Storytelling as a teaching device

The NEU ran a very useful webinar on the 19th January looking at ways that teachers can use storytelling to aid teaching. In this post I will summarise some of the ideas that were discussed and offer links to some of the resources that you can use.

Creating a story with 5 core elements

Tim Taylor uses storytelling with children to engage them and draw them into any topic that they are exploring. He works as freelance teacher-trainer for Mantle of the Expert (https://www.mantleoftheexpert.com/), and shared how he uses the 5 core elements of story to build a story in collaboration with children. These 5 elements are; characters, locations, events, time, and tension.

He described the process of building a story in collaboration with the children. To build a story from scratch with no starting point can be both time consuming and difficult in terms of managing a topic, and the input from children. Stories that we already know are good starting points, and can give us a framework to build around.

Mantle of the Expert has some story resources here you can use (https://www.mantleoftheexpert.com/stories/)

By starting with a given for example starting with a given character, that grounds students in a starting point. They can explore this starting point, what do they look like, what are they doing and so on.

You can follow this with a narrative event, and explore that too. Then the next given is offered and explored in the same way. Throughout the process you are adding details and flavour to the story, and linking it to the subject or curriculum topic that you are looking at.

Another tool he recommended was the three forms of representation proposed by Jerome Bruner. The idea with this is that young learners can learn any material as long as the instruction is organised in the appropriate way. An effective way of learning is to progress through new material from Enactive Representation (action-based), through Iconic Representation (image-based), to Symbolic Representation (language-based)

The Power of Story in Role Play

Debra Kidd took us through an example of using storytelling to look at and investigate water reserves.

She demonstrated how developing one story with the children could tie in a number of different parts of the curriculum.

In this example the children role played the researchers for a water charity and the teacher took the role of the CEO of the charity wanting to work in this area. This story was able to draw together all these strands of the curriculum into the one story.

· The geography of Bangladesh

· Flood plains, rivers and mountains

· Climate change

· Poverty and land use

· Forces (water and resistance)

· Design Technology

· Plants and growth

· Weather patterns and the water cycle

· Human resilience and achievements

· Reading for information

· Writing to inform, to persuade, to entertain

· Data handling, measuring

At each stage of the story she used powerful photographs to set the scene of the problem. Here is an example of how she builds a story with the children.

“How do we get these boys off the roof? What do you notice?”

The freeze time! And ask… “Where are we taking them? What right do we have to take them?”

The next photograph may be of a rescue centre. Throughout the process of building the story ask questions, the image will help to draw out observations and thus good questions.

“How do we keep things safe here? How do families meet and connect with each other?”

Offer questions too. “How do we prove we are trustworthy?” How are logo’s and branding used in these situations. What are symbols and how are they used by people. “How does that change the way people behave when they are wearing these symbols?”

When we have solved one situation, offer a new dilemma. “What else do the boys need?”

Actually, they really want to meet their father. BUT the father doesn’t want to meet them

So we ask WHY?He explains that his farm keeps flooding, his wife has died, he has nothing to feed the boys with, they are hungry, he feels he can’t look after them anymore, and he wants you as a charity to take them and give them a better life.

Freeze time and discuss this with the children again. Is he bad? Why is he doing this? Is there anything else we can do to help them, without them being dependant on outside help.

Surely there is something we can do? Shift children away from just feeling sorry for people, but to develop hope and find a solution. The children are then powered by questions. Why does the place keep flooding, explore the geography, how is climate change altering this?

Working together online the children can contribute images, sound files, ideas, videos, for what could be made to help these people. They could use Minecraft, for example, to build a model of what could be made.

A great online resource for sharing different kinds of media is called Padlet. (https://padlet.com/ ) she uses it for the children to gather their ideas and the things they have found.

If you want to take the story to the next level, you could ask - “That was too much water, what about too little water. How can we save water and look after our own resources?”

NEU remote learning hub

Alex Kenny, explained that it was really important to Share knowledge on this and offered some links to help with this. Urging teachers to use these links to please talk to each other to help and see what others are doing that works.

https://nationaleducationunion.foleon.com/neu-remote-learning-portal/neu-remote-education-hub/home/

h ttps://guild.co/app/joining-guild?accessCode=DKw9m2ysE

The power of Story in Early Years

Lucy Coleman suggested that we use what is already out there, there are lots of resources available. (the Steve Sinnott Foundation has a great resource pack where we have pulled together many different resources into one place for this https://www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk/resources)

In early years the partnership with parents is really important, and now through remote learning we can empower them so that they can help even more. Create a dialogue with them because they won’t know what to do otherwise).

A simple example of what parents can do is as children play ask, “Tell me a story, about what you are doing.” Their parent can write it down and then can role play it back with the child.

Make sure the resources are diverse, and show equality, here are some useful ones.

https://www.scholastic.co.uk/

https://www.bristolearlyyears.org.uk/early-learning/home-learning/

https://speechandlanguage.info/parents/activities

Reclaiming Education

Daniel Kebede ended with a call “Let’s reclaim education for our children sakes, we can make changes, this era has shown that there are other ways to do things.”

Thank you for reading. If you use storytelling as a teaching tool, tell us about it in the comments below.

