Abstract:
Tucker's thesis supports the theory that poetry writing and sharing, using metaphor and other metaphorical constructs, in groups with young children develops personal power in that population. Personal power is defined as power with or to rather than power over. It is an expression of self and not domination over another or others. The poetry writing develops creativity and critical thinking skills, encourages activity, and provides children with tools for their coherent construction of their own life stories. Tucker's Project Demonstrating Excellence is in two parts: a book called, Word Weavings, and an essay placing Word Weavings in a scholarly context. In Word Weavings, Tucker presents 36 exercises for educators and other adults to teach poetic concepts to young children. Most of these poetic elements are based on types of metaphor (e.g. metaphor, simile, imagery through action verbs, and personification.) Presentation is done verbally in groups where children learn how to move from everyday figurative language to poetry and extend the breadth and scope of their ideas and sentences. In these groups, children have their thoughts and words validated. Participation in the questioning process helps them increase their thinking skills. In the contextual essay, Tucker discusses the disempowerment and silencing of children through educational systems, family, and mass culture that do not teach critical thinking skills and ignore the authenticity and creativity of children. Because of lack of active learning and the absence of development of higher thinking skills in many schools, children often lose the ability to compose meaningful, powerful life stories about their own lives. This further erodes their sense of personal power. The contextual essay cites the work of Sally McFague and Peter Lakoff who contend that metaphor is the foundation of human thought and all critical thinking. Tucker states that through the development of the metaphorical characteristics of children's everyday language and their application to poetry writing and sharing, children can acquire and express personal power.
