University Students Teach Life Lessons to Elementary School Children Through Multicultural Folklore

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ  — Monmouth University last week announced that it has launched an innovative course designed to teach its students how to educate K – 6 children about tolerance and diversity through multicultural folklore. The project (entitled the “Power of Storytelling”) is offered by the University’s communication department as an Experiential Education course.

On Friday, April 27 at 1:30 p.m. Monmouth University’s “Power of Storytelling” class will visit the Atlantic Highlands Elementary School where they will perform stories that promote tolerance and diversity for its students.

“This exciting new program will teach our students the timeless art of storytelling while also enabling them to learn the value of community service,” said Kim Cuny, a communication instructor at Monmouth University. “It unites our University students and faculty to provide a multicultural education for elementary and middle school children.” According to Claire Johnson, an instructor who co-teaches the course with Ms. Cuny, the age-old tradition of storytelling enhances imagination and visualization, improves listening skills and allows children to interact with adults on a personal level. It also sparks interest in reading, enhances critical and creative thinking and helps children to understand their own and others’ cultural heritages. The Storytelling Project is designed to draw children into the story through interaction and by asking questions that foster understanding on a personal level.

One of the stories that is taught in the course is an African folktale about a clever spider named Anazi who succeeds in outwitting the Sky God to gain possession of a box that is said to hold all of the stories of the world. Narrated by Monmouth University students in a theatrical manner, stories such as these are designed to captivate and educate child audiences.

Ms. Cuny and Ms. Johnson spearheaded the effort at Monmouth University. The Storytelling Project is part of a national effort to facilitate tolerance and acceptance of difference. The three main goals are to engage children in learning activities designed to advance multicultural education, teach appreciation of diversity and create communities in which hate, hate speech and hate crimes are not tolerated. It is one of 33 projects that are participating in a larger initiative called “Communicating Common Ground” (CCG). CCG is a cooperative effort between the National Communication Association, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Campus Compact and the American Association for Higher Education.

According to Ms. Cuny, the class recently started educating students in local schools such as Atlantic Highlands Elementary School. Monmouth University students begin by explaining to the class the differences between reading a story and telling a story and then set the stage for their narrative. They promote appreciation of diversity by utilizing the skills that they learned in class to mesmerize children with tales from faraway lands. They end the session by supplying exercises for children to take part in.

For more information about the program and the upcoming visit to Atlantic Highlands Elementary School or to arrange for an interview with Ms. Cuny or Ms. Johnson contact Frank Di Rocco, Jr. at 732-571-3526.

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