The Story Tent Approach
The Story Tent project came out of Alastair Daniel’s use of storytelling as a teaching strategy
with children with profound emotional and behavioural difficulties. He found that storytelling
(as contrasted with story-reading) provided a unique method of drawing children,
who often had difficulties with imaginative play, into new worlds.
Rather than an audience, students during a Story Tent telling become participants shaping
the story which is never the same twice. With language, imagery and physical interpretation
adapted to the age and developmental
level of the participants, each storytelling event is unique.
What Age-range of students is the Story Tent suitable for?
Alastair Daniel has worked with students throughout the educational phases from Reception
classes in the UK to post-16 Belgian students studying Shakespeare.
Although Alastair is happy to work with large groups (see below), it is more usual
(and generally more satisfactory) to confine them to one or two year groups.
What is the ideal group size?
For tellings, the numbers can vary from 30 to 350, needless to say the more students with whom
to make eye-contact, the less contact time each individual will receive.
What space is required?
There are two different sets used for the storytelling.
The Story Tent itself used for the Traditional Tales (and some others)
and a revolving platform used to evoke appropriate settings
(such as ice-flows, castles and ships) for some of the more gothic tales.
The Story Tent is 3m x 3m and requires a ceiling height of 3.5m.
For most tellings a floor space 5m wide by 4m deep is required.
The platform is 2.5m x 2.5m and requires a ceiling height of 3.5m.
For most tellings a floor space 5m wide by 4m deep is required.
Workshop Tellings:
For The Picture of Dorian Gray needs a clear space (3m wide) down the middle of the group
with the students either side facing the middle.
The setting for The Importance of Being Earnest requires a clear space 4m x 4m in the centre
of the room, students facing the centre.
What time is needed for the Get-In and the Strike?
It takes an hour to prepare for a telling and the same time to pack away. Alastair usually arrives
at the venue slightly earlier so that he can enter the space with the hour to prepare;
the telling space and the route to it should not be occupied by students for safety reasons.
The same applies to the end of the event as the equipment is cleared and loaded.
Please note that because of the time required to pack-away and set-up,
it is not usually possible to clear away for the beginning of the lunch break
and then be ready for start of afternoon school.
The Story Tent project came out of Alastair Daniel’s use of storytelling as a teaching strategy
with children with profound emotional and behavioural difficulties. He found that storytelling
(as contrasted with story-
who often had difficulties with imaginative play, into new worlds.
Rather than an audience, students during a Story Tent telling become participants shaping
the story which is never the same twice. With language, imagery and physical interpretation
adapted to the age and developmental
level of the participants, each storytelling event is unique.
What Age-
Alastair Daniel has worked with students throughout the educational phases from Reception
classes in the UK to post-
Although Alastair is happy to work with large groups (see below), it is more usual
(and generally more satisfactory) to confine them to one or two year groups.
What is the ideal group size?
For tellings, the numbers can vary from 30 to 350, needless to say the more students with whom
to make eye-
What space is required?
There are two different sets used for the storytelling.
The Story Tent itself used for the Traditional Tales (and some others)
and a revolving platform used to evoke appropriate settings
(such as ice-
The Story Tent is 3m x 3m and requires a ceiling height of 3.5m.
For most tellings a floor space 5m wide by 4m deep is required.
The platform is 2.5m x 2.5m and requires a ceiling height of 3.5m.
For most tellings a floor space 5m wide by 4m deep is required.
Workshop Tellings:
For The Picture of Dorian Gray needs a clear space (3m wide) down the middle of the group
with the students either side facing the middle.
The setting for The Importance of Being Earnest requires a clear space 4m x 4m in the centre
of the room, students facing the centre.
What time is needed for the Get-
It takes an hour to prepare for a telling and the same time to pack away. Alastair usually arrives
at the venue slightly earlier so that he can enter the space with the hour to prepare;
the telling space and the route to it should not be occupied by students for safety reasons.
The same applies to the end of the event as the equipment is cleared and loaded.
Please note that because of the time required to pack-
it is not usually possible to clear away for the beginning of the lunch break
and then be ready for start of afternoon school.
