Agnes Nyitrai and Judit Podráczky Kaposvár University SIGNALS Meeting, Gothenburg, September, 2015

The aims of the Kaposvár University are: To design methodological programmes for kindergarten pedagogues for developing their own competences a) for supporting literacy development of children, b) for supporting parents’ competences for supporting literacy development of children

Sample:  30 kindergarten pedagogues (2 kindergartens, about 306 children) Questions: 1. Children's attitudes to tales, storytelling, books in infant toddler centre and in kindergarten. 2. Storytelling habits at home, trends and changes. 3. Supporting parents’ involvement, possibilities for co-operation, promotion, mutual reflection regarding storytelling. 4. The place and the role of storytelling in the work of the education staff, their competences, strengths and weaknesses

Storytelling in the families:  Varied picture: storytelling takes place often, rarely or never (in families)  Books are rarely given to children (as a present), and sometimes with the aim of supporting development  „trendy tales”  Intimacy between parents and children isn't as important as it was before

Children's attitudes to tales, storytelling, books in kindergarten:  Children like storytelling, but they can listen to it less and less  They like picture book reading together with pedagogue  They rarely bring books from home to kindergarten  The pedagogues have positive experiences in library visiting  The media-tales are often present during the play of children  pedagogues' opinion: it is not positive

The place and the role of storytelling in the work of the education staff  Pedagogues don't really know the contemporary literature for children  They would have consultations with HUNRA (Hungarian Reading Society)  They recommend books, tales etc. to each other  They don't really know the new animation films for children (it depends on, how old are their own children)

Supporting parents involvement  Common storytelling with parents and children  ambivalent experiences  Interactive storytelling with parents  it wasn't successful  There were drama plays on parents evening  first there was aversion to it  Parents talk to pedagogues only in situations with difficulties

 Pedagogues ◦ about involvement of children ◦ about involvement of parents  Parents ◦ About involvement of own children ◦ About own involvement

Pedagogues about the involvement of parents Parents about own involvement  Participation in programmes for children  Involving in programmes for children  Participation in programmes for parents  Getting to know the life in kindergarten  Participation in development of conditions of kindergarten  Participation in programmes for children  Involving in decision making about children’s programmes and activities  Participation in programmes for parents  Involving in decision making about conditions of kindergarten

We organised parents’ evenings once a month, 4 times Their issues were: 1. Movement and language development in infancy 2. The role of attachment between mother and child in language development 3. Why shall we tell stories, tales every day? 4. Literacy development, skills for learning reading and writing

 Methodological framework of the evenings was the method of Carl Rogers  The moderator was the director of kindergarten  The talking began with a brief introduction of the issue by the expert  There were interesting conversations between 6 experts (e.g. psychologist, pedagogue, kindergarten pedagogue, health visitor, special educator, primary school teacher, parents and kindergarten pedagogues)  The evenings helped pedagogues in thinking more diversely about literacy development and about parents’ role in it, and give some good ideas to work with parents

Thank you for your attention! Agnes Nyitrai and Judit Podráczky