What does family look like? The answer is beautifully complex — and 55 students at Washington State University are diving deep into that question through an innovative interdisciplinary collaboration in the College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences.
Bridging Two Disciplines, One Powerful Idea
Faculty members Deanna Day and Samantha Reisz have joined forces across two departments — Teaching and Learning and Human Development — to create a shared learning experience that connects students from HD 204: Family Interactions and TCH LRN 307: Children’s Literature. The central premise is both simple and profound: children’s books can serve as mirrors reflecting a child’s own experiences and windows opening onto experiences they have not yet encountered. Together, these 55 students are exploring how literature can support children navigating major life transitions and how families shape who children become.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
This collaboration has taken students off campus and into the community through two meaningful field trips. Early in the semester, students visited the Fort Vancouver Regional Library, where a children’s librarian led a tour of the children’s and young adult sections and shared books centered on the theme of family. Every student who did not already have one signed up for a library card — a small but meaningful step toward lifelong engagement with reading. Students also used the visit to begin identifying a topic, theme, or issue related to family that they would explore in a culminating text set project. The second field trip brought students to White Oak Bookstore, where they heard directly from two children’s authors. Steph Littlebird and Gretchen McLellan shared and discussed their newest books about family, signed copies for students, and sparked conversations about how stories can speak to children’s real lives. Each student received a $10.00 gift card to purchase a family-themed book — putting books in students’ hands in a personal, lasting way.
Supporting Children Through Story
The project has shone a light on children’s literature that addresses diverse family structures, cultural socialization, and the kinds of major transitions that many children face — divorce, stepfamily formation, the arrival of a new sibling, and the death of a loved one. By exploring these themes through books, students in both Human Development and Teaching and Learning are gaining a richer understanding of the role families play in children’s lives and how educators and caregivers can use literature as a tool for support and connection. The collaboration culminates during finals week, when all 55 students will come together to present what they have learned about diverse family structures and the importance of supporting children through significant transitions. It is a fitting close to a semester spent building bridges — between disciplines, between classrooms and communities, and between the pages of a book and the lives of the children who read them. Stories have always helped us make sense of the world. In the College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences at Washington State University, students are learning exactly how powerful that can be.