tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/story-telling-23171/articlesStory-telling – The Conversation2024-02-05T13:31:04Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2212992024-02-05T13:31:04Z2024-02-05T13:31:04ZBlack communities are using mapping to document and restore a sense of place<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573098/original/file-20240202-25-m9rzc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C11%2C1856%2C1272&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">These highways displaced many Black communities. Some Black activists are using mapping to do the opposite: highlight hidden parts of history.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.loc.gov/item/2011593044/">Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When historian <a href="https://www.nps.gov/cawo/learn/carter-g-woodson-biography.htm">Carter Woodson</a> created “Negro History Week” in 1926, which became “<a href="https://guides.loc.gov/black-history-month-legal-resources/history-and-overview">Black History Month” in 1976</a>, he sought not to just celebrate prominent Black historical figures but to transform how white America saw and valued all African Americans. </p>
<p>However, many issues in the history of Black Americans can get lost in a focus on well-known historical figures or other important events.</p>
<p>Our research looks at how African American communities struggling for freedom have long used maps to protest and survive racism while affirming the value of Black life.</p>
<p>We have been working on the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00087041.2023.2256131">Living Black Atlas</a>,” an educational initiative that highlights the neglected history of Black mapmaking in America. It shows the <a href="https://mappingblackca.com/">creative ways</a> in which Black people have historically used mapping to document their stories. Today, communities are using “restorative mapping” as a way to tell stories of Black Americans.</p>
<h2>Maps as a visual storytelling technique</h2>
<p>While most people think of maps as a useful tool to get from point A to point B, or use maps to look up places or plan trips, the reality is all maps tell stories. Traditionally, most <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520292833/chocolate-cities">maps did not accurately</a> reflect the stories of Black people and places: Interstate highway maps, for example, do not reflect the realities that in most U.S. cities the building of major roads <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/04/07/984784455/a-brief-history-of-how-racism-shaped-interstate-highways">was accompanied by the displacement</a> of thousands of Black people from cities. </p>
<p>Like many marginalized groups, Black people have used maps as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/cart-2020-0011">visual story-telling technique</a> for “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/44000276">talking back</a>” against their oppression. They have also used maps for enlivening and giving dignity to Black experiences and histories. </p>
<p>An example of this is the NAACP’s campaign to lobby for <a href="https://edsitement.neh.gov/curricula/naacps-anti-lynching-campaigns-quest-social-justice-interwar-years">anti-lynching federal legislation</a> in the early 20th century. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-black-cartographers-put-racism-on-the-map-of-america-155081">NAACP mapped</a> the <a href="https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/explore">location and frequency</a> of lynching to show how widespread racial terror was to the American public. </p>
<p>Another example is the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s efforts to document racism in the American South in the 1960s. The <a href="https://snccdigital.org/inside-sncc/sncc-national-office/research/">SNCC research department’s</a> maps and research on racism played a pivotal role in planning civil rights protests. SNCC produced conventional-looking county-level maps of income and education inequalities, which were issued to activists in the field. The organization also developed creative “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2019.1631747">network maps</a>,” which exposed <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016718521000300">how power structures and institutions</a> supported racial discrimination in economic and political ways. These maps and reports could then identify urgent areas of protest. </p>
<p>More recently, artist-activist Tonika Lewis Johnson created the “<a href="https://www.foldedmapproject.com/interactive-maps">Folded Map Project</a>,” in which she brought together corresponding addresses on racially separated sides of the same street, to show how racism remade the city of Chicago. She photographed the “map twins” and interviewed individuals living at paired addresses to show the disparities. The project brought residents from north and south sides of Chicago to meet and talk to each other.</p>
<h2>Maps for restorative justice</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/carto.45.1.32">Restorative mapping</a> is an important part of the Living Black Atlas: It helps bring visibility to <a href="https://www.southerncultures.org/article/rooted/">Black experiences</a> that have been marginalized or forgotten. </p>
<p>An important example of restorative mapping work comes from the <a href="https://www.honeypotperformance.org">Honey Pot Performance, a collective</a> of Black feminists who helped create the <a href="https://www.honeypotperformance.org/about-the-cbscm">Chicago Black Social Culture Map, or the CBSCM</a>. This digital map traces Black Chicagoans’ experiences from <a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration">the Great Migration</a> to the rise of electronic <a href="https://www.thedjrevolution.com/the-history-of-electronic-dance-music/#:%7E:text=The%20early%20forms%20of%20house%20music%20began%20in%20the%20early,with%20drum%20machines%20and%20synthesizers">dance music in the city</a>. The map includes historical records and music posters as well as descriptions of important people and venues for that music. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573191/original/file-20240203-29-y8l8ww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Five Black young men, dressed in suits, sit atop a white car with an Illinois number plate." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573191/original/file-20240203-29-y8l8ww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573191/original/file-20240203-29-y8l8ww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573191/original/file-20240203-29-y8l8ww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573191/original/file-20240203-29-y8l8ww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573191/original/file-20240203-29-y8l8ww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573191/original/file-20240203-29-y8l8ww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573191/original/file-20240203-29-y8l8ww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Millions of African Americans migrated from the Deep South to the industrial North between 1942 and 1970. In this photo, Black youngsters are dressed for Easter on the South Side of Chicago, April 13, 1941.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/TheGreatMigration/60132bf19f434519b6071ff3bb526a65/photo?Query=black%20history%20month%20chicago%20history%20music&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=817&digitizationType=Digitized&currentItemNo=14&vs=true&vs=true">AP Photo/Library of Congress/FSA/Russell Lee</a></span>
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<p>While engaging Black Americans in the effort, the CBSCM map tells the story of Chicago through a series of artistic movements that highlight African Americans’ <a href="https://www.chicago.gov/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/Chicago_Black_Renaissance_Literary_Movement_Report.pdf">connection with the city</a>.</p>
<p>After years of gentrification and urban renewal programs that displaced Black people <a href="https://www.beyondthewhitecity.org/urban-renewal-and-bronzeville">from the city</a>, this project is helping remember those neighborhoods digitally. It is also inviting a broader discussion about the history of Black Chicago. </p>
<h2>Restoring a sense of place</h2>
