Storytelling is a powerful methodology to develop good teamwork. Also, an interesting tool to explain concepts as diversity or disability.
Being different is not a reason to feel undervalued. Through this activity, differences are mainly worked to improve coexistence and enrich classwork.
Children with special education needs have the benefits of manipulative tools to express emotions and knowledge, they can also have principal roles in the groups by storytelling about their own difficulties.
General goal. Promoting the approach and awareness of children to situations of discrimination that may occur in their closest environment.
Specific objectives:
The practice takes a total of 4 sessions of 45 minutes distributed in one week.
The schedule of activities is located in a visible place in the classroom. In this way, participants can easily locate where they are in the activity. As the sessions progress, colored stickers are placed to identify the phases carried out and those that remain to be done.
The activity can be realized in the middle of the first term when the classmates know each other and they have built a friendship.
The activity is carried out in the classroom, but it will have three delimited spaces.
The success of the activity is when learning is of a social nature. The learning environment is fostered from well-organized cooperative frameworks.
Emotions are an integral part of learning. When difficulties appear to verbally express emotions, students can resort to drawing or body expression.
The students are at the center of learning. They are the protagonists of the activity; the professor is a mere facilitator of student expression.
The activity is based on students’ prior knowledge about diversity and disability, from that previous knowledge, all other concepts are built.
Session 1: Reading the story
The teacher presents the cover of the book to the students, lately, they are asked to make predictions about the content of the book. All the predictions were pointed in the blackboard.
Later the book is read, first using the audiovisual support. This part became so importer when the activity included a student with special needs. After watching the tale, the teacher can use the book.
Students’ predictions are compared with the real story.
Questions are asked to energize the debate in the classroom:
Third, the story is read together using the bullet points.
Session 2: Re-making the story
In this session, a continuous paper mural has been prepared. The bullet points of the story and the different phrases have been photocopied.
Students cut bullets and phrases. Then they pasted them in the proper order along with the continuous paper. In this way, a large mural is generated in the class with the story.
This second approach is used to give specific examples of disability and the bucket metaphor is explained. The story is discussed again with the students.
Session 3: Our own saucepans
This session requires previous preparation. In it the students will create their own saucepan, that is, they will express those things that are difficult for them. That is why it is very important to create an atmosphere of relaxation and trust in the group. It is very useful to start the session by listening to quiet music and reminding students that only from respect can they live together.
In individual work, students draw their saucepans and decorate them. Inside the saucepan, they draw or write all their difficulties and those aspects that concern them and distance them from others.
Once the saucepans are created they are exposed to their classmates and they stick to the mural.
It is important that there is a debate about the difficulties of each one. The teacher should pay special attention to students with special educational needs, detailing to classmates the implications of their particular saucepan.
Session 4: Helping each other evaluation.
In this session, each student’s saucepan is retaken. It is time to accept the differences and find integrative solutions to the difficulties of each one. The teacher must be especially attentive to students with special educational needs so that their classmates find good mechanisms for inclusion.
It is important that students locate those people who support them to overcome their difficulties.
Finally, the activity is evaluated. For this purpose, children are asked if they had liked the book, what emotions had they felt and if they are happy with their saucepans. Finally, they reflect this on the integration.
A projector is used to visualize the story in an audiovisual format. The audiovisual format brings students with special educational needs to history, allowing greater understanding and participation in the activity.
Speakers and music player are also used for the relaxing introduction to the third session. Relaxing music favors the control of emotions in students with special educational needs and improves their communication.
Book: Isabelle Carriere (2009). La petite casserole d’Anatole.
Continuous paper, papers, pencils, crayons, and scissors.
The final production it´s “Anatole´s little saucepan” story in a continuous paper on a classroom wall.
In addition, the last bullet will be decorated by the saucepans of all the classmates. In this way, it is always accessible to remember them when difficulties appear in the inclusion of a partner.
The inclusion of students with special educational needs is favored by the storytelling methodology. The identification of difficulties in an external character is the first step. In addition, this process is done in a group way. The subsequent personal identification of difficulties is easier.
A good conclusion of the activity would be the group design of specific supports to each classmate to overcome their difficulties.
The main strength of the activity is the physical representation of the difficulties in the form of a saucepan. These drawings are also exposed in the classroom and can be used over time to solve inclusion problems.
Families can read the story with students at home. In this way, learning takes to different environments. Families can help find support for peers with special educational needs.
INCLUDED – Digital Storytelling for Inclusion