In the storytelling workshop, we learnt
about the utility of storytelling as both a performance-based and English-based
method. We warmed up with vocal tennis, verbally throwing words back and forth
with our partner based on a given category. You could add a kinaesthetic
element by miming a tennis game as partners exchange words. Although designed
to practice different voice qualities, like volume, pitch and tone, it could
link with vocabulary-building in another subject like science or HSIE. On my
prac I learnt how teacher’s use their voice effectively and sparingly. I could
create a mysterious atmosphere in the classroom by whispering, drawing the
students in. Likewise I heard teachers using their voices like musical
instruments, varying the pitch to keep students engaged and excited. I saw how
tone in a voice carries emotion, more so than the actual words said. Vocal
tennis could also be a useful exercise for those with EAL/D backgrounds,
assisting their expression and confidence.
As a second warm up activity, we enrolled
as design ‘experts’. To build descriptive skills, we had to describe an
ordinary object in the room to our partner, but turn it into something newly
invented and extraordinary. We started with basic visual descriptive qualities
like colour, size and texture, and could branch out to deeper description,
evoking the senses, through smell, sound, touch and taste. So a furry black box
turned into ‘fur from the moss of the rocks which blooms at midnight’ etc… The
role of the listener is introduced, as the listener must use eye contact and
facial expressions to convey interest in the speaker.
We then moved onto storytelling, after an
introduction about how characters are brought to life, first and third person,
and narrative structure of attention, complication and development. Robyn
described the key points in the story as being like the fishbones; the gaps
between the bones being the parts we can embellish in the story. We used the text,
The Selkie Woman & The Thoughtless Fisherman... A Very Old Tale Of The Seal People...
We retold this Selkie myth with a partner, including the bare bones but improvising the
details and creative an alternative ending. Our partner would gesture and say
‘advance’ to move the plot along, and would gesture ‘detail’ to prompt the
speaker to hone in on the details. This would be a fantastic way to orally
sequence texts and encourage creative thinking. I found it interesting how the
speaker brought their their personal values and experiences into their
embellishments of the story.
Finally, we told our partner a story from
our childhood, and performed it to the class as tandem storytellers. The class
had to guess which person the story belonged to. It encouraged the listener to
concentrate on the detail and mood, actively listening so they could recount an
accurate and convincing retell. And it encouraged the class to actively listen
and pick up on gesture, facial expression, voice quality and body language to
discern who the real storyteller was. I think this would be a fantastic
extension of ‘newstime’.
No comments:
Post a Comment