Using Digital Storytelling for Teaching Science to African American Youth

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Nile V. Stanley, University of North FloridaFollow
Steffani Fletcher, Hope at Hand, Inc.Follow

First Presenter's Institution

University of North Florida

Second Presenter's Institution

Hope at Hand, Inc.

Third Presenter's Institution

NA

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Location

Session 6 Breakouts

Strand #1

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

Digital storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to write and tell stories. Digital storytelling for multimodal instruction in science with African American youth is not used as it could be. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (2015) indicated that 15% of African American students scored at or above the proficient science achievement level, as compared to 51% of White students. Science instruction often focuses too much on teacher scripted, textbook lessons and high stakes test preparation, with little or no creative opportunities for students to have success or agency with science. The Digi-Stars’ Science Project is an initiative where second through sixth grade students in urban partner schools explore and learn to present science content through multimedia and film. The digital storytelling program has contributed to what is known about a digital storytelling and teaching science with disadvantaged, African American children. Anticipated benefits of the project to society are: 1) added knowledge for educators on how to teach science and media skills more effectively, 2) added knowledge and skills for students to be more successful in communicating in today’s global information society.

Brief Program Description

For five years, a unique, community partnership between the University of North Florida, Duval County Public Schools, Guardian Catholic School, and the Cummer Family Foundation has promoted innovative, multimodal science instruction for African American youth. The purpose of this session is for participants to learn how digital storytelling creates multiple paths to science literacy through creating digital media stories, culturally responsive songs, and raps to increase children’s agency, motivation, and engagement in learning science.

Summary

The Digi Stars action research project was approved by the UNF Institutional Review Board (IRB) to research the teaching of science skills by integrating digital storytelling and documentary filmmaking skills into children’s learning. Project activities and outcomes were tied to the science and technology standards. Children used digital storytelling and filmmaking per IRB media approval consent forms. Children learned to communicate their discoveries to others in a very creative and engaging way.

Children from the second through sixth grades over a five-year period learned how to use technology as they read, discussed, and explored basic scientific processes, along with understanding the world and its environmental challenges. They also learned more about media communication, problem solving, research, literacy skills, understanding the science poetry genre, and scientific and environmental challenges in their own community.

The preliminary results indicated that digital storytelling improved students’ multimedia skills, performance literacy, and science vocabulary. The digital storytelling also created a learning community by improving interactions among students in the classroom, and increased their motivation to read, write and perform science as story. The project revealed promising ways to enable inner city African American school students to experience success in science.

Evidence

Neurological research (Willingham, 2004) indicates that our brains are hard wired to better remember information like science content in storytelling format. Storytelling is universal, the oldest form of teaching, and affirms students’ cultural identities by encouraging them to express and validate what they already know (Gay, 2000). Teachers’ core constructivist principles support students constructing their own learning. Learning is social, so teachers should provide significant opportunities for students to work in groups. These processes resonate with constructivist learning principles with the learner as an active participant in the process of learning. Constructivism (Vygotsky,1978) is characterized by its emphasis on learning with authentic contexts, and the focus on the importance of the social dimension of learning. Hardiman et al. (2019) suggested that multimodal instruction in science that includes songs, and movement ,coupled with visual representation may have larger benefits for struggling students because it provides the opportunity to interact with academic content through multiple pathways that promote retention. A growing number of recent studies have supported the use of digital storytelling for teaching literacy and science and supporting agentive and social benefits for

References

African American youth (Ellison & Wang, 2018, Hardiman et al, 201; Walsh & Cordero,2019; Stanley, & Dillingham, 2009; Wu, & Chen, 2020).

Ellison, L. T., & Wang, H. (2018). Resisting and redirecting: Agentive practices within an African American parent–child dyad during digital storytelling. Journal of Literacy Research, 50(1), 52-73.

Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York, NY: Teacher’s College Press

Hardiman, M. M., JohnBull, R. M., Carran, D. T., & Shelton, A. (2019). The effects of arts-integrated instruction on memory for science content. Trends in neuroscience and education, 14, 25-32.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (2015). The Nation’s Report Card: Science 2015, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Stanley, N. V., & Dillingham, B. (2009). Performance literacy through storytelling. Chicago,IL. Maupin House/Capstone Publishing

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

Walsh, E. M, &, Cordero, E. (2019) Youth science expertise, environmental identity, and agency in climate action filmmaking, Environmental Education Research, 25:5, 656-677.

Willingham, D. T. (2004). Ask the cognitive scientist: The privileged status of story. American Educator, 28(2), 43–5, 51–3.

Wu, J., & Chen, D. T. V. (2020). A systematic review of educational digital storytelling. Computers & Education, 147, 103786.

Learning Objectives

Participants will learn how to:

1.Understand the rationale for using culturally responsive storytelling to support literacy and science learning for underserved African American youth.

2. Use digital storytelling and filmmaking with standards aligned instructional strategies to support multimodal development with the visual arts, music, song writing, drama, and technology, for learning science.

Biographical Sketch

Nile Stanley is a performance poet, storyteller, and associate professor of literacy and arts education at the University of North Florida. Dr. Stanley is a founding board member of Hope at Hand, which provides poetry and art for underserved youth.

Steffani Fletcher is the founder and Executive Director of Hope at Hand, Inc of Jacksonville, Florida. Ms. Fletcher holds degrees in Elementary Education and Educational Leadership. She has earned national certifications from the American Montessori Society and the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy.

Keyword Descriptors

science education, African American youth, literacy, digital storytelling, multimodal instruction

Presentation Year

2021

Start Date

3-9-2021 1:40 PM

End Date

3-9-2021 2:40 PM

Recommended Citation

Stanley, Nile V. and Fletcher, Steffani, "Using Digital Storytelling for Teaching Science to African American Youth" (2021). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 36.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2021/2021/36