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The Steve Sinnott Foundation • January 29, 2021

Spring is Here! Looking Ahead!

By Ann Beatty • March 28, 2025

Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.

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By Hannah Frisch • March 7, 2025

The outlook for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on global education is far from rosy. But a gloomy future isn’t inevitable. Disappointing statistics are the result of political choices that can be shifted and there are thousands of youth, grassroots activists and civil society organisations across the UK advocating for global education to make these changes. We need more people involved to build the momentum, we need to make a difference in challenging circumstances. You can help! Here’s how; Making global education a UK priority The UK is an important donor and champion for global education. However, education has been gradually deprioritised on the development agenda. Global education spending has plummeted from 13.5% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2013 to just 3.5% in 2023, and education was one of the sectors hit hardest by the abandonment of the 0.7% gross national income (GNI) target for ODA. With Labour’s annual budget confirming another reduction in the aid budget, funding for global education is under threat of being cut even further unless we stand together to say this can’t happen. While education is a domestic priority for the new Government, it has yet to emerge as a strong theme in their development agenda. As the Labour Party continues to develop their approach there is a unique opportunity for advocates to connect these dots and make the case for why education must be a key part of the Government’s international plans. For the Government to take action it needs to hear demand for change. There are many issues MPs recognise are important, but if they do not hear about these issues from constituents it can be hard for MPs to be vocal about them in Parliament. Following an election where many parliamentary seats were won with tight margins, MPs need to hear from the people they represent that global education must be on their agenda. With over half of MPs elected for the first time this year, many are actively looking for a steer on what issues to work on. We can give them one! How to Get Involved Write to your MP about why global education needs to be a bigger priority for the UK Government and encourage members of groups you are a part of, such as your union branch or a local community group, to do the same. This can have a real impact on your MP’s interest and ability to act for global education. You can also connect with other grassroots activists and get resources for taking action from international development advocacy organisations like Results UK. You can learn more about Results UK’s grassroots network on our website. If you are a teacher, get your school involved in the Send My Friend to School Campaign (SMF). Send My Friend is a UK civil society coalition advocating for SDG4 which supports a mass UK schools campaign to amplify student voices calling for universal quality education in solidarity with their peers around the world. Free campaign packs are available on the SMF website for primary and secondary levels with everything teachers need to run the campaign in their school. Parliamentarians can learn more about education issues and how to act by joining the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education, a cross-party group that brings together Parliamentarians interested in the right to education and provides them with knowledge and resources to be champions of the issue. By joining our voices through collective action, we can make a real difference in moving the needle on this issue. Together we have a chance to rechart the course for the realisation of quality education for all. BIOGRAPHY Hannah Frisch is the Senior Policy and Parliamentary Advocacy Officer for Education at Results UK and a Co-Chair of the Send My Friend to School Policy and Parliamentary Working Group. She is a policy advisor for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education in the UK Parliament.

Supporting work for The Federation of Drama Schools

By Melanie Lavery • March 3, 2025

Last year the Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the work of The Federation of Drama Schools by providing financial aid to new graduates, enabling them to take part in an industry showcase at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The showcase is an annual event for Irish graduates who have completed a professional training at one of the Federation’s partner conservatoires in the UK, introducing young actors to the industry they hope to work in. The Federation of Drama Schools partners are institutions that provide conservatoire vocational training for those who want to be professional performers, theatre makers and technical theatre practitioners. The courses they offer are for students of eighteen years and over, who have completed their school level education. In November (2024) fourteen young Irish graduates took part in the showcase and the SSF provided financial support to two graduates who may not otherwise have been able to take part in this showcase, which is a bridge between training and their professional career. Melanie Lavery from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama is one of those who benefitted from this support. Melanie writes of her experience. I would like to say a huge thank you to the Steve Sinnott Foundation for the support I received, making it possible for me to take part in the Dublin Showcase 2024. The opportunity allowed me to work with graduates from across FDS schools and widen my contacts in the industry. Coming from a socio-economically deprived area, I’ve often missed out on opportunities available to my peers. I have had to spend a lot of energy during my three years in drama school working to support myself and this has meant I often don’t have time to follow up network opportunities. In receiving this sponsorship and taking part in the showcase I have been able to connect with other Irish creatives - the people I am acting opposite, directors, casting directors and agents in the industry. These industry showcases are so important for graduates. It gives us the possibility of networking with industry professionals and hopefully the opportunity of taking that first crucial step into the profession we have trained for. As I studied in Wales, it gave me the chance to return to Ireland and to reach out to creatives there. The Foundation gave me this amazing opportunity to kick start my career in my home country. On the day of the showcase, I had such pride watching my fellow Irish peers performing on stage at Ireland’s National Theatre. Working together throughout the rehearsal period, I got to know them individually and we all helped each other to grow as performers. This showcase has helped me to create my own community of actors around me. When it came to talking with other creatives after the show case, I became so much more aware of how large and welcoming the industry is in Ireland and how much work is being produced here. I think this show case is so important as it highlights how vibrant and growing the industry is in Ireland. I feel so lucky that I was able to take part thanks to the help of the Steve Sinnott Foundation. For more information on the Federation of Drama Schools, professional industry showcases, and it’s partner schools please visit www.federationofdramaschools.co.uk