Preservice and Inservice

1
Pre-service and In-service child care and
education students using story-telling as a
teaching method to understand Confucian values in
kindergarten-aged children in Hong Kong A
Study of Expressed Views Progress
Report Student Name Lee Lai Wan,
Maria August 2006
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Specifically, the aims of this study are to
examine the expressed views of pre-service
in-service child care and education students
using story-telling as a teaching method to
understand Confucian values in kindergarten-aged
children in Hong Kong.
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Specific aims for preschool children- HK
Education Commission's Revised Proposal 2000
to foster in children an appreciation of their
own culture and other cultures and to
nurture in children a sense of responsibility,
civic-mindedness, a rule-abiding spirit, and
acceptance of basic social values and norms
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• Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum 2006 (EMB)
• (EMB 2006, 18)
• The curriculum goals for Affective and Social
  Development
• Personal Values
• to learn to establish good interpersonal
  relationships
• to foster positive attitudes towards people
• Social Values
• to accept basic social values and behavioural
  norms.
• to understand their own role in the family,
  school and society understand the rights and
  duties of an individual

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• Cultural Values
• to cultivate care for society, awareness of
  environmental protection and respect for
  different cultures. (EMB 2006, 20)
• to develop national identity through an
  understanding of the Chinese culture. (EMB 2006,
  34)
• to understand the relationship between themselves
  and their country (EMB 2006, 63)

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The Confucian belief is that each person has a
specific place in the society, and has certain
duties to fulfill, and hence it is important
for each to know how to behave in relation with
one another (Jin 2004, n.p.)
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Confucians believe that all humans are born
virtuous, and it is the environment that
contaminates and turns one evil. Teachers
should help the child to grow and develop
naturally as they should, and to steer away from
factors that may affect them adversely.
(Shin1989).
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The teachers task should be to stimulate the
students thinking with questions and suggestions
so that the student will make his/her own
reasoned judgment. They should not indoctrinate
by introducing someone elses moral values.
(Shin1989).
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• Children tend to learn by imitation. (EMB 2006,
  34)
• Teachers must set themselves as examples and live
  up to these positive values and attitudes.
• In turn, children will learn from teachers, and
  the educational objective of whole person
  development will be achieved. (EMB 2006, 45)

10
Confucian values in festivals- Chinese New Year
Mid Autumn Festival Filial piety Benevolent
relationship Family unity Chung Yeung
Festival Intergenerational respect Obligations
for parents and forefathers Dragon Boat
Festival Loyalty and submission
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• Positive values and attitudes and Learning Areas
  
• (Li)
• Courtesy,
• self-discipline,
• perseverance,
• respect and responsibility
• (EMB 2006, 22)

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As Petrosky observed in storytelling that as
children talk with each other and with teachers
about their encounters and experiences, meaning
comes slowly. Teachers need to encourage
children to talk about what they see, feel,
think, and how they associate with what they
read. (Jalongo 198891)
13
Listening to stories can develop childrens
abilities of concentration and imagination.
During story-telling activities, children
should be encouraged to raise questions and
have discussion, so as to promote critical
thinking skills. (EMB 2006, 28)
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• Through participating in activities, children
  gain experiences which enable them to understand
  the value of individuals, appropriate attitudes
  towards interpersonal relationships and other
  social skills.
• (EMB 2006, 33)
• Children form their own values and ideas about
  social morality gradually, through internalising
  the behaviours, habits, thinking and language
  they encounter. (EMB 2006, 34)

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In Service Teachers

• Pre service Student Teachers

Pre-test
SCV Training Story telling Confucian
Values Cultural Festivals
SCV Training Story telling Confucian
Values Cultural Festivals
Story Projects Chinese New Year Dragon Boat
Festival
Story Projects Mid Autumn Festival Chung Yeung
Festival
Post Test
Interviews Reflections Observation Records
Interviews Reflections Observation Records
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Two Sample Groups Pre-service student teachers
group final students of the Higher Diploma in
Child Care and Education, (Full-time
mode) In-service teachers group final year
students of the Higher Diploma in Child Care and
Education (Part-time mode)
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Story telling and Confucian Values Training
(SCV) Both groups received SCV training on the
values, functions and skills of story telling,
basic concepts of Confucian values, the
meaning and values of the cultural festivals,
and stories related to the festivals.
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Story Projects

• Each participant conducted story projects after
  the SCV training, to 4-5 years old children in
  kindergartens on two Chinese cultural festivals.
• 30 Pre-service student teachers conducted story
  projects on the Chinese New Year and the Dragon
  Boat Festival (2004-05).
• 30 In-service teachers conducted story projects
  on the Mid-autumn Festival and the Chung Yeung
  Festival (2005-06).
• Non- Participant observations were conducted and
  recorded participants skills used and childrens
  response and reaction to the stories.

