How can storytelling be used in Primary Education?

  In schools, storytelling is a rich experience for children, usually happening before shaping texts in writing, and when telling stories for their own sake. This is what writing is built upon and skilled teachers know about its importance when using storytelling as part of the language curriculum to build and engage children’s literary skills. As Jimmy Britton describes: ‘reading and writing float on a sea of talk’ (1982, p.11).

The benefits of storytelling are that it tends to develop children’s listening skills. Initiating writing, as children will tend to want to write their own version of a story and improving their wide range of language. Engaging boys who like to act and giving them motivation to take the art of acting and also singing forward with confidence, this does lack for boys across all ages, they are to be embarrassed to embrace the hobby they like, so this encourages boys to act and girls too. And in Wales stories are sometime read in welsh and it gives the children motivation to peruse the welsh language.  (Edutopia, 2014)

  In my opinion the books that gets a child’s attention that I have experienced is the Roald Dahl books such as, the Twits, George’s marvellous medicines, BFG and many more. These books have a way of standing out to children especially Primary School ages, but also adults tend to have a read as the imagination that is having to be used is phenomenal, it interests the children and they tend to keep engaged within the book. The primary school I attended on my placement created a project on Roald Dahl books, to create a poster of a cover of one of his books, but create it as 3D as possible, using paints, scrupled paper, sequins and much more, every child and parent came back to us with positive feedback on how they enjoyed, and how the children knew some of the books of by heart as they were so interested when the teacher was reading them. 

The Twits was my favourite and the cover photo is extraordinary, no other author has created a picture that is so unique and powerful and has stood out for me in my childhood, still to this day I read it, the picture it creates in your mind when reading is breathe taking as it is gruesome but amazing at the same time, and its such an interesting book.

“Really imaginative storytelling.  Making all of the children feel involved with shaping the story” – Teacher at Derwentwater Primary School. (StoryBoat, 2018)

The method of storytelling at primary school is to create an imaginative, creative and dynamic imagery. Main idea of storytelling is to have the children learn through having stories told by verbal presentation, children tend to develop great communication skills while also mastering the language and ideas.

  Story telling should be a crucial part of teaching and should be a priority. It enhances children development, language, strengthens their imagination and creativity for them to follow on through their work.  Story telling releases another skill for children, as they gather parts of information and then jumble it in to a story that has happened about them, but often when listening to young children’s stories they use some phrases or sentences that have been read to them from a book, that makes their story about their day bigger and better. This is then a delight as in my experience of a practitioner you know you have been heard and have been listened too.

There is 3 key words used as a part of storytelling is ‘Effective’, ‘Engaging’ and ‘Empowering’.

  Everyone believes that storytelling is much needed within schools and is wonderful to have children’s full attention, making schools more engaging and effectiveness. Children who read more and listen to stories being told, tend to have a wider range of vocabulary, which then reflects into their work, gaining higher advantages in written and the presentation of the work. (StorytellingSchool, 2018)

Bibliography 

Britton, J. (1982) Prospect and Retrospect: Selected Essays of James Britton in G. Pradl, (ed.) London: Heinemann.

Edutopia (2014). Why storytelling matters in the classroom. Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/storytelling-in-the-classroom-matters-matthew-friday [accessed 10/12/18]

StoryBoat (2018). Storytelling. Available at: https://storyboat.co.uk/storytelling-primary/ [accessed 10/12/18]

StorytellingSchool. (2018). School literacy. Available at: https://storytellingschools.com/ [accessed 10/12/18]

Storytelling School (2018). Who are We?  Available at: https://storytellingschools.com/who-are-we/ [accessed 10/12/18]