Storytelling Schools N.Z.E.I Professional Development

I really enjoyed going to this professional development talk. I liked their ideas on what great stories needs: mood that moves us, openings that hook, settings that convince, characters we care about, problems that matter, middles that build drama, endings that satisfy, action that is clear and description that is vivid. They see storytelling as a way of teaching many skills like: speaking, listening, confidence, empathy, ideas, facts, sequences, plots and writing. "Children who fill up with stories by listening and retelling create an inner store of language, ideas and imagination. They can draw upon this store in their work and life." They suggest this is a method that is proven to raise standards in writing quickly. I think it is a good idea that needs to be investigated further.