Corinna Rezzelle-Pennypacker, in fulfilling the requirements for Antioch University’s EdD in Educational and Professional Practice, has written and published a dissertation titled Lend Me Your Hands: Engaging Waldorf Teachers in Pedagogical Puppetry for Student Growth.
Although puppetry has a long history as a holistic teaching tool, it remains an underutilized arts integration technique in elementary and secondary schools. To better understand Waldorf teachers’ perspectives on pedagogical puppetry and the necessary training to effectively implement it, this explanatory mixed-methods dissertation sought to fill the gap in research on teachers’ views of puppetry and what training they believe is important to feel comfortable doing the work.
Using an action research approach, Rezzelle-Pennypacker created a workshop and lesson plans for 1st-8th-grade Waldorf teachers based on the feedback from explanatory interviews and a preliminary survey. She created a professional development program to align with Waldorf education practices by linking puppetry experiences within the Waldorf curriculum, Core Arts standards, and potential social-emotional growth.
Read and download Rezzelle-Pennypacker’s dissertation, Lend Me Your Hands: Engaging Waldorf Teachers in Pedagogical Puppetry for Student Growth, here.
