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Corinna Rezzelle-Pennypacker Ed.D., is a 2025 graduate of the Ed.D. program in Educational and Professional Practice at Antioch University.

Headshot of Corinna Rezelle-Pennypacker

Dissertation Committee:

Dr. Gary Delanoeye, Ed.D., Committee Chair

Dr. Alison Henry, Ph.D., Committee Member

Dr. Melissa Nilsen, Ph.D., Committee Member

Keywords

puppetry in education, pedagogical puppetry, puppetry and social-emotional learning, Waldorf education

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

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 the work, 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. Committed to using an action research approach, a professional development workshop and lesson plans were created for 1st-8th grade Waldorf teachers based on the feedback from this dissertation’s explanatory interviews and preliminary survey. The professional development program was created to closely align with Waldorf education practices by linking puppetry experiences within the Waldorf curriculum, Core Arts standards, and potential social-emotional growth. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Comments

Corinna Rezzelle-Pennypacker holding a puppet.

ORCID No. 0009-0007-1523-9507

Publications:

Rezzelle-Pennypacker, C. (2024). Hands that learn: Using puppetry to engage students in social emotional learning. Research Bulletin, 28, 23–32. Research Institute for Waldorf Education.

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