Creative Education UK is currently developing cross-curricular models to use across the school sectors using Storytelling as a means of inspiration, support and development.
If you are interested in what Storytelling could do for your school please contact us with your requirements.
Please read on to see what benefits Storytelling could hold for your school.
WHAT USE IS STORYTELLING ?
Storytelling is the oldest form of education. Cultures throughout the world have always told tales as a way of passing down their beliefs, traditions and history to future generations. Stories capture the imagination, engaging the emotions and opening the minds of listeners, offering a range of opportunities for learning across all ages and ability levels.
Storytelling is the most universal art-form in the world, preceding the more sophisticated developments of literature and books, education, religion, drama and the media. Before there were schools or churches, theatres or bookshops, there were stories and storytellers in homes and communities. Storytellers enjoyed quite high status in many societies, as sources of wisdom, genealogical authorities, teachers of morality, entertainers and sustainers of beliefs, values, attitudes and customs. Storytelling has had many functions in the history of mankind, ranging from pastime and amusement to serving as an adjunct to survival and personal development.
All of these functions can be seen to be relevant to classroom work at both primary and secondary level. Storytelling can provide both lesson material and teaching method. Listening to stories and retelling them can improve pupils' oral skills. There can also be spin-offs from this in using stories as a basis for drama work, drawing and painting - the expressive arts. It can also be used to stimulate class discussion and local and oral history projects. Important points in all kinds of lessons can be reinforced by anecdote and story to demonstrate or illustrate ideas.
It is also good psychology to teach through stories: many people perhaps don't particularly like to listen to someone moralising, but they will listen to a story and easily work out the lesson for themselves. In our times, perhaps more than ever before, it is perhaps vital that our children's imaginations are fed with myth, legend and wonder tale, history, parable and fable, tall story and comic saga, and all the richness and delight of the world of invention and tradition - to connect with our towns, our country and our world, to celebrate and learn from our pasts and face the challenges of all our futures.
WHAT CAN A STORYTELLER DO FOR A SCHOOL?
- Storytelling supports and underpins literacy development across the curriculum.
A storyteller can improve concentration, listening skills and help develop and enrich spoken and written language.
- Storytelling can stimulate the imagination, contributing to Speaking and Listening as well as Creative Writing, Poetry, Drama, Music and Art.
A storyteller can improve concentration, listening skills and help develop and enrich spoken and written language.
- Storytelling can stimulate the imagination, contributing to Speaking and Listening as well as Creative Writing, Poetry, Drama, Music and Art.
- Hearing and retelling traditional tales can provide scaffolding for children's own imaginative stories, giving the child a variety of frameworks to work from.
- Storytelling encourages a questioning attitude. Storytelling can create excitement and enthusiasm for History, Geography and Religious Studies as well as English language, literature and Drama. WE are even hoping to have stories which connect with the Maths and Science curriculum.
- A storyteller can widen the range of children's emotional, cultural and moral responses.
Sensitive issues can be considered through the distancing frame of a story.
Sensitive issues can be considered through the distancing frame of a story.
- Storytelling builds bridges across and within communities. Creative Education hopes to build and join projects linking a school with the rest of the community.
- Storytelling skills can be taught to pupils, raising their self confidence. This has been proved especially effective with 'low achievers'. Older children can tell to younger, benefiting both groups by building the self esteem of the older children and providing positive role models to the younger.