The Action Research of Applying Morning Circle and Story-telling Instruction of Wardolf Education—Using a Public Kindergarten Class as an Example

• Main Authors: Pei-Chuan, Hu, 胡珮絹
• Other Authors: Li Kwei-Lan
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/01131262334901049117

碩士 === 國立臺中教育大學 === 幼兒教育學系碩士班 === 98 === This study investigated issues regarding implementation of morning circle and story-telling instruction of Wardolf education in a public kindergarten, including the implementation methods, processes, difficulties, solutions, and its significances for the young children in the studied class and the researcher. An action research project was undertaken in the class instructed by the researcher during September 2009 and mid-January 2010. This research project was carried out in five stages, and the research data were collected via participant observation, reflection, dialogue and discussion with people involved in the instruction. The main findings were as follows: I. Methods of implementing morning circle and story-telling of Wardolf education: 1. Morning circle method: Morning circle activities involved recitation of morning verses, singing, and dancing in circles. The teacher was required to select or create verses to chant or songs to sing first. The songs should be designed based on the local culture, seasonal characteristics or festivals, and the dance movements or gestures should be related to the meaning of the song lyrics. The morning circle activities were launched after the free-play every morning based on the following steps: (1) The teacher and young children sing songs and hold their hands to form a circle; (2) After a circle is formed, the teacher walks to the center of the circle and lights up the candle, then goes back to her position; (3) All of them recite verses together; (4) After recitation of verses, the teacher walks to the center of the circle again to blow out the candlelight and goes back to her position; (5) All of them begin to dance-in-circle and sing along the dance. Sometimes, the teacher can introduce group games . 2. Story-telling method: The teacher was required to take the following steps to offer story-based instructions: (1) Select a story suitable for young children and be familiar with the story; (2) Decorate the story table; (3) Use soft singing voices to lead the students to enter the storytelling site; (4) Gently and elegantly tell the story and wrap up the activity with songs. II. The significances of morning circle and storytelling in Waldorf education for the young children and the researcher: 1. For the young children in the studied class: Through morning circle and storytelling activities, they gradually increased their attention to class activities and developed better mental and physical health. Besides, the class atmosphere was also filled with more warmth. 2. For the researcher: The researcher gained much growth in professional knowledge of Waldorf education through this action research. The researcher was more devoted to improvement of the environment and instructional activities and also won recognition from parents and the school. As a result, the researcher had more confidence, patience, and persistence in teaching and felt a sense of fulfillment in mental, physical, and spiritual aspects. Finally, based on the research results, this study proposed some suggestions as a reference for administrations of early childhood education and in-service kindergarten teachers.