Story Telling Power at GDGWS

Story Telling Power at G.D. Goenka World School

[Submitted by Madhu Bhargava, Dean of Libraries -- July 2007]

It was exciting! Motivating! And fun filled!

Everyone loves a good story. The idea come to my mind and the Story Telling session was scheduled on 22 May 2007 at PYP special assembly. It came as a visible surprise to the audience when they saw someone coming up on stage in long robe calling up, "Story Teller! Story Teller! Stories from far off lands!" And that someone went down the stage to the children and started interacting with them about the stories they like. It was amusing and different for the little ones.

GDGWS story telling

Story of Gingerbread Man was narrated and co-dramatized by the two librarians and after the show students were calling in the corridors, "That's my gingerbread man!"

The pictures tell the tale of fun! And the program brought us very close to the students. "To me story telling is exercise, more you do, more you like it." [Chris King].

GDGWS story telling

And then came up the tale of horror for grades IV and V.
"Will you be scared?" the story teller asked.
"NO!" The students exclaimed.
"I bet I will raise goosebumps!"
"NO! "

She told them a Jump tale, 'Dead Man's Liver' which actually made them jump at the end.

GDGWS story telling

At its core, storytelling is the art of using language, vocalization and physical movement and gesture to reveal the elements and images of a story to a specific, live audience. A central unique aspect of storytelling is its reliance on the audience to develop specific visual imagery and detail to complete and co-create. It was an enriching experience for the storytellers, full of achievement, which resulted in student motivation, to be patient listeners (all the patient listeners got start) and to read more.

For International School Library Day young students will be storytellers and will tell different types of tales (techniques of telling tales will be taught during August and September) and the best tellers will get exciting prizes.

Anyone reading this who is interested in learning and sharing techniques of telling different types of tales is welcome to join 'Story Telling Group of Teacher Librarians' to make it an effective teaching tool.
Please contact Madhu Bhargava

Last updated 1 July 2007 (KSB)