Storytelling: Fictional Narratives, Imaginary People, and the Reader's Real Life

Motivation

Rationale and Research:

A fairly recent viral video was released online exhibiting students bullying a 68 year-old bus monitor to the point of tears. They did not cease their harassment when she asked them to stop their verbal abuse. We are currently experiencing an epidemic of bullying in American schools and all age groups are not immune from bullying.

Bullying is about "contempt –a powerful feeling of dislike toward somebody considered to be worthless, inferior, or undeserving of respect... [Bullying encourages] kids to harm another human being without feeling empathy, compassion, or shame... [The child who exhibits bully-like behavior has] a sense of entitlement, an intolerance toward differences, and a liberty to exclude... In other words, bullying is arrogance in action." ⁶

Bullying begins as young as preschool age, and educators –with the help of parents- are responsible for creating an enriching, safe, and respectful environment for all learners.

Just as bullying can range from mild to moderate to severe, so contempt can range from disregard to scorn to hate. The biases at the foundation of this contempt are often deeply rooted attitudes found in homes, our schools, and our society. Any bias or prejudice related to race, gender (including sexual orientation), religion, physical attributes, or mental abilities can and will be used by a bully to validate and justify contempt for an individual child or a group of children. ⁷

It's not easy to witness physically or verbally abusive behavior and it's imperative that we, as adults, intervene and model respectful behavior, and empower our students to stand up and speak up for themselves and others. It is helpful to have an active school-wide and district-wide program for life skills and an anti-bullying policy in place.

We need to address and challenge this culture of violence in our homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Violence goes against our DNA programming of being a cooperative species. ⁸ We have the ability and the power to change any "culture," which is defined as "local behavioral variations, occurring for non-genetic and non-ecological reasons that last beyond the time of their originators." ⁹ This means that "culture" isn't necessarily in our genes, we can transform any traditionally harmful home, school, or neighborhood culture. We can integrate non-violence curriculum into our state/national standards and reach students through open discussions, literature, art, music, cross-cultural studies, everyday experiences on the playground, and family involvement. We can transform our violent culture into a peaceful one.

Brain and Violence

A classic study referenced in Alex Damm's article "Mahatma Gandhi and Character Education in Non-Violence" defines violence as "the deliberate physical or psychological inducing of pain." ¹⁰ The subtle intentional infliction of psychological pain is finally being taken seriously such as exclusion, harassment, "psychological denigration," and "mockery." ¹¹ In contrast, non-violence, according to Gandhi, is a universal belief in "gentleness," "love," and a refusal "to inflict psychological or physical harm on others." ¹²

Researchers have conducted various neurological studies and have shown a significant difference between the developing brains of healthy children and children who have been exposed to family and community violence. As educators we are interested in our students' brain development. Young learners are maturing during a "time of neural plasticity." ¹³ What scientists know about brain development are the following facts: "Brain development is largely guided by genetic factors, but the final form is sculpted by environmental factors and early experience." ¹⁴ Scientists concluded from one study the following affects of violence on the brain:

There is evidence from cognitive neuroscience that violence exposure causes neurobiological changes that have implications for learning, executive functioning, and self-regulation. Findings from neurobiology show that the experience of violence alters the neurochemistry of an individual in ways that may impact learning or may mimic or create learning disabilities. ¹⁵

Researchers have also discovered that emotions regulate how well a student performs when applying to the task of learning something. No matter how much time we devote to our lesson planning for our class, however, if a child is in the middle of freezing up because of a real or imagined threat, the brain is not in any position to store information or create meaningful inquiry or actively participate in classroom discussions. The main goal of the brain during that moment of anxiety is to protect the body and determine whether or not to fight, flee, or freeze. This illustrates an "inseparable body-brain partnership" ¹⁶ or "body-brain connection." ¹⁷

Once we recognize this partnership between the body and brain we can search for systems that honor this knowledge. HET/ITI is a teaching model created by Susan J. Kovalik and Karen J. Olsen. It is a "bodybrain-compatible, fully integrated instructional model... It is a comprehensive model that translates the best of what we know about learning from current brain research into effective teaching strategies and meaningful curriculum." ¹⁸

As educators we should ask ourselves, how do we insure "absence of threat" in our classroom and create an environment where "nurturing reflective thinking" takes place so children can grow and develop safely? "Absence of threat" and "nurturing reflective thinking"–- terms coined by Kovalik and Olsen — are aspects of the nine Bodybrain-compatible Elements for the HET/ITI model:

Given the primacy of emotions to drive attention and thus memory, problem-solving, and virtually every other aspect of learning and performance, the number one job of a teacher is creating and maintaining an environment free from threat... [This can also mean keeping the environment clear of clutter, being aware about girls' and boys' brain development, not introducing material that's too difficult or too easy for learners – resulting in high-frustration or boredom, and practicing the delicate art of building a connected and caring community where students feel safe physically and psychologically.] Absence of threat does not mean absence of consequences. Misbehavior and failure to complete work have consequences in the real world and so should they in the classroom. What matters is fairness, consequences appropriate to the nature of the infraction, and emotional consistency of those who apply the consequences. ¹⁹

Kovalik and Olsen continue to describe "nurturing reflective thinking" as a "state of mind" which is obtained by losing awareness of time and being completely present, in their own words, "in a place where our heart, mind, and will are simultaneously interacting and to the point that outside distractions are not able to penetrate." It can be a valuable learned practice, this state of thinking reflectively. It also has the added health-benefit of lowering stress and recovering the ability to make decisions and of course to learn new content. ²⁰

The trauma students experience as a result of physical and psychological bullying or other forms of violence can be debilitating and isolating. Peter A. Levine, developer of Somatic Experiencing, and Maggie Kline, child therapist and school psychologist, define trauma in their book, Trauma-Proofing Your Kids, as a "result from events that are clearly extraordinary such as violence and molestation, but it can also result from everyday 'ordinary' events. In fact, common occurrences such as accidents, falls, medical procedures and divorce can cause children to withdraw, lose confidence, or develop anxiety and phobias." ²¹ The authors assure the reader that although trauma is a "fact of life," so is resilience, which is "the capacity we all possess to rebound from stress and feeling of fear, helplessness and overwhelm." ²² When we expose young learners to fictional characters as well as real-life leaders who possess "resilience" in their emotional and social experiences, we're aiding our students to internalize these characters' lessons. This connection to a well-loved and admired fictional character's and/or real-life leader's experiences can aid them in making tough choices.

Brain and Fiction

I've noticed in recent years that there's been a trend for public elementary schools to focus a considerable amount of time on teaching skills to young emergent readers on how to read non-fiction textbooks and focus heavily on non-fiction texts since there is a heavy concentration of non-fiction on state standardized tests. This is a disservice to our young emergent readers' emotional and social brain development and possibly an expectation for students to master a reading skill prematurely when they haven't even mastered storytelling elements.

Storytelling is an ancient style of teaching and learning. It is the oldest, most beloved, and effective kind of learning for humans. Listeners and readers can become emotionally connected to the characters shared in stories, thereby remembering a well-told or well-written story even long after it has been told or read. Storytelling is more effective than cramming facts into our head. Also, solely relying on non-fiction textbooks for young, emergent readers seems counterintuitive as well as counterproductive in creating a love for reading when 'how to read a text book' is overemphasized and fiction is stamped out from the lives of our young learners. We must not neglect the power of well-written fiction -– which is rich in vocabulary and opportunities for social and emotional development. We must persevere to maintain fictional narratives as the focal point for young readers.

Of course we must not eliminate non-fictional texts. However, we must remember to view fiction as a valuable tool for learners to learn all subjects. It would be beneficial to take advantage of this genre and add more narrative stories into multiple-subject curriculum units since humans recall stories and the facts integrated into them once they have invested emotionally into the story. Our time and energy as educators are much better spent focusing on introducing new subjects and concepts via narrative. A New York Times op-article written on March 17, 2012, details the incredible amount of activation that occurs in our brains when we read a narrative (or if a story is read to us):

Stories, this research is showing, stimulate the brain and even change how we act in life. Researchers have long known that the "classical" language regions, like Broca's area and Wernicke's area, are involved in how the brain interprets written words. What scientists have come to realize in the last few years is that narratives activate many other parts of our brains as well, suggesting why the experience of reading can feel so alive... The novel... is an unequaled medium for the exploration of human social and emotional life... The brain... treats the interactions among fictional characters as something like real-life encounters... The more stories they [pre-school children] have read to them, the keener their theory of mind... Novels, stories, and dramas can help us understand the complexities of social life. ²³

This has incredible implications for the use of narrative in the classroom — not only for exposing students to great writers – regardless of grade level, but also as instructing in everyday life experiences, which for many, will be a jumping-off point for dialogue and critical thinking skills. It is imperative for children and adults to continue reading well-written fiction since scientific studies show evidence that reading powerful narrative fiction is influential to the reader since it stimulates multiple parts of the brain.

