Learning the Monuments of my City: Contemporary Teaching Approaches in Primary Education through Digital Storytelling

Learning the Monuments of my City: Contemporary Teaching Approaches in Primary Education through Digital Storytelling

Author Alexandros Kapaniaris
Co-Author Maria Panoria
DOI

Country : Greece
Subject : Folk Culture, Educational Programs, E-Learning

Keywords : Storytelling, Digital Storytelling, History of the 1st Grade of Elementary School

Abstract

This essay explores how digital storytelling can facilitate the teaching process of modules related to history. Occasioned by a literary book and parallel activities, the first grade students of a Primary School get in touch with three different axes: the world of ICT, the love of reading and history. With the power of storytelling they approach social issues, combing at the same time their creativity with research and historical knowledge of their region. In particular, an attempt was made to find a common ground between the two seemingly incompatible languages, the magical language of literature and the scientific one of history. Throughout this endeavor, ICTs functioned as the missing link between the two, through digital storytelling. In the light of the aforementioned, the effectiveness of the exploitation of digital storytelling in the acquisition of historical knowledge was studied. A series of teaching interventions were designed and implemented, aiming to knowledge about the existence and operation of local historical monuments and the acquisition of knowledge in a playful way. Working in groups, the students freely expressed their preferences, made virtual artistic interventions in the monuments' surroundings and enriched their knowledge with a multimedia poster.
The research was completed with the creation of a poem with the contribution of the students to the level and extent to which their young age allows them as well as, their cognitive and cultural background. The poem was lined with a well-known melody, forming the basis of a digital story made using a multimedia tools. The results of the research show that the interactive approach of local history has contributed to the assimilation of knowledge, while at the same time has subsidized the engagement in this difficult field of knowledge.

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