January 2020

Storytelling in a Rock Study: Using Emergent Learning and Universal Design to Promote Every Child’s Learning in an Inclusive Preschool Classroom

Sarika S. Gupta, Hunter College CUNY
Julie Glen, The National Child Research Center

Storytelling—the act of communicating ideas to others through action or words—is an effective vehicle for engaging diverse young learners. Storytelling also can be used to engage and encourage children’s participation in emergent learning. The rock study described here emerged from children’s interests in our inclusive preschool classroom. We used storytelling in this study to promote every child’s learning. This process depended on an understanding of both emergent curriculum and universal design for learning (UDL). Below, we describe each approach, share examples of the emergent study, and reflect on our use of UDL principles. We share this as one example of design-driven learning.

Emergent Curriculum
Emergent curriculum is a teaching philosophy that responds to every child’s interests. It begins with observation of children for insight into their interests and strengths. Teachers can use this information to co-construct meaningful learning experiences with children that are flexible, adaptable, and promote inquiry.

Universal Design for Learning
UDL is a teaching framework that considers the varied way people learn. It involves designing the environment and learning experiences to maximize access, understanding, and use to the greatest extent possible. Teachers create learning opportunities that build on interests and strengths and allow for multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression, enabling children’s demonstration of learning in different ways.

Emergent Study: Encouraging the Open Exploration of Rocks
The children were curious about rocks. They searched, gathered, collected, and began asking questions. We included non-fiction and fiction picture books about rocks in the library area. We planned opportunities, such as nature walks, for children to discover additional rocks. We carried rock books with us on these adventures so we could look up information about what we found. We matched rocks with pictures in the books. We described what we saw and felt—round, smooth, rough, heavy, light, many, few, cool, warm, hot, dirty, clean—and encouraged children to do the same. We wondered aloud (e.g., Is this rock heavier than this one?). We talked about using rocks safely (e.g., sorting, arranging, stacking, counting, measuring, shaking, rolling) and posed questions to encourage creative exploration (e.g., Could we draw with a rock?). We took pictures and recorded questions. Some children drew what they saw. Others told stories about their rocks, while some simply held them. We gathered a variety to take back to the classroom. There were no right or wrong answers as we explored and investigated.

UDL Reflection: How We Provided Multiple Means of Engagement During Exploration
We considered children’s interests, preferences, and strengths: they were interested in rocks! We considered how children learn: visually, auditorily, or kinesthetically. We gathered a rich variety of materials that motivated children to openly explore their qualities and characteristics. We modeled manipulation and interaction with materials using the senses (touch, smell, taste, balance, sight, hearing). We invited and prompted children to try non-preferred senses. We asked open-ended questions. We documented exploration and inquiry.

Emergent Study: Promoting Engagement and Inquiry With Rocks
Our young learners were primarily 4 years old. Some children gravitated toward the table for work and play, while others preferred the floor; for this reason, we intentionally arranged materials in both places. Rocks, photographs from the nature walk, books, trays, scoops, a variety of writing tools, magnifying glasses, paper of different sizes and colors, and fabric were easily accessible for all the young children. We invited children to examine materials on their own and with others, and we modeled as needed. For example, we created buddy workspaces on tables by placing grouped materials on a sheet of paper in front of two chairs. We modeled safely sliding a tray along the floor to a less-busy area for individual investigation. The children’s play and work varied. Some children labeled objects. Many engaged in construction of towers or other shapes. We provided opportunities to practice functional skills with the rocks (such as counting or labeling), explore concepts (such as balancing, weight), and initiate complex play (let’s make a pizza restaurant and pretend these rocks are pepperoni on our pizzas!). We engaged children visually, physically, and auditorily then took a step back, positioning ourselves around the room to photograph and record children’s actions and words. These observations helped us understand children’s interests, abilities, and needs. We used this understanding to guide and scaffold their learning toward developmental, curricular, and/or individualized goals.

UDL Reflection: How We Encouraged Multiple Means of Representation Through Engagement and Inquiry
We considered expectations for learning by reviewing curricular standards and individualized goals and outcomes. We considered how and where children constructed knowledge in the classroom. We created spaces for children to play independently, alongside peers, and with peers. We allocated consistent time each day for play. Functional play included using objects as intended, such as rolling or stacking. Flexible play involved using objects in different ways, for instance pretending a rock was a pencil. We encouraged children to choose where they wanted to spend time. We celebrated and positively reinforced their participation. We listened and observed. We followed the children’s lead. We interpreted children’s actions. We embedded instruction. We motivated and prompted. We scaffolded inquiry by responding to children’s questions and posing new ones. We supported transitions and allowed for breaks. We documented engagement and learning.

Emergent Study: Documenting Learning through Individual Stories
We used large-group times, such as morning meetings, to review and celebrate what we learned as individuals and as a group. Functional questions helped us revisit the qualities, characteristics, and uses of rocks. One child examined spatial concepts by arranging rocks around the outline of an animal shape. Open-ended questions, such as “Tell us about your work” or “What was I doing?,” encouraged children to recall their actions and words. Some children attempted to balance stacked rocks, while others explored rock weight by scooping and carrying rocks. Higher-order questions, like “What stories can we imagine with these materials?,” led to story generation. We introduced concepts of storytelling—beginning, middle, end—to frame children’s actions and words. The phrase “Once upon a time” prompted children to recall knowledge and practice imaginative thinking. For example, “Once upon a time, there was a volcano. It exploded with lava.” Another child created the following story: “Once upon a time, there was a lollipop that grew the size of your hand. It was growing in the dirt and then it sprouted in the grass. And then a girl name Ananya picked it. She ate it and didn’t have a tootsie roll inside. It had a rock inside. She dropped the rock on the ground and then she left it in a new spot where a new lollipop grew. The End.” With prompting, children also identified characters. One child included “Daddy, Mom, Little Sister, Big Brother, Grandma, Grandpa, and Babysitter” in his story. Still others chose not to share, but did allow pictures to be taken while working.

UDL Reflection: How We Provided Multiple Means of Expression in Individual Stories
We considered how children expressed their states, feelings, and knowledge. We recalled children’s communicative strengths, abilities, and needs. We created opportunities to share information in multisensory ways (e.g., visuals, audiorecording devices) and across routines. We presented the sharing process through steps, then modeled them. We invited children to observe and take turns. We provided wait time. We reviewed documentation. We used sentence starters to encourage recognition and recall of actions and words. We used open-ended questions to encourage ongoing inquiry.

Final Thoughts
Storytelling can be a powerful tool to engage diverse young learners in emergent study. We used storytelling in our emergent rock study to engage children in meaningful experiences. We used principles of UDL to provide children with multiple ways to learn and demonstrate their learning. Our experience illustrates one way to use these approaches together to promote every child’s participation and learning in inclusive preschool classrooms.

Resources
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Flynn, E. E. (2018). Ideas in dialogue: Leveraging the power of child-led storytelling in the multicultural preschool classroom. Language in Society, 47(4), 601-633.

Horn, E., Kang, J., Classen, A., Butera, G., Palmer, S., Lieber, J., Friesen, A., & Mihai, A. (2016). Role of universal design for learning and differentiation in inclusive preschools (pp. 51-66). Environment: Promoting meaning access, participation and inclusion. (DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series No. 2). Washington, DC: Division for Early Childhood.

Jones, E. (2012). The emergence of emergent curriculum. Young Children, 67(2), 66-68.

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Theobald, M. (2015). Achieving competence: The interactional features of children’s storytelling. Childhood, 23(1), 87-104.