Connecting Storytelling and Social Wellness: A Case for Holistic Storytelling in the Elementary Classroom

  • Rachel Tinckler
Keywords: teaching, storytelling, social wellness, healthy development, holistic storytelling

Abstract

Storytelling has a fundamental place in teaching practice, most noticeably in the sharing and developing of curricular content. But teachers share more than academic content with children. A critical prerequisite for meaningful, engaged learning is a strong sense of community and social wellness in the classroom. Based on an inquiry into literature and reflection on personal practice, this study asserts that the practice of storytelling fosters social wellness in the classroom and supports the healthy development of each child as a whole human being within and as part of that community. Connecting storytelling and social wellness, this inquiry offers a unique definition of “holistic storytelling.”

Author Biography

Rachel Tinckler

Rachel Tinckler is an elementary school educator in Calgary, Alberta, where she has taught in both public and private schools. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Franklin and Marshall College, and a Bachelor of Education and Masters of Education, both from the University of Calgary. Her graduate course work focused on creativity, student confidence, professional leadership, and expressive writing and storytelling with children. She is in her tenth year of teaching and is inspired to enlivening and enriching curriculum through integrated studies, artistic infusion, and storytelling.

Published
2017-07-07
How to Cite
Tinckler, R. (2017). Connecting Storytelling and Social Wellness: A Case for Holistic Storytelling in the Elementary Classroom. LEARNing Landscapes, 10(2), 319-333. https://doi.org/10.36510/learnland.v10i2.818