When learning involves a trip down wonderland

Chennai

People always thought 44-year-old Beatriz was effortlessly funny. She would always have the right kind of story up her sleeve when anyone fell low. “It’s in my personality. I like to see people smile,” said Beatriz who was at St Stephen’s Matriculation School, Pallavaram, to interact with the teachers. She had been invited by Daniel Joseph of the Virginia Academy of Training and Development that offers English Language training to school and college students.

However, she was asked to give an impromptu performance for the kindergarten kids. All she had was an oversized T. Shirt with a photo of a hat and a rabbit jumping out of it. She used a lipstick to colour her face like a clown and slipped into the role of a funny storyteller after which she engaged the kids in an entertaining session marked with bouts of laughter. “The children were very receptive to the stories and they participated very eagerly as they sang along and clapped together. The teachers were extremely sensitive and sensible about integrating storytelling into education,” said  Beatriz. She has been working in the field of education for many years, especially on child development in the areas of toddlers and babies and has also been associated with theatre and drama. “Having worked in all these fields, I wanted to merge all these together and tell stories in a way that engages young children,” explained Beatriz who dresses up like a clown to tell stories.

“The idea is to make classes interesting for these kids. We plan to train teachers in a way that kids love to learn from them. There should be effective storytelling that allows kids to use their imagination. We plan to associate with schools and train them in storytelling,” said Daniel Joseph. Beatriz concluded, “Apart from improving diction and vocabulary, it engages them more in class. Rather than looking at classes as a one-sided microphone where teachers are the centre, we must explore ways to make them more memorable and retainable — both of which could be intertwined in a good story.”