The purpose of this paper is to present the development and initial findings of a three-year funded project, entitled the Collaborative Storytelling for Disability Awareness (COSDIA) approach. This approach was conceptualized through a careful consideration of the gap in the literature regarding interdisciplinary approaches that consider disability awareness, particularly the intersection between online-offline environments of interaction, collaboration between disabled and non-disabled pre-service teachers, the co-creation of educational materials, and creative writing and digital storytelling. In effect, the study explores the use of collaborative storytelling, through digital and other forms, of pre-service teachers’ own stories and/or fairy tales about disability and aims to foster pre-service teachers’ disability awareness.
This presentation will include findings derived mainly from the first phase of the three-year project. In this first phase, the researchers conducted a thorough literature review documenting existing models in the use of storytelling and drama techniques for pre-service teachers’ training, as well as the representation of disability in the media. Researchers also completed an initial analysis of pre-service teachers’ views around disability and their learning needs around inclusive pedagogy and practice, which facilitated the development of the COSDIA approach. The first phase of the project was concluded through the development of a theoretical and pedagogical framework for the COSDIA approach, as well as the development of its curriculum comprised of seven modules. The development, presentation and delivery of the modules adopt an inclusive pedagogical framework, as the research team agrees that the project has the potential “to reduce educational inequality by enhancing learning opportunities for everyone” (Florian, 2015, p.5).
The research questions complement the research goals of the proposed project, and the research team investigates:
(1) pre-service teachers’ perceptions in relation to innovative learning approaches regarding disability awareness and inclusive education
(2) pre-service teachers’ needs in relation to innovative learning approaches regarding disability awareness and inclusive education
(3) the ways in which COSDIA’s approach can contribute to enhancing pre-service teachers’ disability awareness
(4) the potential opportunities and challenges of collaborative storytelling (collaboration between disabled and non-disabled people), through digital, and other forms, of pre-service teachers’ own stories and/or fairy tales about disability/inclusive education