When fictional characters face challenges, the reader joins them on their journey and mimics the emotional experiences the characters are going though. This can aid the reader emotionally and socially. ²⁴ This is the case when students first learn about the main characters in the two storybooks, The Story of Ferdinand and Chrysanthemum. Ferdinand the bull responds to the other characters in the story in a calm and good-natured manner. While other characters are experiencing melt-downs around him, he maintains this inner-peace that is admirable and can be something the students wish to emulate in their outer and inner lives. Chrysanthemum the mouse experiences bullying from several of her classmates. The reader accompanies her through this trauma and ultimately there is relief and humor at the end of the story to bring the audience to a full closure of the story with Chrysanthemum. It instructs students to critically think about what makes a good friend/colleague/classmate. A fantastic friend and superb scholar accept other people's differences without exclusions and put-downs. We will, instead, pull-up our peers, and especially ourselves. This is such a brilliant complement to our DNA programming of being a cooperative species.

Changing Our Norms: Inclusion and Empowerment

It is valuable for educators to question whether or not some of the tolerated norms that shape our schools and society promote productivity rather than absenteeism –both literally and figuratively- encourage healthy norms of communication rather than dysfunctional norms of communication. Morality "is the product of a complex process that although somehow primed by genes and environment, is ultimately controlled by the brain." ²⁵ Morality is shaped in a person by his/her society or by affiliation with a particular group. This is where the norms of the group influence the person. Norms occur in a "social setting" with the following conditions:

(a) participants believe that there are appropriate and expected behavior for them, (b) participants are aware of support in the setting for such beliefs, and (c) there is demonstrable statistical or objective commonality of such shared beliefs... All three characteristics of norms exist in elementary school, junior high, and high school classes... [There is] the range of acceptable behavior, defined as the proportion of behaviors receiving positive approval in the setting, and the consensus among students in their approval or disapproval of the behaviors in question. ²⁶

In The Story of Ferdinand, Ferdinand is labeled as different because he prefers to smell flowers and live peacefully. He is surrounded by his peers who engage in a certain behavior that's acceptable for bulls. Ferdinand prefers to be a gentle bull even though his peers' behavior is deemed ordinary and the accepted norm is butting heads because it is what bulls do best. He's doing something out of the ordinary within his community. At first his mother is concerned that he doesn't join his peer group, but then she accepts his choices since he is content to rest under the cork tree smelling flowers.

The norms of the characters in the story Chrysanthemum are challenged: even though they may appear "innocent" or "humorous" to the reader at first, the reader learns their ultimate destructive nature of the norms of bullying. The characters' constant harassment, exclusion, and ridicule of Chrysanthemum's identity and individuality are diffused by the end of the story. This story highlights the negative effects of bullying and how important it is to have an ally since the bully's goal is to humiliate and exclude his/her victim from the group. The music teacher challenges Chrysanthemum's tormentors by addressing the behavior immediately instead of brushing off the issue as though it is part of the norms of a school community: inclusion and empowerment are the healthy norms of a healthy school, not exclusion and isolation.

What does this mean for the classroom community and the entire school culture as a whole? We have the ability and power to change the "norms" of our school environment, whereas, long ago the belief was that students were expected to encounter some form of bullying during their career as students and this will assist them in forming their character. It is now known to be undesirable and unacceptable, and discouraging bullying and encouraging community building are the ideal norms.

Children and adults can successfully move away from group think/peer pressure that is harmful to healthy "moral independence." We can nurture this in our students by the following methods outlined in Barbara Coloroso's book The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander:

1. Teach [our students] that [they] and only [they are] responsible for the consequences of [their] actions.
2. Build [our students'] confidence in [their] ability to make good decisions.
3. Teach [our students] how to evaluate reasons on [their] own. ²⁷

Faculty at our schools as well as students' family members are key to preventing and/or correcting behavior that is recognized as bullying behavior toward peers in the classroom or siblings at home. Coloroso emphasizes the following steps that family members can implement at home. Items that are highlighted in bold italics can be applied both at home and at school:

1. Intervene immediately with discipline.
2. Create opportunities to "do good."
3. Nurture empathy.
4. Teach friendship skills –assertive, respectful, and peaceful ways to relate to others.
5. Closely monitor your child's [students'] TV viewing, video game playing, computer activities, and music.
6. Engage in more constructive, entertaining, and energizing activities.
7. Teach your child [students] to "will good..." speaking and doing what is right. ²⁸

This list of interventions can help change harmful cultural norms of our home and school.

