Storytelling Workshop by Cassandra Wye

With his role as a trainer for British Council,  Irfan Rifai  attended a workshop on storytelling and the grand aunch of  KIDS READ program on November 13, 2014. The KIDS read program is a program initiated by British Council, a partner in many English department events, and an international – based bank.  Acting as trainer for the workshop was Cassandra Wye, a UK-based Storyteller who has traveled around the world training teachers and telling stories to children.

Irfan and other participants were attending 2.5 hour-workshop in which they were made to involve in story making and were given tips on how to create stories with students / children. Cassandra also stressed the impacts of story telling to students’ learning. She believed that story telling would enhance students learning in many ways and that us, English instructors, would gain the benefit of better meaningful exposure to the target language, improved students’ engagement and the opportunities for students to practice the language.

The workshop was followed by Cassandra leading a group of volunteers in telling  ‘The Giant Turnip Story’ to a group 400sh teachers and students from 6 elementary schools in Jakarta. The audiences reacted imminently to the invitation of clapping hands, singing rhymes and moving their feet together as they followed lines of stories told by Cassnadra and the group. It was a magnificent view!

English department thanks British Council for extending the invitation and wishes all the best and success for the continuation of the program (Irf).