<p>An important idea behind restorative mapping is the act of returning something to a former owner or condition. This connects with the broader <a href="https://bjatta.bja.ojp.gov/media/blog/what-restorative-justice-and-how-does-it-impact-individuals-involved-crime">restorative justice</a> movement that seeks to address historic wrongs by documenting past and present injustices through perspectives that are often ignored or forgotten.</p>
<p>The CBSCM map is not a conventional paper map. While it includes many things you would find in such a map, such as road networks and political boundaries, the map also includes links to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.12679">fiction writing</a> and <a href="https://www.chicago.gov/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/Lorraine_Hansberry_House_Landmark_Report.pdf">the Chicago Renaissance</a>, <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520292833/chocolate-cities">art and music</a>, as well as expressions of <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41279638">food</a>, family life, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2020.1784113">education</a> and politics that document a hidden history of Black life in the city. The map <a href="https://cbscmap.omeka.net/geolocation/map/browse">provides links to specific </a> historic documents, socially meaningful sites, and to the lives of people that tell the story of Black Chicago. </p>
<p>Thus, the map helps highlight how this geography is still present in Chicago in archives and people’s memories. Through this digital representation of Black Chicagoans’ deep cultural roots in the city, the mapping aims to restore a sense of place. Such work embodies what Black History Month is about.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221299/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Black activists have long used maps to help illustrate their communities’ history and to document historical injustices.Joshua F.J. Inwood, Professor of Geography and Senior Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute, Penn StateDerek H. Alderman, Professor of Geography, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1524322021-01-04T19:54:51Z2021-01-04T19:54:51ZReady to try an old approach to a New Year’s resolution? The story of Saint Ignatius may provide some guidance<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376574/original/file-20201223-13-16fzzlv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=33%2C11%2C3466%2C2399&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Saint Ignatius of Loyola with Pope Paul III.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/saint-ignatius-loyola-founder-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-news-photo/56215184?adppopup=true">Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Making and breaking New Year’s resolutions is a familiar and discouraging annual ritual for many people. </p>
<p>Almost inevitably, in a few short weeks, many find they are unable to meet their goals of self-improvement, be it keeping a positive attitude, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/7-health-wellness-pros-share-new-year-s-resolutions-they-ncna1107711">improving one’s health</a> or <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/12/new-years-resolutions-will-make-you-happier/617439/">looking for the best in people</a>. Some might even feel diminished as a result of this failure.</p>
<p>The problem, as I see it, is that most people set out with their resolutions often without identifying a practical path for the journey. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://regiscollege.ca/faculty-and-staff-directory/faculty-profiles-gordonrixonsj/">scholar of systematic theology</a>, I believe that <a href="https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-voices/st-ignatius-loyola/">Saint Ignatius of Loyola</a>, a 16th-century Spanish courtier, provides insightful guidance. He managed to reverse his life’s direction to pursue a spiritual path.</p>
<h2>Who was Ignatius?</h2>
<p>Born in 1491, Iñigo, later known as <a href="https://www.luc.edu/mission/archivedjesuitpages/jesuitcommunityatloyolauniversitychicago/biographyofstignatiusloyola/">Ignatius</a>, was the youngest son of a minor noble family in the Basque region of Spain who left home at the age of 18 to win his place at the royal court.</p>
<p>Over a decade later, as he lay confined to bed recuperating from injuries suffered in the <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ignatius-of-loyola-dies">Battle of Pamplona</a> against the French, he daydreamed about potential future exploits at court or service to God and humanity.</p>
<p>It was at that time that he started to notice the subtle development of his feelings. When he dreamed about courtly heroism he later felt depleted, but when he reflected about serving God he felt a deep, lasting and energizing peace. </p>
<p>Reflection about his growing self-awareness led him to make a <a href="https://ignatiancamino.com/ignatius-of-loyola/inigos-conversion/">radical change</a> in the direction of his life. He chose to put aside his quest for glory to serve God and creation, especially his fellow humans, whether friends or strangers.</p>
<p>He met a group of university students who became his companions. In 1540, they together founded the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the <a href="https://www.jesuits.org/">Jesuits</a>, a community of priests and brothers that became known throughout the world for <a href="https://www.jesuits.global/#">spiritual development</a>, <a href="http://www.sjweb.info/education/">preparatory</a> and <a href="https://iaju.org/">university</a> education and <a href="https://www.jesuits.org/our-work/justice-and-ecology/">justice advocacy</a>. </p>
<h2>Challenges before Ignatius</h2>
<p>This path was not smooth for Ignatius. In the course of his work, he suffered many setbacks, such as suspicion and rejection by church authorities, but he came to a better understanding of himself and his path through those challenges.</p>
<p>As Ignatius narrates in an <a href="https://jesuitsources.bc.edu/a-pilgrims-testament-the-memoirs-of-saint-ignatius-of-loyola-new-edition/">account of his life</a>, which he related just before his death to a fellow Jesuit, the key is not to become suddenly perfect but to learn how to walk patiently and deliberately to grow in love and service despite imperfection.</p>
<p>Ignatius relates his self-driven determination to preach to pilgrims in Jerusalem. His intention, however, was not well received by church authorities, who thought he was poorly prepared. This rejection led him to further his education and become more flexible about how he understood his role in serving God.</p>
<p>He writes about how he was easily provoked to self-righteous anger. Once he took offense when a fellow traveler made an insulting comment about the Virgin Mary. Only the <a href="https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatius-and-the-donkey/">stubborn donkey he was riding</a> saved him from pursuing the other traveler and acting on a murderous rage. </p>
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<p>In the sharing of his story, Ignatius does not want his biography to become the center of attention. He provides an example of moving beyond the isolated facts of his life journey to reflect about their interconnected meaning and a way of looking beyond. </p>
<p>As the scholar of renaissance rhetoric <a href="http://www.religion-online.org/author/margaret-orourke-boyle/">Marjorie O'Rourke Boyle</a> suggests, Ignatius is using the story about himself to <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520320895/loyolas-acts">redirect his readers’ attention to God and a higher purpose</a>. Unflinching about relating his own faults, Ignatius encourages individuals to reflect on their desires, resources and vulnerabilities as a way to grow.</p>
<h2>Practical guidance from Ignatius</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377031/original/file-20210104-23-1jnsvzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Cave of Saint Ignatius" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377031/original/file-20210104-23-1jnsvzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377031/original/file-20210104-23-1jnsvzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377031/original/file-20210104-23-1jnsvzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377031/original/file-20210104-23-1jnsvzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377031/original/file-20210104-23-1jnsvzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377031/original/file-20210104-23-1jnsvzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377031/original/file-20210104-23-1jnsvzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The cave in Manresa, Spain where Saint Ignatius is said to have prayed from March 1522 to February 1523 and wrote his spiritual exercises.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/12/new-years-resolutions-will-make-you-happier/617439/">Christian Ender / Contributor/Getty Images News</a></span>
