Researcher: Avery D. Hill
University of Washington
From a historical perspective, the origins of education can be traced back to the tradition of storytelling, which emerged within human culture as the first form of teaching. Thus, we might think of storytellers as the world’s first teachers. Today, teachers and storytellers may not be considered to have much in common, because they have evolved along different ideological directions into two distinct traditions. Yet, what remains of the original storyteller in the modern teaching profession? What can teachers learn from storytellers about teaching that they would not otherwise think about in the current world of education?
This study seeks to explore the following question: What insights into teaching and being a teacher are gained from today’s storytellers?
In the current literature on storytelling in education, much attention has been given to stories, their underlying meaning(s), and how and what can be learned from listening to them. However, we forget that stories are passed from one learner to the next by the tellers who tell them. This study seeks to feature those who tell stories and to acknowledge their ideas and reflections as educators, whose thoughts on teaching and being a teacher are relevant to contemporary educational discussion.
Due to the novelty of this topic of research, this study is strictly exploratory. Data will be collected from a small sample of participants (4-6) in one-on-one interviews, and then analyzed for content and theme. The goal of analysis is to identify patterns in participants’ responses, particular insights into teaching and the idea of being a teacher, and potentially rich considerations for further research.
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