Research Roundup: Paley’s Practice: Storytelling, Story Acting, and Early Learning

In the early years, children’s librarians traditionally lit a candle at the beginning of each storytime. The altered atmosphere helped transport children mentally to a land of stories. The candle was blown out at the end of the session, bringing them back to the library. Although this tradition has not endured (due perhaps to the invention of smoke alarms), storytelling remains an effective tool that can be used by librarians.

The Unnatural in the Natural: Leopold Jessner and Paul Leni’s Early Weimar Film Backstairs

This chapter explores the influence of literary naturalism on German Expressionist cinema as reflected in Leni’s 1921 film Backstairs, co-directed with Leopold Jessner. As this chapter suggests, Backstairs is a continuation of the styles of literary naturalism, a tendency frequently taken up in German cinema of the 1920s. Although specific visual elements of the film demonstrate an expressionistic impulse, other aspects including milieu and story are clearly leftovers of the literary naturalism of the pre-war period. Using Backstairs as a case in point, this contribution counters the overemphasised focus on expressionism in Weimar-era films by highlighting the multivalent styles present throughout this period. Taking into consideration the film’s set, story, acting, and direction, this chapter provides a close examination of a film often overlooked among the classics of Weimar cinema.

Penanaman Nilai Moral- Spiritual Pada Anak Usia Dini Melalui Cerita Fabel dalam Surat Al-Fiil

Abstrak. Bercerita merupakan salah satu metode untuk menanamkan nilai moral- spiritual pada anak usia dini. Metode bercerita efektif untuk dilakukan pada anak usia dini karena anak sedang berada pada tingkat dongeng (fairy tale stage) dalam tahap perkembangan spiritualnya. Pada tahapan ini anak tertarik dengan cerita menakjubkan sehingga mengembangkan daya imajinasinya. Kondisi ini dapat dimanfaatkan oleh orang tua maupun pendidik untuk dapat menanamkan berbagai nilai moral- spiritual pada anak melalui sebuah cerita. Untuk menarik minat anak, cerita dapat disampaikan dengan berbagai cara yang lebih sesuai dengan kemajuan zaman saat ini. Dua diantaranya adalah dengan media interaktif dan story telling- story acting. Al quran sebagai pedoman hidup umat Islam sarat akan pelajaran yang tertuang dalam firman-firman Allah. Adapun beberapa pelajaran tersebut disampaikan melalui kisah Nabi, umat terdahulu maupun kisah-kisah binatang. Artikel ini merupakan gagasan tertulis yang membahas tentang pesan-pesan moral yang dapat diambil dari karakter fabel dalam Surat Al-Fiil. Metode yang dilakukan dalam pembuatan artikel ini dilakukan dengan literature review menggunakan tinjauan psikologi melalui teori perkembangan moral- spiritual dan tafsir Al Quran. Tujuan dari artikel ini adalah memberikan wawasan baru mengenai penanaman nilai moral pada anak dengan menyampaikan pesan-pesan moral dari cerita fabel dalam Al Quran. Kata kunci: Nilai Moral, Cerita Fabel, Surat Al-Fiil, Anak Usia Dini

Studying the Effectiveness of the Storytelling/Story-Acting (STSA) Play Intervention on Ugandan Preschoolers' Emergent Literacy, Oral Language, and Theory of Mind in Two Rural Ugandan Community Libraries

This study explored the impact of two rural village libraries in Uganda on preschool children's school readiness skills. Using two rural village libraries in Mpigi and Kabubbu as a backdrop, this study explored the effectiveness of a six-month play-based intervention known as the Storytelling/Story-Acting (STSA) activity. Children ages 3 to 5 at each library were randomly assigned to participate in either the STSA play intervention (n = 63) or a story-reading activity (n = 60) for one hour twice per week for six months. All children were administered school readiness skills measures before and after the six-month intervention. Caregivers were also administered an interview that assessed their educational level, quality of life, reading aloud to target child, social support, and total possessions. Children who participated in the STSA intervention had higher scores on the colors subtest of the emergent literacy measure than children who did not participate in this activity. Preschool children benefit from a story-reading activity with or without the STSA play intervention.

Storytelling and story-acting: Co-construction in action

In the light of sustained interest in the potential value of young children’s narrative play, this article examines Vivian Gussin Paley’s approach to storytelling and story-acting, in this case with 3- to 5-year-olds. It scrutinises how children’s narratives are co-constructed during adult–child and peer interactions through spoken and embodied modes, as their stories are scribed by an adult and later dramatised by their peers. Data are drawn from an evaluation of an 8-week training programme, based on Paley’s approach, designed for early years professionals and undertaken in different geographic and demographic locations in England. Naturalistic data collection techniques including video and field notes were used to record the storytelling and story-acting of 18 case study children. The resultant data were subject to close discursive and multimodal analysis of storytelling and story-acting interactions. Findings reveal discursive co-construction ‘in action’ and illustrate how the child storytellers, story actors and practitioners co-construct narratives through complex combinations of gaze, body posture and speech in responsive and finely tuned interactional patterns. The study contributes significantly to knowledge about how young children’s narratives are co-constructed through multiple modes in the classroom.

Studying the Effectiveness of the Storytelling/Story-Acting (STSA) Play Intervention on Ugandan Preschoolers' Emergent Literacy, Oral Language, and Theory of Mind in Two Rural Ugandan Community Libraries

This study explored the impact of two rural village libraries in Uganda on preschool children's school readiness skills. Using two rural village libraries in Mpigi and Kabubbu as a backdrop, this study explored the effectiveness of a six-month play-based intervention known as the Storytelling/Story-Acting (STSA) activity. Children ages 3 to 5 at each library were randomly assigned to participate in either the STSA play intervention (n = 63) or a story-reading activity (n = 60) for one hour twice per week for six months. All children were administered school readiness skills measures before and after the six-month intervention. Caregivers were also administered an interview that assessed their educational level, quality of life, reading aloud to target child, social support, and total possessions. Children who participated in the STSA intervention had higher scores on the colors subtest of the emergent literacy measure than children who did not participate in this activity. Preschool children benefit from a story-reading activity with or without the STSA play intervention.