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<p>In the “<a href="https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises/">Spiritual Exercises</a>,” his manual for prayer guides, Ignatius suggests a five-step daily process, known as the “<a href="https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/">Examen</a>,” as a way to tell and retell life-transforming stories. These, I believe, are practical recommendations that could help people realize their resolutions in the New Year.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Start with a realistic, accurate and encouraging assessment of your current situation. Ignatius would always begin his moments of reflective self-assessment by reaffirming his gratitude for life and opportunities to serve in a <a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html">project larger than himself</a>. Acknowledge strengths, vulnerabilities, positive and negative feelings, and areas of encouragement and discouragement as gifts. </p></li>
<li><p>Be open to the light of a larger perspective. Call upon the assistance of a higher power to reveal the big picture that holds together the pieces of the journey through the day. Expect to be surprised by new insights.</p></li>
<li><p>Focus on the events of today. Create a story that links the episodes of the day and your goals together. Ignatius would move beyond just listing strengths, weakness and feelings to discover how they advanced or impeded <a href="https://store.loyolapress.com/experiencing-god-in-the-ordinary">his goal to serve God and others</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Identify the moments of darkness and discouragement that resist being drawn into your story. Ask what episodes disrupt your understanding of yourself and the world. Find new perspective by deepening your commitment to a higher purpose.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Much like the beliefs in other religions, Ignatius turns to his faith to find a new perspective during difficult moments. Christianity and other <a href="https://www.orbisbooks.com/christianity-and-the-religions.html">religious traditions</a> such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism help find purpose in a compassionate and merciful love that inspires and guides day-to-day actions, each in their own way.</p>
<p>As a Christian, Ignatius looked especially to the example of compassionate self-sacrifice in Jesus’ death on the Cross to hold difficult moments in a higher faith perspective. By committing to accept the cost of positive action in the face of his own failings or opposition by others, Ignatius was able to move through obstacles and find encouragement and strength to <a href="https://store.loyolapress.com/ignatian-workout-daily-spiritual-exercises">advance his story</a>.</p>
<p>Finally, reflect on how your story offers direction and energy to move forward to the next day. By incorporating discouraging moments into the flow of a larger story, Ignatius learned how to move beyond the <a href="https://orthodoxyindialogue.com/2018/08/19/the-scandal-of-sexual-abuse-a-moment-of-radical-conversion-for-the-church-by-gilles-mongeau-sj/">shame and confusion</a> caused by failure and misdeeds to a healthy sense of sorrow. It helped Ignatius find a higher purpose.</p>
<p>Like Ignatius, many of us may need to revise our resolutions and reflect on how we may proceed, even when we feel discouraged. </p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gordon Rixon, S.J. is a member of the Society of Jesus. </span></em></p>For many, New Year’s resolutions do not last more than a few days or weeks. A theologian writes how we can learn from the challenges and reflections of Saint Ignatius.Gordon Rixon, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Regis College, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1266732020-04-28T20:33:15Z2020-04-28T20:33:15ZA failure to say hello: how Captain Cook blundered his first impression with Indigenous people<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330591/original/file-20200427-145503-xqinw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=523%2C94%2C3433%2C3084&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Crosling/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Captain James Cook arrived in the Pacific 250 years ago, triggering British colonisation of the region. We’re asking researchers to reflect on what happened and how it shapes us today. You can see other stories in the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/cook250-78244">here</a> and an interactive <a href="https://cook250.netlify.app/">here</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people.</em></p>
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<p>In 1970, the bicentenary of the Endeavour’s voyage along the east coast of Australia contributed to a renaissance of storytelling about Captain James Cook. </p>
<p>While <a href="https://theconversation.com/re-enactments-of-cooks-landing-in-australia-fantasies-of-founding-the-nation-126751">government-sponsored commemorations</a> celebrated Cook as an Enlightenment explorer and national founder, Aboriginal people provided their own viewpoints on Cook and his legacy.</p>
<p>During this commemorative period, Indigenous stories about Cook were recorded in the Kimberley region, Arnhem Land and the Wave Hill region in the Northern Territory, along with places on the Queensland coast.</p>
<p>Coinciding with an emerging national movement for Indigenous land rights, these renditions of Cook provided radically different accounts of colonisation and its enduring structures and effects. </p>
<p>These stories questioned the settler mythologising that rendered Cook’s actions as heroic, benign or of historical interest only. And they politicised in unprecedented ways the figure of Cook and the longstanding traditions around the ways Australians remember and celebrate him.</p>
<p>In time, these alternative accounts transformed the ways we understand Cook in Australia – both his own time here in 1770, as well as the cultural production of him as a historical figure in the 19th and 20th centuries.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311302/original/file-20200122-117933-1vslnca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311302/original/file-20200122-117933-1vslnca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311302/original/file-20200122-117933-1vslnca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311302/original/file-20200122-117933-1vslnca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311302/original/file-20200122-117933-1vslnca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311302/original/file-20200122-117933-1vslnca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311302/original/file-20200122-117933-1vslnca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Captain Cook’s Landing Place Park.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Beach_(Kurnell)#/media/File:Captain_Cooks_Landing_Place_Park_-_panoramio_(4).jpg">Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The stories told by Hobbles Danaiyarri</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311266/original/file-20200122-117958-rijj2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311266/original/file-20200122-117958-rijj2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311266/original/file-20200122-117958-rijj2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311266/original/file-20200122-117958-rijj2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311266/original/file-20200122-117958-rijj2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311266/original/file-20200122-117958-rijj2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311266/original/file-20200122-117958-rijj2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Deborah Bird Rose.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Bird_Rose#/media/File:Deborah_Bird_Rose.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I began thinking quite differently about <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/au/academic/subjects/history/australian-history/captain-cook-was-here?format=HB&isbn=9780521762403">my own research on Cook’s encounters at Botany Bay in 1770</a> after reading the stories told by <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/danayarri-hobbles-12397">Hobbles Danaiyarri</a>, a senior Aboriginal lawman and knowledge holder, to the ethnographer <a href="http://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders/biogs/WLE0591b.htm">Deborah Bird Rose</a>.</p>
