The Story Making Project

This school-based project was co-ordinated by the International Learning and Research Centre and co-led by Pie Corbett and Mary Rose. It has been developed in fourteen primary schools in the urban areas of Chippenham and Trowbridge (Wiltshire) and Kingswood (South Gloucestershire). Twenty-eight teacher-researchers from 16 reception classes, 2 Key Stage 1 classes and 10 Year 5 classes, together with approximately 800 children, have been engaged in the programme.

The Project is addressing the learning challenge inherent in better understanding the link between speaking and writing, in order to raise standards and improve the quality of children's writing. Building on a strong research base, developed by Traute Taeschner from La Sapienza, University of Rome, for language acquisition and approaches to internalising patterns of language, the project has developed a three stage methodology of Imitation, Innovation and Invention. The participating teachers have experienced the story learning process and the language patterns that will be introduced to the children through the stories. The stories have been written and selected to teach specific structures and conventions; so that through oral learning and repetition the children are internalising and learning the identified language patterns. These then form a personal repertoire from which each child is able to draw when speaking and writing.

A second strand in the Project has been to develop the role of the teachers as researchers in their school-based peer partnerships. In each school this constructive and supportive partnership has enabled the teachers to be reflective and critically analytical together, thus making learning personal for the teachers too. Key research questions have been investigated by the participants and all the teacher-researchers have kept learning journals as a record of their reflections and an analysis of their own and the pupils' learning during the Project.

• What has been the impact of the Project?
• Measuring progress
• Key findings
• About the International Learning and Research Centre
• Story Making National Conference 2005

What has been the impact of the Project?

The following improvements in children's language skills and language usage have been observed and recorded:

Oral Language (particularly in the early years)

• improved listening, responding and focussed talk;
• speaking in full sentences;
• explaining thought processes orally;
• oral explanations are more ordered;
• the understanding of developments and implications in a story are evident; how to use voice, expression, intonation and learning to make meaning from this;
• eye contact, non verbal skills, looking at each other when talking together is now evident;
• confidence - the Project is enabling children who were previously non-contributory to contribute with confidence;
• effective training of auditory memory;
• children tuning in to overall sounds in language is more evident.

Written Language

• enjoyment, motivation, determination to be a writer;
• use of connectives;
• using a story map as a writing frame;
• better use of punctuation (linked to tone, expression, what marks mean);
• children have a better understanding of dialogue and narrative;
• better understanding of sequence and structure;
• security with content enables young learners to focus on the mechanics of writing (familiar language, familiar structure, familiar patterns);
• the story making tools are increasing writing stamina;
• there is greater confidence to ask for help at the point of need.

The teacher-researchers have also gathered data about how the Project is influencing and shaping children's learning:

• children are able to analyse and apply their own learning styles more readily;
• children are making decisions for themselves about learning tools;
• making language more explicit enables children to look at this objectively, therefore children are able to control and manipulate language effectively for purpose and need;
• learning is active not passive;
• teachers recognise children's preferred learning styles;
• teachers have learned about what type of learners the children are, by how they retell and learn stories;
• the children's improved memory is evident;
• it is possible to apply the strategies used to teach the traditional stories to other genres, ie non fiction, report writing etc;
• story making improves confidence in speaking;
• story making affects the quality of writing, there is evident improvement in sentence level work and in handling story structure;
• the project has revealed the ability of SEN children in oral work;
• children have been overheard innovating and retelling at other times within the classroom and in their free time.

top

Measuring progress

A baseline of children's current achievement with story making was established in October 2003 from a sample of the 800 pupil cohort. After five months progress was measured again in March 2004.

top

Key findings

The Project has generated a wealth of evidence and some of the key findings are summarised below:

The Project methodology has made a positive impact on pupils' language skills and motivation. It has improved the standards of written outcomes significantly in all the schools.

For example:

• in Reception classes teachers have recorded the difference in children's ability to recall and recount narrative. Intensive, active listening has also been observed;
• in a Year 5 group with some challenging pupils, the Project had generated high levels of motivation and a keenness to contribute. There was strong evidence in this group of the story structures and patterns, initially experienced orally, being transferred to pupils' written outcomes;
• lower ability and SEN children have performed beyond expectations in all the Project classes;
• many of the teacher-researchers have used the project methodology very effectively to deliver the objectives in the National Literacy Strategy.

The Project's tools have been used flexibly and have enhanced pupils' learning.

Professional learning for the teacher-researchers has been discussed in interviews with Headteachers. It is clear that the Project has made a contribution to continuing professional development (CPD) and has had whole school implications:

• headteachers see the teacher-researcher model, with peer partnerships, as a strength;
• one headteacher identified the benefits of teachers, other than the literacy co-ordinator, leading the learning;
• the peer partnerships have made a strong impact at whole-school level. Teachers have seen the very good outcomes from the Project and believed in the methodology. One headteacher described it as winning 'the hearts and minds' of the staff team.

In many cases headteachers have seen the benefits of the Project as two-fold:

1. raising standards and improving the language learning experience in the school;
2. helping to build the professional learning capacity of the school through the teacher-researchers' role.

Through centre-based seminars the teacher-researchers has been able to debate and share their learning from this innovation, as a result there have been real improvements in teaching. Pupils have reflected on their learning too and shared their reflections with teachers and the co-leaders.

In one Year 5 group the pupils interviewed were keenly aware of the significance of their experience '...every child should have the experience of story making because it really makes a difference...' (Michael, aged 10, Trowbridge Parochial Junior School).

top

About the International Learning and Research Centre

The International Learning and Research Centre is an innovation and development centre which aims to promote school-based research and enquiry through a research and development strategy which includes learning from international contexts. It promotes innovation through local, regional, national and international projects which provide the focus for school-based research and enquiry. The research investigations undertaken support teachers to reflect on, analyse and learn from their own practice and the practice of others. By so doing they are refreshed as professionals, take a lead in their own learning and increase the knowledge and understanding of how to transform practice in their schools. Through these research activities the Centre enables teachers to be active, contributing members of a learning community.

Photographs kindly provided by Staverton CE Primary School, Wiltshire.

top

Story Making National Conference 2005

The Story Making National Conference took place on Thursday 30th June 2005 at the Hilton Bath City Hotel, Bath. It was led by Pie Corbett, poet and storyteller, Mary Rose, the Head of the International Learning and Research Centre and project teacher-researchers.

Items featured at the Conference were:

• methodology and successful strategies from the programme;
• how teachers have met the challenge of improving writing standards through storytelling.

top