Narrative Learning as Theory and Method in Arts and Museum Education

Narrative is a necessary element in our lives; we use the tools, techniques, and characteristics of narrative to organize and understand the happenings of life. Artmaking operates within a larger process of knowledge creation. I investigated how preschool children construct knowledge through narrative; I then examined the knowledge constructed as contributing to an overall, encompassing narrative as well as to evolving individual narrative knowledge. To investigate this topic, I conducted a case study at an international Reggio Emilia-inspired, bilingual preschool in central Stockholm. To study their construction of narrative, I observed the children's interactions and conversations before, during, and after museum visits and studied the artworks that they created before and after museum visits. With this method, it is possible to understand more clearly how children build knowledge over time in the arts classroom and beyond.