<p>Danaiyarri considered Bird Rose a consummate listener, faithful recorder, intelligent interlocutor, incisive interpreter and generous executor. And as Bird Rose later recounted, almost from the moment she arrived to do anthropological fieldwork at Yarralin in the Northern Territory in 1980, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Hobbles had been telling me about Captain Cook and the hidden history of the north. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>For nearly three decades, she wrote about the gifts of knowledge – and ways of knowing – he shared with her. Danaiyarri’s spoken-word poetic history – which focused quite extensively on Cook – is one of the great pieces of Australian literature, yet it is still not as widely known as it should be.</p>
<h2>The power of a greeting</h2>
<p>There’s one section in Danaiyarri’s epic narrative – or saga, as Bird Rose calls it – in which he describes Cook’s failure to say “hello” to the people whose territory he had entered on the east coast. He explains:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[Cook] should have asked him – one of these boss for Sydney – Aboriginal people. People were up there, Aboriginal people. He should have come up and: ‘hello’, you know, ‘hello’. Now, asking him for his place, to come through, because [it’s] Aboriginal land. Because Captain Cook didn’t give him a fair go – to tell him ‘good day’, or ‘hello’, you know.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316966/original/file-20200224-24664-ttzgal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316966/original/file-20200224-24664-ttzgal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316966/original/file-20200224-24664-ttzgal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316966/original/file-20200224-24664-ttzgal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316966/original/file-20200224-24664-ttzgal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316966/original/file-20200224-24664-ttzgal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316966/original/file-20200224-24664-ttzgal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Portrait of Hobbles Danayarri 1980, from the book Balls and Bulldust.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Håkan Ludwigson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This sharp accusation that Cook’s monumental failing during his initial trespass into Aboriginal territory was “not saying hello” – rather than, for instance, opening fire – draws attention to the social and cultural expectations, values and dynamics that should have governed such an event. </p>
<p>Danaiyarri’s account peeled back the curtain to show us how this first encounter might have looked from “the other side of the beach”.</p>
<p>Until this time, such critical Indigenous knowledge had not penetrated the vast amount of settler storytelling devoted to Cook’s first landing on the shores of Botany Bay. </p>
<p>The stories we inherited of this episode had cast the Aboriginal people Cook encountered as either ferocious warriors or pathetic cowards. They were not properly seen as bosses for the country, who would expect a stranger to recognise them in that way and act accordingly. </p>
<p>Without acknowledgement of that fundamental principle, our interpretations of Cook’s landing were lacking a full understanding of this moment, specifically what motivated the local people’s responses to his forceful entry onto their land.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/captain-cook-wanted-to-introduce-british-justice-to-indigenous-people-instead-he-became-increasingly-cruel-and-violent-127025">Captain Cook wanted to introduce British justice to Indigenous people. Instead, he became increasingly cruel and violent</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Responding to the crew’s presence</h2>
<p>What does it mean to accuse Cook of failing to say hello? Why was this such a blunder and what were the implications of this impolite behaviour? </p>
<p>Curious about the implications of what Danaiyarri said, Bird Rose asked Yarralin people what would have happened if Cook had asked properly to enter the local people’s land. She explained,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I was told that either he would have been denied permission and therefore would have gone way, or he would have been allowed to stay but only on terms decided by the owners of the country.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Cook was in Botany Bay for eight days, and throughout that time, the local people sought to impose the terms on which the crew stayed. </p>
<p>They kept their distance from the strangers and never opened up direct communication with them. But they also did not abandon the country to Cook’s crew. Rather, they orchestrated as best they could the crew’s presence – keeping them contained within a limited space. </p>
<p>They behaved, as Danaiyarri would put it, as bosses should.</p>
<h2>Understanding why the ‘beach’ is so important</h2>
<p>One of the <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/honouring-captain-james-cooks-voyage">marketing slogans</a> for this year’s (now <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/captain-cook-250th-anniversary-voyage-suspended-due-to-coronavirus">suspended</a>) 250th anniversary of Cook’s voyage along the east coast was </p>
<blockquote>
<p>the view from the ship and the view from the shore. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>While it implies equal weighting would be given to understanding both sides of the story of Cook’s landing, it’s a wrong-headed idea. It suggests each party remained – and can remain still - suspended in their own separate worlds: on the ship or on the shore. </p>
<p>Missing from the tagline is the “beach” - the literal and metaphorical space where cross-cultural encounters, misunderstandings and, too often, violence has taken place.</p>
<p>As Danaiyarri reminds us, Cook did come ashore and the way he did set some of the terms for future colonial-Indigenous relations. </p>
<p>These encounters are challenging and complex to understand. Aboriginal stories, like those told by Danaiyarri, tell us what ought to have happened on the beach. And they ensure none of us forget where, how and why the troubles between Indigenous and other Australians began.</p>
<p>This year’s 250th commemoration provides yet another occasion to grapple with this difficult history – but the opportunity will be lost if we remain blinkered in seeing things only from one, or other, vantage point.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311300/original/file-20200122-117962-19ixlcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311300/original/file-20200122-117962-19ixlcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311300/original/file-20200122-117962-19ixlcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311300/original/file-20200122-117962-19ixlcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311300/original/file-20200122-117962-19ixlcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311300/original/file-20200122-117962-19ixlcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311300/original/file-20200122-117962-19ixlcz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Captain Cook’s Landing Place Park.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Beach_(Kurnell)#/media/File:Captain_Cooks_Landing_Place_Park_-_panoramio_(2).jpg">Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126673/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maria Nugent receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Indigenous story-telling of Cook’s landing has transformed the way we understand his legacy in Australia. And the way he came ashore set some of the terms for future colonial-Indigenous relations.Maria Nugent, Co-Director, Australian Centre for Indigenous History, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/611942016-07-29T09:32:25Z2016-07-29T09:32:25ZHelp your children play out a story and watch them become more creative<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132360/original/image-20160728-12106-1t6oyv7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children express creativity through 'pretend play.'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=ir69fve71adqay18b55&searchterm=children%20playing&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=257709388">Children image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Just about every institution these days is looking for <a href="http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/getting-down-to-the-business-of-creativity">creative individuals</a>. Adults who can innovate in high-quality ways and <a href="http://www.fpspi.org/pdf/innovcreativity.pdf">contribute</a> to the progress of science, engineering and the arts. </p>