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Pre-test/ Post-test Pre-test and Post test were
conducted on each participant, prior to and after
the completion of the SCV training and story
projects. Interview Randomly selected
participants were interviewed after the story
projects, to collect their changed views (if any)
on Confucian values for young children and the
effectiveness of storytelling as a tool.
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Reflections after Story Projects
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Pre-service groups reflections

• With better skills and techniques, story telling
  can be a very useful tool that is welcomed by
  children and can motivate them
• story can enable children to solve problems, to
  offer analysis, to explain, to reason, to imagine
  and to create.

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• A child needs good moral standard for their
  growth and development.
• They need to learn appropriate social
  behaviour.
• Teachers must use appropriate methods to explain
  these values to a child, in a way he/she can
  understand and to use life experiences for
  him/her to practice the behaviour related, as
  these values are abstract and hard for children
  to understand.

23

• Modelling is very important, and supported with
  stories and discussions, it can help a child
  understand and reflect on the reason for
  practicing the values.
• Story telling should be given more attention by
  teachers, and they should value this tool better.

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In-service groups reflections

• Before the story project, I used story casually
  to fill in time slot.
• I would replace story activity when other more
  important things (academic) had to be done.
  (especially for KG who operates for 3 hours
  only)
• Like myself, my colleagues didnt think highly
  of story telling, and would pick up any book that
  is convenient, browse through it, and then tell
  it.

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• After the story project, some were amazed to see
  childrens reaction.
• Some of my students changed their behaviour, and
  became friendlier to others. I just couldnt
  believe it!
• This convinced me that story can be an effective
  teaching tool, especially when used on moral
  values and developing appropriate behaviour.

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• We must conduct more activities to educate
  parents on the value and effectiveness of story
  telling.
• We should persuade our colleagues to support our
  views and use story telling to explain moral
  values to children.
• Children were interested in Chinese cultural
  stories and could relate them to their daily
  lives!
• We have a responsibility to help inculcate
  moral values in children, and story is a useful
  method to help children comprehend abstract
  values.

27

• Some admitted that they were not too aware of the
  Confucian values, nor had they been practicing
  them. These values are good for adults and
  children. I would like to learn more about them.
• Some committed that they will prepare well for
  story activity, select story books carefully and
  appropriately for childrens needs, and use adopt
  a variety of skills in telling stories.

28

• Effective story telling skills include tone,
  expression, movement, artefacts and puppets and
  relating the content to childrens daily lives
  experiences.
• To help children adopt appropriate positive
  behaviour, supplementing stories with games and
  role plays related to daily lives are useful.

29

• Confucian values in Cultural Festivals which
  should be taught to children
• Li (Mannerism values)- filial, respect,
  remembrance of ancestors, courtesy
• Ren (Social values) family, reunion, sharing,
  love
• Yi - Patriotism, righteousness, Yi
• Optimism, new hope, life, nature, ecology

30
Story of the 12 New Year Animals Friendship
Man and dog can be friends Dog and rabbit can be
friends. Rabbit and cow can also be
friends. Everyone can be friends. The worms in
the grass can be friends. The worms are
eating. There is clouds in the sky. It is sunny,
and windy, because It is a very cold day.
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The New Year Animals love, sharing, ecology
Those in blue lines are hills. I have drawn a
rabbit, hen, dog, Rabbit. I have added a pink
carrot next to the rabbit. There is some
raindrops at the back, Because it is a rainy
day. I added the sun to make the day warmer.
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The New Year Beast Yi righteousness
Lion Dance troupes
New Year Beast
Fight the beast !
If we fight and kill the New Year Beast, then,
everyone will be safe. People are doing the Lion
Dance, walking everywhere!
33
The Dragon Boat Races Ren family, love,
reunion
Our whole family is happily eating dumplings, and
watching Dragon boat races. But I have a puppy at
home, and someone is taking care of it.
34
airplane
Wat Yuen Yi Righteousness
Route to save Wat Yuen
They are beating the drum
Dragon Boat
Submarine with a net
Wat Yuen
We can send a plane to save him. Some can beat
the drums in the dragon boat to scare away the
fish. A submarine with fishing nets can protect
Wut Yuen, so that fish can not eat him, And pull
him up to safety. I want to save him because he
helped and protect the country. The emperor
should trust him and dont let him die. He has to
fight the evil guys.
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• Thank You
• And
• The work goes on.