Observing Our Communication Skills: Seek Clarity, Not Perfection

As adults and children we can all make more mindful choices in our everyday communication that can either lead us to separateness or connectedness within our communities. Mindfulness communication involves the following elements: "paying attention, letting go of control, and acceptance." ²⁹ Communication skills are key to preventing misunderstanding and assisting in conflict-resolution. There is a lot of discussion about mindfulness in the classrooms – and adding that into a daily class routine is beneficial for assisting learners to be in the present moment and help students become resilient. Marshall Rosenberg, the author of Nonviolent Communication, explains that communication breakdown occurs when people are imposing their moral judgments on others and not truly listening to the speaker. ³⁰ In the essay, "How Mindfulness Can Help Us Become Better Communicators," the author, Dan Huston lists reasons from Verderber's popular book, Communicate! about what causes conflict:

1. [We] are not aware of how we are filtering stimuli.
2. [We] are not practicing good listening skills.
3. [We] may be less sensitive to other people's needs and expectations.
4. [We] are more likely to display emotions than to describe them, since we are not necessarily aware of what we are feeling.
5. [We] are less likely to check our perceptions, or practice other forms of assertive behavior, since we are not aware of what has triggered certain thoughts or feelings within us. ³¹

Finding a communication style that is personally a right fit for the communicator is key to having a successful interaction. Rosenberg states in his book, Nonviolent Communication that "we are dangerous when we are not conscious of our responsibility for how we behave, think, and feel." ³² It's vital to observe our speech and listening patterns when we communicate with other people. How we say something is just as important as what we say to someone. We must keep in mind that we also need to give attention to how we're listening to the speaker and how we're receiving the speaker's message.

It's vital for educators to become familiar with various methods of communication styles; whether it be NVC or using something as effective as "I statements," educators need to find something that they're comfortable with consistently using and modeling with their students. It's a valuable tool to share once we've learned about our communication that way we can practice and share these skills with our students and continue to assist in creating a safe learning environment.

Our Missing Element: Empathy

It's not just enough to teach effective communication skills to create a safe learning/working environment; it's important to learn how to empathize with others. This is "the ability to take another person's point of view... and an emotional capacity to feel what the other is feeling." ³³ In fact, it's in our human nature to be empathic toward others and according to Dutch-born primatologist, Frans B. M. De Waal, PH.D., our morality and species depends on cooperation and empathy. ³⁴

There are many ways to build empathy in the classroom. One tool that is usually overlooked is music. "Music has the capacity to both turn on and tone down neural activity in the brain" in fact "scientists say music's ability to touch emotion lies in its ability to forge social bonds and foster cooperative behavior" ³⁵ Neuroscientist Stefan Koelsch of Freie Universität Berlin along with other neuroscientists have conducted studies on music's effect on the brain:

It is particularly effective in establishing a sense of unity, belonging-ness and trust among individuals, just listening to music creates a firestorm of activity in brain areas commonly used to understand another person's thoughts... Studies show that listening to music stimulates brain areas specialized for imitation and empathy that contain what researchers call mirror neurons. ³⁶

Music is therefore one component to help build a calm, compassionate, positively stimulated classroom community.

Gandhi: A Non-Violent Master Practitioner's Perspective

It's imperative as conscious educators and lifelong learners who always strive to improve our teaching and learning environments to reference Gandhi and his point of view of how to integrate and embody non-violent curriculum. His ideas are detailed from an article written by Alex Damm (Wilfrid Laurier University). The author raises the following question:

• How, that is to say, can we educate students' character while remaining academic, while remaining with our students on common, secular ground? ³⁷
• Damm summarizes Gandhi's belief that education should "foster a non-violent character." ³⁸ Gandhi outlined three methods to implement and have a complete non-violent curriculum. First, students can grow as a non-violent community by learning about other people's/culture's religions and to create tolerance and acceptance of our neighbor's religion. Next, students can become involved in social service learning, which is "one way to teach students a character of genuine love" so they will "exercise it through social service." Finally, students can rely on the teacher to provide "an example of non-violent character for emulation." Gandhi continues with the following advice:
• ...All teachers can afford to, validate, and reflect constructively upon students'
• contributions; show interest in and commitment to students; and refuse to speak in a crass or insulting manner. In this, the teacher sets an example of care or non-violence, without having to use this or other terms the expression of which might accepted by an individual for her own behavior or normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons. ³⁹

This practice creates a safe learning environment for a student to show up as an authentic learner and exercise "reflective nurturing thinking."

We are human because we belong. We are made for community, for togetherness, for family, to exist in a delicate network of interdependence. ⁴⁰

~Desmond Tutu