ABSTRACT
This book is about three things. First, it is about a distinctive method of teaching and learning through drama. Second, it is about using traditional stories as a way to get young children to look at the world. Third, it has a strong focus on moral education, something that is becoming a major concern in schools as we write this. The stories we use and the characters in them all present the children with moral dilemmas. Furthermore, the teaching method we use enables the children to meet these people and therefore open up a dialogue with them. They are able to confront them with the implications for the way they have behaved and give them advice before they make more decisions. The single most engaging element of drama for young children is the opening up of this dialogue. It is as if it is happening now and ‘our teacher can be anyone we wish to talk to. We can influence events and witness the success of our efforts!’ From a teaching point of view, what feels like a good game to the children allows us to diagnose their knowledge and understanding as well as their skills, in particular in the area of listening and speaking. But, just as importantly, by putting children in the position where they have to examine the moral implications of actions and how all actions have consequences (including taking no action!), we have an opportunity to develop their emotional intelligence. All this is done within the safety of a fiction, where the consequence for making ‘the wrong’ decision can be looked at without the consequences of real life.
