Storytelling Starters ~ Reflections and Moonshine
Saturday, October 6th, 2012Well, the BASE awards happened last Saturday and it was all very interesting. I didn’t get the Lifetime Achievement Award – it went to Sheila Stewart, the Scottish Traveller singer/storyteller who has been storytelling for nearly 60 years. But I came away full of reflections. These include the suggestion I shall be making to the BASE organisers, who are keen to develop the awards for the future.
Storytelling in Education
My suggestion is that there should be some awards for storytelling in education. A teacher-storyteller award? Or one for work with different ages of children or children with disabilities or school-refusers? Or maybe an award for the most enterprising school storytelling project? Or indeed for training teachers in the art.
Storytelling in education is vital. Anyone who has ever done it – if they know what they are up to and have an appropriate way of working – knows how much difference it can make. It makes a difference for children and can also transform teachers’ work. The problem now is to develop support for what should be a national campaign on the subject. It’s a pressing need (especially at this time when the overwhelming emphasis is on targets and exams). How can we make the general public and the politicians aware of what can be done through taking the more creative approach that storytelling offers?
Is there anyone out there who shares this concern? Please get in touch if you do. (more…)