Understanding “the other” through art: Fostering narrative imagination in elementary students

Teachers in many countries live the language of standards although it is confined to uniformity and standardization. In the United States, for example, teachers teach to what is now called the Common Core State Standards that focus on students’ college and career readiness while falling short of developing good judgment and wisdom. In this article, drawing upon Nussbaum’s notion of narrative imagination, we address the following research question: How do we foster narrative imagination in elementary students in the midst of the external demands to meet standards? This research is conducted as “grounded practice” between a teacher educator and an elementary art teacher, who collaboratively created an integrated art curriculum unit, called Storytelling/Mural Painting Project, involving 68 fifth grade students, three storytellers from the local community, and three classroom teachers. Based on our findings, we suggest a model for rethinking education in the age of standards.