<p>Creative expressions start from an early age. Children express creativity through <a href="http://store.elsevier.com/Encyclopedia-of-Creativity/isbn-9780123750389/">“pretend play”</a> – an activity that involves using imagination and make-believe. They make up stories and ideas “from scratch” and use props like blocks or sticks to represent different ideas and objects – for example, a block becomes a telephone or monster. </p>
<p>The question is, does playing in such a way help children become more creative? And importantly, can parents and educators use play to boost creativity?</p>
<h2>Measuring creative play</h2>
<p>In order to study the link between pretend play and creativity, first we need to be able to measure pretend play.</p>
<p>So, in 1990, my research program developed a measure of pretend play. This program uses a scale, the “Affect in Play Scale,” that measures imagination and “emotional expression” in pretend play stories. </p>
<p>Emotional expression is a term used to convey, for example, when a child pretends that a puppet is having fun while going down a pretend slide. Or when a child pretends that a doll is scared while running from a monster. Children express a wide range of emotions in that way – happiness, fear, sadness, anger, affection or even frustration. </p>
<p>The children we work with are mostly between six and 10 years of age. We videotape them – when they are playing individually with puppets and blocks – for five minutes. We then score their play for imagination, quality of the story and amount of emotion expressed in the narrative. When working with preschool children – between four and five years – we modify the program to provide more toys and more instructions. </p>
<h2>Play and creativity</h2>
<p>Our research shows that the amount and quality of imagination, story-telling skills and emotion expression that children show in pretend play is associated with creative thinking abilities. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132367/original/image-20160728-12084-kiv077.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132367/original/image-20160728-12084-kiv077.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132367/original/image-20160728-12084-kiv077.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132367/original/image-20160728-12084-kiv077.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132367/original/image-20160728-12084-kiv077.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132367/original/image-20160728-12084-kiv077.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132367/original/image-20160728-12084-kiv077.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children with better story-telling abilities are better creative thinkers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=ir69fve71adqay18b55&searchterm=children%20playing&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=245686051">Child image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Children who demonstrate better story-telling abilities in pretend play also show <a href="http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ858318">better “divergent thinking.”</a> What this means is that when children are asked to think of different uses for many different objects, such as a button or a newspaper, they are able to come up with multiple uses for each. </p>
<p>Our research has shown that <a href="http://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1803_9">children who showed more imagination and emotion in their play</a> are, in general, better <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=2011-28759-001">divergent thinkers</a>. Divergent thinking is <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2162-6057.2008.tb01290.x/abstract">associated with higher creative thinking</a> abilities. </p>
<p>Not only that, when children show creativity in pretend play, it is highly likely they are creative in other ways as well. For example, when we went back to the same children four years later, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15326934crj1202_5">we found</a> those children had overall superior creative abilities. </p>
<p>Usually, none of these associations is <a href="http://www.ncgs.org/Pdfs/Resources/Wallace_and_Russ_2015.pdf">linked with intelligence</a>. Existing intelligence tests cannot measure the ability to engage in pretend play.</p>
<h2>Running an intervention</h2>
<p>So, then the next question is, can we increase pretend play skills that, in turn, increase performance on creativity and other important tasks in child development?</p>
<p>A small body of research has found that when adults played with children in a way that could help with the pretend play, even for a brief time, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10400410802391892">it increased children’s imagination</a> <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/aca/10/1/114/">and creativity</a>.</p>
<p>Theoretically, engaging in pretend play involves practice with abilities important in creative production such as making up a story from scratch, generating many and different ideas, recombining ideas into new combinations, expressing and recombining memories with emotional content, and problem-solving in new ways. </p>
<p>Research on children with <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25241008">developmental disabilities</a> has shown how interventions can help increase imagination. For example, in a study with children on the <a href="http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd/index.shtml">autism spectrum</a> (problems relating, imagining and expressing emotion) and children with <a href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/prader-willi-syndrome">Prader-Willi Syndrome</a> (developmentally delayed with a strong focus on food), the support of an adult play partner increased imagination in play.</p>
<h2>What studies show</h2>
<p>We observed similar results in my research with normally developing children as well. In 2003 and 2004, <a href="http://doi.org/10.1080/10400410802391892">we carried out a pilot study</a> with first- and second-grade children in a high-poverty neighborhood inner-city school. </p>
<p>Facilitated by an adult, children played with a variety of toys and made up stories with different content themes in five 20-30 minute sessions. They could make up a story about a boy going to the zoo, going to the moon, feeling sad because he lost his dog or feeling happy at a birthday party. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132359/original/image-20160728-12125-114a9iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132359/original/image-20160728-12125-114a9iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132359/original/image-20160728-12125-114a9iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132359/original/image-20160728-12125-114a9iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132359/original/image-20160728-12125-114a9iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132359/original/image-20160728-12125-114a9iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132359/original/image-20160728-12125-114a9iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What changes when adults help children with their story-telling skills?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=ir69fve71adqay18b55&searchterm=children%20playing&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=341832026">Child image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The adult played with the child and showed the child how to pretend. For example, the adult would say that the Lego could be a milk bottle, or that the red block could be a fire engine. The adult would suggest what could happen next in the story.</p>
