If we take time to look at
the oral language section and the specific
features we read that they range from,‘Converse and talk about
personal experiences’ (level one), ‘to
talk coherently in small and large groups about
experiences, events, information, ideas and opinions,
organise material effectively and questioning
and supporting others.’’(level four)
In use of text it states ‘tell
a story recite or read aloud, present or perform
arrange and make meaning clear.’
If you want to link the document with other
strands the reference is page 60.
The art of storytelling crosses all cultures
and every tale whether it be a myth a folk tale
a personal tale it is valued. In the opening
address I have mentioned how in the classroom
students can exchange their own story or translate
another into a group tale.
Storytelling is a dramatic improvisation where
speaker and listener construct and enter worlds
of their own creation. It is interactive and
the essence of the tale as been well researched
and performed around the world through the work
of Augustus Boal. In the world of drama this
has come to light with the concept of inter-twining
story and performance.
In recent years in drama the
process of sharing a story has been performed
through the style of playback theatre. This
includes the owner of the story who shares
it with a group and then chooses some of the
group members to act out either all or part
of the tale. This is a very interesting way
of sharing a tale. This
method can be shared with students, as you will
experience in the session.
If we look at a story in text
we can enrich the tale orally and not loose
its richness. It
is important to be familiar with the tale and
record phrases that you as the teller find enriching.
These phrases can be learnt by heart and if you
can find a repeating one this is an essential
component for the listener.
The story sequence is an important
aspect so the tale is not lost in the retelling. It
is a valuable exercise to choose a traditional
story to practise on and one you enjoy telling.
The work of Vygotsky suggests
that learning occurs initially on a social
plane and it is then internalized. In other words language
is not used to just express thoughts it is used
to create them. Children want to hear what
the writer has to say and then in turn share
with either their peers or an adult their findings. Barnes
(1992) talks about the importance of children
working on understanding. The readiest way of
working on understanding is often through talk
because the flexibility of speech makes it easy
for us to try out our new ways of arranging what
we know.
Meek (1991- 1993) argues that all societies are
fundamentally oral, that any understanding of
literacy must begin with a recognition of oral
language. Britton states, “writing
floats on a sea of words.” In viewing
the exemplars on Poetic writing, the conference
details recorded between teacher and child show
the link between oral and written language. We
can see the development of the child’s
voice and impact in the writing process.
The work of (Snow &Dickinson,1991; Dickinson&Tabors
2002) states that the provision of rich
and varied language experiences in the early
years is now being seen as a predictor of later
academic success.
It is interesting to note that in the early stages
of storytelling very little was recorded on how
it influenced children’s learning in the
educational setting. It was often only
seen in the context of performance rather than
a daily oral language technique.
In the present day the interest in this ancient
craft is more readily accepted as a valuable
tool in developing children as listeners and
participants. This is not new to people of Maori
descent nor to any other group with a strong
oral history. In order to learn about where
I now live, I just had to stand and work with
aroha in the kitchen at Parihaka to hear the
stories from the wahine to learn the history
of the land and the people.
Ted Hughes once wrote, “Stories
are like candles in the mind”. I
hope you will find this to be accurate. In
his book, Traditional Storytelling in the Primary
School, Grainger. T. (1997) we read –
“As tunes of the tale
are twirled on the tongue the storyteller shares
his work and simultaneously hears these words.
So there is more than one kind of active listening
happening as the teller relives the tale in
a creative community of listeners.”
I have already commented on the implicit knowledge
of grammar gained through living and communicating.
Storytelling builds on the differences between
spoken and written language. In telling
and retelling stories to each other children develop an understanding of how language works.
They soon realize that some words have more impact
and can be powerful and can show anticipation,
pace, suspense. This can all be orchestrated
with the voice, the spoken word and possibly
gesture. The dialogue in story can make the teller
aware of colloquial and idiomatic language. Howe
and Johnson (1992) in Common Bonds - storytelling
in the classroom, point out that teachers need
to see how a wide range of different language
styles increase language knowledge.
In telling a tale to a multi
cultural group of students I have used their
own languages to tell the tale even though
as participants we don’t all know what is being said. Gesture
and voice tone leads to great performance.
The techniques we are using
in this workshop I have been using for over
ten years. They have grown from my background
as a child in a school in London working with
Dorothy Heathcote, to being a drama student
at teachers college, to becoming a teacher
of drama and English,to being a storyteller
and Literacy adviser.
Rosen tells us that children
do not realize that all their grunts and noises
can be written down, including their dialect,
for through this richness we can celebrate
and record the variety of oral language. In
teaching I believe we hold a privileged position
in weaving the spoken tale into the written
and beyond.
I hope once you have taken a butchers hook you
will be inspired to try these ideas in your classroom
and become tellers as well as teachers .
Roland Barthes;
The
work can be held in the hand,
The
text is held in the language.
Odysseus told Penelope of all the discomfiture……….
She listened
Spellbound, and her eyelids never closed in sleep
till the whole tale was finished. Homer.
