaning in life and making sense of their self and the world around (cf. de Ruyter 2002, 34). Bruner (1986) argues that there is two kinds of knowing; paradigmatic and narrative knowledge. Paradigmatic knowledge is familiar from natural sciences and it is analytical, looking for logical proof and aims to predict and control reality. In this study, the main focus is on narrative knowledge which, according to Bruner, help us to making sense of the ambiguity and complexity of human lives and world around us. McAdams (1993) is pointing out that the story appears in every known human culture. The story can be seen as a natural way of o organizing many different kind of information and that storytelling appears to be a fundamental way of expressing ourselves and our world to others.

Goodson & Gill (2011) connect narratives in learning: according to them narratives can be significant sites for individuals learning. Their ideas also come close to ideas about meaningful education, since their “vision for learning encompasses meaning-making, connecting what is valuable and worthwhile in what humans do, being and becoming.” Goodson & Gill continue that for them, learning concerns the flourishing of individual human beings and the realization of their fullest capacities.

When talking about narratives in education, narratives are understand as a tool for achieving a goal that teacher is aiming, usually represented in curriculum. As Riessman (2008) is putting it, narratives are “strategic, functional and purposeful” and hence, in this study the aim is to understand, what teachers are trying to accomplish through narratives and narrative pedagogy.

Method

This study is a part of mixed-method PhD research. In this qualitative research the theoretical background can be found in phenomenological- hermeneutic approach and narrative inquiry. The data was collected in the spring 2016 in Finland. Six primary school teachers were interviewed with theme interview and data was analyzed using deductive content analysis. Also two Religious Education lessons where narrative pedagogy was used was observed and one lesson video-recorded. Riessman’s (2008) ideas about different purposes of narratives and Ubani’s (2013) ideas about different forms of relevance on teaching are used as theoretical frame for analysis. All teacher are now or have been teaching Religious Education or secular Ethics in primary school level and these two subjects together compose Worldview Education that is the context of this research.

Expected Outcomes

Teachers’ pedagogical thinking can be seen as strategic and purposeful. In this data, when teachers decide to use narrative methods in their teaching, most of the aims teachers describe goes beyond subject boundaries. These aims are to promote moral thinking, to practice emotional skills and support the sense of community. Very important task rising from the interviews is also to give pupils chance to ask existential and identity-related questions. Teachers see narratives as pedagogical tool for help pupils to understand and process information. It is also a form to remember and connect data as larger entities. When choosing a narrative teaching methods teachers like to offer their pupils unique experiences which differ from knowledge-orientated lessons and found these methods rewarding for pupils as well as for teacher.

References

Adams, D.P. (1993). The stories we live by: personal myths and the making of the self. William morrow and company: New York. Bruner, J.(1986) Actual minds, possible worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Goodson, I.F. & Gill, S.R. (2011). Narrative pedagogy. Life history and learning. Peter Lang. Doret J. de Ruyter (2002) The Right to Meaningful Education: The role of values and beliefs, Journal of Beliefs & Values: Studies in Religion & Education, 23:1, 33-42, DOI: 10.1080/13617670220125656 Riessman, C. K. Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2008. Ubani, M. (2013) Peruskoulun uskonnonopetus (Religious education in primary school) Juva: ps-kustannus

Author Information

Raili Keränen-Pantsu (presenting / submitting)

University of Eastern Finland

Tuusula

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