<p>The adult modeled different expression of feelings, praised the children, encouraged different endings and prompted with questions. </p>
<p>Each child received the same story beginning and had the same interactions with the adult. But the intervention also had enough flexibility so adults could tailor their involvement to the individual child’s level of play skills.</p>
<p>We had a control group as well, where an adult was involved in helping children only with coloring and puzzles. There was no imaginative play in the control group.</p>
<h2>Boost in creativity</h2>
<p>After five weeks of the play and control sessions, the children were assessed again. Children in the play groups increased their play skills and also increased creativity and coping skills when compared to the control group. It was important to make sure that children had fun at the play sessions.</p>
<p><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/aca/10/1/114/">Two additional studies</a> with this play intervention at a private girls’ school showed similar boost in creativity. </p>
<p>Children five to eight years of age were studied in groups of four. The prompts by adults were similar to the individual play session. The play facilitators were careful to stress turn-taking in developing the stories, so that one child would not dominate the play. </p>
<p>Children were tested before and after the intervention. </p>
<p>Children in the play group made up stories and played with toys. The control group played with crafts and puzzles. After six weeks, children in the play group were found to have better imagination. What is interesting is that <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/aca/10/1/114/">creativity increased</a> on a “divergent thinking” task for children who had lower than average imagination in play when pretested.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132369/original/image-20160728-12087-1u4n2id.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132369/original/image-20160728-12087-1u4n2id.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132369/original/image-20160728-12087-1u4n2id.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132369/original/image-20160728-12087-1u4n2id.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132369/original/image-20160728-12087-1u4n2id.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132369/original/image-20160728-12087-1u4n2id.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132369/original/image-20160728-12087-1u4n2id.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Adult intervention can help boost creativity in children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=&search_tracking_id=7Ha5rTbJefkmZAaNIYzS-A&searchterm=children%20creative&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=149774933">Child image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This study is important because it demonstrated that a small group of children (four per group) who met weekly for six weeks, in a school setting, became more imaginative. And even children who were initially low in imagination in play improved on a creativity measure, compared to a control group.</p>
<p>The implication for school settings is that creativity can be enhanced in the classroom with group play that can be easily carried out.</p>
<h2>What parents/teachers can do</h2>
<p>These studies hold promise as they demonstrate that a brief play intervention can help children increase imagination and creativity through play. This intervention is easy to carry out and could be used in school settings by teacher aides or volunteers. </p>
<p>A large-scale study is needed to refine the intervention and gather information about how and which children can best benefit.</p>
<p>In my view, from what we currently know, parents and teachers can help children improve their creativity by playing with the child, enjoying play, demonstrating pretend and starting a story. </p>
<p>So the next time you are set to spend time with young children, come up with the beginning of a story and then let the children do as much as they can. When they get stuck, or get repetitive, engage with them and suggest what can happen next. Most important – have fun.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61194/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sandra Russ does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Summer can likely be full of activities that you do with your child. Here’s what research shows on how to boost your child’s creativity.Sandra Russ, Distinguished University Professor and Louis D. Beaumont University Professor, Case Western Reserve UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/521342015-12-18T11:05:31Z2015-12-18T11:05:31ZWhat stories should you be telling kids this holiday season?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106514/original/image-20151217-8065-1pxv0wc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Why do we tell stories?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/3982067599/in/photolist-74T8XV-9hggbJ-2xZEWp-iWbod-8KNCte-9VVXjZ-bh1ZCV-ocBtah-4WFUDx-5ZU9T8-rfxAk4-9hEM7d-hzXLSc-q8Y8P-uV5V6U-o7vE7P-7q3PXY-6FsRmT-8fy57p-bnFsUH-bnFQKg-hXQuNS-zwo1Ti-jdWYVq-9jH7ih-7koAyk-6cHTqz-pL6rhP-fabNw2-7SFBeD-7MAQXH-4MuFyG-dP9hce-zdPBjF-egdpx2-bnGh24-aiu2Qs-6XAoRs-iHs8yE-f9eGYo-oZjReP-a644B1-HM8kv-pUdgPZ-9VW2PP-9VYLNQ-6ahS2Y-mQ1Bkp-dSd9EU-9VW5ai">PROsean dreilinger</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/111/39/14027.full.pdf">every culture</a> that anthropologists have ever studied, people tell stories.</p>
<p>Families most frequently tell stories around the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-p-duke/prime-time-for-families_b_781229.html">time of vacations</a>, family reunions, (sadly) funerals, Thanksgiving and, of course, the family-oriented winter holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. </p>
<p>Stories are told about times past, times present and even times yet to be. These stories mix real people and places with imaginary people and places. For instance, there was never anyone called Sherlock Holmes, but the town he lived in – London – is real. The street he lived on – Baker Street – is also real. But there is no 221B – his house number in the story.</p>
<p>So, why do we tell these stories?</p>
<p>For more than two decades, my colleague, Robyn Fivush, and I have been studying the importance of family stories at Emory University’s Family Narratives Project, which conducts research on how people remember and narrate the events of their lives. And we have found that the more children know about their own family history, the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22122420">healthier</a> and more resilient they are. </p>
<p>There are a variety of forms that family stories take. It has been our experience that the so-called “bad stories” – in which bad things happen to good people – do more to immunize children and build resilience than happy ones. </p>
<h2>What stories do families tell?</h2>
<p>Most families have stories that parallel the <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-seven-basic-plots-9780826480378/">Seven Basic Plots</a> proposed by journalist Christopher Booker. </p>
<p>Briefly, these plots are: the Quest (think Lord of the Rings), Voyage and Return (Ulysses), Rags to Riches (Cinderella), Tragedy (King Lear), Comedy (Will Ferrell movie), Rebirth (The Ugly duckling, Shrek), and Overcoming the Monster (Star Wars’ Darth Vader).</p>
<p>Generally, all of the family story plots contribute to a sense of history and resilience in families. But when dealing with difficult times, families tell the “voyage and return” and “overcoming the monster” stories.</p>
<p>Our interviews with professionals working on rehabilitation, patients and patients’ families show that the narrative plot – “voyage and return” – is arguably <a href="https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/journalofhumanitiesinrehabilitation/2015/07/08/a-voyage-homeward-fiction-and-family-storiesresilience-and-rehabilitation/">the form most commonly</a> taken by family stories to talk about illnesses and recovery. </p>
