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Classroom Tales - Using
Storytelling to Build Emotional, Social and Academic Skills across
the Primary Curriculum
Jennifer M. Fox Eades
ISBN 1 84310 304 4
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Reviewed by the Editor of 'Play for Life' April 2006 |
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Jennifer M. Fox Eades has an MA
in Psychoanalytic Observation and a background in special needs
teaching. She currently works as a freelance education advisor and
is a member of the editorial board for 5-7 Educator magazine. |
This title makes an interesting
comparison with Trisha Water’s
‘Therapeutic Storywriting’. Waters covers storywriting as a therapeutic
technique and includes a lot more informing theory whereas Fox Eades is
concerned with storytelling and only really introduces theory in her last
chapter. However this contains an interesting concept – WWW – What Went
Well. This is influenced by the work of psychologist Martin Seligman to
counteract the Zeigarnik effect (At the end of the day or an event it is
what went wrong that is at the front of your consciousness, not what went
well). Since ‘Classroom Tales’ is intended to help build emotional, social
and academic skills and the emphasis is on the craft of storytelling, there
is less danger that it will create confusion among teaching staff providing
therapy without adequate training than Water’s book.
‘Classroom Tales ‘ is very easy
to read, clearly presented and delivers on most of its promises. ‘Fox
Eades shows how Storytelling is a crucial element of children's education
that can enrich the school curriculum and encourage social and thinking
skills. The author discusses the different kinds of story that are useful in
the classroom context, including traditional stories, fairy tales and sacred
stories, and explores the impact of individual and group dynamics on the
telling and reception of these stories. She provides a series of sample
stories and gives practical tips on adapting these to suit different
situations and meet different needs. She also advises on a range of
techniques such as using props, allowing 'reflection' time and prompting
interaction. Sections on collective stories and the child as storyteller
explain how children can be inspired to compose their own tales that offer
opportunities to practise self-expression and negotiation.’
It does not however ‘provide
all the tools and techniques needed to use Storytelling effectively’,
especially in the therapeutic area. As with Waters, Fox Eades omits
references to important contributors to therapeutic storytelling such as
Cattanach, Milton Erickson and Joyce Mills although Nancy Mellon is
acknowledged. However the book is particularly good as a source of material
from which therapeutic stories may be developed. Also the section on turning
real life and school events into stories is valuable. There is a useful list
of web sites related to storytelling.
The book is a recommended buy for Teaching/Learning
Assistants/Mentors, SENCOs and Teachers in primary schools who are
undertaking training in therapeutic play. Experienced Play Therapists are
unlikely to benefit sufficiently to justify purchase unless they are
urgently in need of plot and characters to construct their therapeutic
stories. It is worth their while to think more about the WWW approach and
investigate Martin Seligman’s work. Perhaps they should ask their library to
obtain a copy or share the cost with colleagues.
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