<p>For instance, many families use “journey” metaphors when talking about illnesses. One family we interviewed, for example, saw the emergency room, the hospital, the rehabilitation center and the outpatient treatment center as “stations” (ports) along the way back home. </p>
<p>Another family talked about how long the “trip” had been from injury to recovery. This plot line works because it is so easily understood by people of all ages. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106520/original/image-20151217-8071-abgylt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106520/original/image-20151217-8071-abgylt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106520/original/image-20151217-8071-abgylt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106520/original/image-20151217-8071-abgylt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106520/original/image-20151217-8071-abgylt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106520/original/image-20151217-8071-abgylt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106520/original/image-20151217-8071-abgylt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What plot lines do families use in times of adversity?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/theloushe/3989064368/in/photolist-75uZRS-7wiqf7-a8ik7Z-3bf6v-7B1mni-4s5Bji-7GUDjZ-kubHxz-5q7NPN-61T9Mr-aGBAiZ-d7TrX7-dUhkJU-cYzbbY-hD5a6-a8ikvp-ddFUm2-4uhvqt-4umyGA-dpv7M6-dpv7JR-dpv7NH-38VB2k-9RUyG3-kudGy5-kudWFd-kua71c-8kjcKG-6fomdy-ku9F7B-kubTmF-kucUP8-kueaTA-kubpxB-kubWwv-uKSces-uMJ4UC-uvJGic-uKSdp3-uNroJt-tRb9Dh-uvJJEX-uvAXXy-uvASpb-uNrpzB-uNbPBi-uvAW7Q-tRbauf-tRkSaV-tRbaKL">Jessica Lucia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Such “voyage and return” stories provide hope in times of present and future illnesses. They teach that, with time and care, people who have “traveled” into a far-off land of infirmity can and do return. </p>
<p>Based on my four decades of experience as a licensed clinical psychologist and on the hundreds of interviews we did at the Family Narratives Project over an 10-year period, it’s my belief that knowing such stories helps people get through their own illnesses and those of their loved ones. </p>
<p>Voyage and return is just one of the seven basic plots that we have found in family stories. An illness or injury from which someone does not recover becomes a “Tragedy story.” Very often, comedic details are added to even the most trying of narratives. </p>
<p>Generally, it’s been our experience that stories are recounted on an “as needed” basis. And stories may have more than one type of plot. So, if a child is having trouble in math, a grandparent might tell the child about how the same thing happened to the child’s mom or dad and how he or she overcame the challenge. </p>
<h2>Overcoming the monster</h2>
<p>While not entirely separate from the “voyage and return” story, another of the seven basic family story plots that our research shows is important for children to hear is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-p-duke/the-seven-basic-stories-f_b_6951714.html">“overcoming the monster”</a>. </p>
<p>These stories describe how people in the family dealt with hardships, traumatic events or unpredictable challenges. Often, grandparents would describe overcoming the financial challenges of economic downturns, or parents would describe being bullied as children. </p>
<p>There could be other stories about relatives or friends who experienced horrific events, resulting in injuries or even deaths of loved ones – all of these could be considered stories about overcoming some sort of “monster.” </p>
<p>The power of such stories rests in their being told long after they have been resolved and the tellers and listeners are safe or have successfully coped with their challenges. These stories <a href="http://www.njfamily.com/NJ-Family/November-2013/Raising-Resilient-Kids/">teach resilience</a>.</p>
<p>They teach that ordinary people can rise to heroic levels if they are called upon to do so. They teach us that no matter how scary the “monster” or how intimidated we are, we can prevail.</p>
<h2>What stories should we tell?</h2>
<p>Does this mean we should tell only positive stories?</p>
<p>Many parent groups that I have spoken with fear telling their children so-called “bad stories” in which bad things happen to good people. </p>
<p>However, it has been our experience that bad stories do more to immunize children and build resilience than happy ones. We have theorized that this is because hearing about overcoming bad things tells children that they are part of a family that “rises above” and faces problems squarely. </p>
<p>When similar challenges then face the children themselves, they have role models to turn to. </p>
<p>To be sure, both good and bad plots are necessary in the set of stories that children know about their families. It helps kids the kids to know that people they are related to are strong enough to have overcome “monsters” in the past.</p>
<p>This helps them realize that when they come upon their own “monsters,” they will be able to overcome them as well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/52134/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marshall Duke received funding from the Sloan Foundation. The funding period has ended.</span></em></p>Want to build resilience in children? Tell them family stories of courage.Marshall Duke, Professor of Psychology, Emory UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/516462015-12-04T11:10:17Z2015-12-04T11:10:17ZHere’s how screen time is changing the way kids tell stories<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104316/original/image-20151203-22452-671u3o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How much screen time should kids get?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ticoneva/5581238453/in/photolist-9vciKc-czxg1y-cNCt2f-cEdiHw-9vfjhG-d8xR6q-cFoHN1-cFizYW-8HHKcW-8h3VKq-oHHVrV-9vfjn3-psg5Zp-dGhh3n-9vfjpb-9vciQ4-b9wfxp-pPqUYq-oaR3RE-rNwbmw-rwtr7X-ryff9m-rwubKt-b9wcMV-b9wY7D-b9wzna-adf5Rs-b9wzc2-b9wCVn-b9ws7r-b9wdHv-b9wofn-b9wWhM-b9woPx-b9wrUg-b9wA7n-b9wBVF-b9wzyB-b9wXWn-b9wTRZ-b9wbFz-b9w7TH-b9wBHa-b9wKde-b9wYic-b9wXAc-b9wAhT-b9waAB-b9wCJD-b9wejM">Yan Chi Vinci Chow</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Recently, at a child’s birthday party, I overheard a conversation between parents discussing their concern about “screen time.” </p>
<p>Phones, computers, iPads and the good old television are all around us. And this can be a source of anxiety for parents, caregivers and teachers. A recent <a href="https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx">report</a> from the <a href="https://www.aap.org/en-us/Pages/Default.aspx">American Academy of Pediatrics</a> suggests the amount of time young children spend viewing television and movies and playing on handheld devices is increasing. </p>
<p>As an early childhood media researcher, an early childhood teacher educator and a parent, I understand these concerns. But, I believe, it is equally important that we consider how children are learning from the time spent in front of the screen. </p>
<p>My research shows that children are creating complex oral stories through the characters they see on screen.</p>
<h2>Educational opportunities in “screen time”</h2>
<p>A number of <a href="http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/books/details/9780805839364/">studies</a> show how viewing television and other media can contribute to children’s learning. Children have been known to improve their math and literacy skills from watching “educational” shows such as Sesame Street. </p>
<p>When children watch educational programs and interact with apps that promote learning, they make gains in literacy, numeracy and vocabulary. A <a href="http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201205/McManis_YC0512.pdf">recent article</a> in Young Children, a publication of the <a href="http://www.naeyc.org/">National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)</a> (a nonprofit organization that works to promote early learning), shows how children can gain several skills through experience with computers and handheld devices. </p>
<p>These devices can facilitate better language and literacy outcomes, such as letter recognition, listening, comprehension and vocabulary. When children play games that link letter sounds to written letters, it can increase their ability to hear and identify individual sounds – skills children need in order to read.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104318/original/image-20151203-21427-144dprq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104318/original/image-20151203-21427-144dprq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104318/original/image-20151203-21427-144dprq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104318/original/image-20151203-21427-144dprq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104318/original/image-20151203-21427-144dprq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104318/original/image-20151203-21427-144dprq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104318/original/image-20151203-21427-144dprq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How are children interpreting television show characters?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/208917634/in/photolist-jsKWb-8wTXNJ-iHbn7m-8vw4mN-8vsCQR-8vwHnS-8vugpH-8uYX9q-aPFrM4-dUBkDB-8vvoaR-8vv6gX-8wQWZn-8wTXJy-dEQpbD-8w36Fd-8vsUSp-8vsJTt-8vupkr-hE5oza-bzDq69-am7ALL-9ozHnq-8vuFTD-8vvfSM-auo7zn-9JutQm-8vta3M-8vsETH-8vwNRd-8vt3Rn-6Kathh-aJPPrK-kBySf8-9eNTXx-8vyodS-8vxQn7-8vuJWV-8vxHZ5-8vtBUp-8vyoRj-8vydqG-8vv83p-8MK4qC-8wQXkB-57XARs-cRXbMd-bsexcT-8vtyRx-8vtw32">woodleywonderworks</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Researchers <a href="http://www.readinghalloffame.org/sites/default/files/yokota__teale-rt_may_2014.pdf">show</a> that children learn from both print and digital picture books. Digital storybooks (e-books) that pair spoken word with pictures and print text can enhance vocabulary. </p>
<p>Apps that allow a “read-along” experience, for example, can help children develop a <a href="http://www.literacyandtechnology.org/uploads/1/3/6/8/136889/jlt_v15_3.pdf">better understanding</a> of concepts about stories and print, especially if they have printed text that children can see. E-books that highlight words as they are read, help young children learn that print is read from left to right in English.</p>
<h2>Children learn from superheroes as well</h2>
<p>But it is important to realize that it is not just “educational” television and media from which children learn. Children pick up ideas from television (even television not considered “educational”) and use them to enhance literacy.</p>
<p>Children can learn from superheroes, too. Researcher on early childhood learning <a href="http://education.illinois.edu/faculty/ahdyson">Anne Haas Dyson</a> found that <a href="http://store.tcpress.com/0807736392.shtml">seven- to nine-year-old children</a>] took the superheroes they watched on cartoons and brought them into their fiction writing and dramatic play. </p>
<p>Her research shows children, like adults, often use media and media characters as tools. With the help of their teacher, children brought their home life and interests into school to make their writing come to life. </p>
<p>Dyson’s research demonstrates that when allowed, children <a href="http://store.tcpress.com/0807742805.shtml">use media</a> – songs, characters from their favorite shows and movies – as a way to enhance their “school learning.” </p>
<p>My own <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09540253.2014.949634">research</a> demonstrates how preschool children take unlikely characters in popular television shows and movies and blend them together to create complex oral stories. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104323/original/image-20151203-32297-1lrk1hf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104323/original/image-20151203-32297-1lrk1hf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104323/original/image-20151203-32297-1lrk1hf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104323/original/image-20151203-32297-1lrk1hf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104323/original/image-20151203-32297-1lrk1hf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104323/original/image-20151203-32297-1lrk1hf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104323/original/image-20151203-32297-1lrk1hf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Children bring what they learn from superheroes into fiction writing and dramatic play.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrtea/572531978/in/photolist-4hFBue-f8kESr-7p34Lx-4VMBYX-dXWT7r-qHP1EX-7z3mTX-5WgaCb-SAnP1-8k5ddv-7y4AZN-LTBoH-9ZVsTq-o2JbF-4iAQTq-7uqB8b-96Vp7M-6cksVM-6fSaKB-xLDeCZ-5QTVF">Stephen Train</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>I spent nearly a year in a preschool to observe how three- to five-year-old preschool children talked and thought about television, movies and handheld devices. These preschool children often talked about characters from a wide range of television shows and movies.</p>
<p>For example, one preschooler, I observed, “borrowed” <a href="http://disneychannel.disney.com/hannah-montana">Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana</a>, a tween rockstar, as the protagonist in her tale. After introducing Hannah Montana, she brought Boots (the monkey from <a href="http://www.nickjr.com/dora-the-explorer/">Dora the Explorer</a>, a preschool cartoon) into her story. She spun a story in which Hannah Montana and Boots battled and ultimately defeated a villainous monster from a movie. </p>
<p>Preschoolers took ideas from shows such as Sesame Street, Mickey mouse Clubhouse, cartoons featuring Spiderman, Tinkerbell and Spongebob. Some combined these with shows that older siblings and family members watched such as action movies, professional wrestling and even monster movies.</p>
<p>Rather than repeating what they saw on television, they brought ideas from their own community to make new stories. </p>
<p>The stories children saw and the characters they knew from television also allowed them to relate to other children. Superheroes, characters from Frozen and other popular culture characters can give children from diverse backgrounds a common (and exciting) topic in which to <a href="https://rowman.com/isbn/9781475807967">create play scenarios</a>.</p>
<p>And this play involves negotiating and talking with other children about characters and plot, which in turn enhances oral language. Oral language is a crucial aspect of literacy for young children. </p>
<h2>How should adults monitor screen-time?</h2>
<p>Although research shows the way in which children learn from media, there are also legitimate concerns about what children see on these screens. </p>
<p>Media is created from viewpoints and stances that may not always be acceptable to parents and teachers. Media can show people in inaccurate and stereotypical lights. </p>
<p>So what should adults do with all of the media content coming into their children’s lives?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.routledge.com/products/9780415539517">Research</a> with preschoolers has shown that conversations allow a child to examine who is being shown in media and the way they are being shown. And it is important to note that <a href="http://cie.sagepub.com/content/14/2/138.abstract">children’s</a> view of these stereotypes often depends on their home lives and environments. These conversations are important for children. </p>
<p>Adults also need to recognize that screen time is one way for children to learn. It is certainly not the only way. The American Academy of Pediatrics <a href="https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx">suggests</a> that children should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day. </p>
<p>As they note, it is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies and using their imaginations in free play. Children need rich experiences in their lives and <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/ve/academic/subjects/languages-linguistics/sociolinguistics/words-work-and-play-three-decades-family-and-community-life">interactions</a> with other people. Screens cannot make up for this.</p>
<p>Children need a healthy balance. While we should be careful in flinging open the gates of media, we should be equally concerned about chaining them shut.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51646/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Allison S Henward does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that preschool children take characters from popular television shows and movies and blend them together to create complex oral stories.Allison S Henward, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of HawaiiLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.