Project

Project Summary

“The Children of Sheherazade” is a three year evaluation research study of an oral storytelling project that started after the autumn break in 2021 and ends in October 2024.

This project is based on the pilot research project „Einsteins Kinder“ which was a joint research study with Professor Dr. Thomas Hennemann, head of the department of educational help and social-emotional development in the faculty of human sciences at the University of Cologne, and Haus der Märchen und Geschichten. The results of four tests dealing with emotional problem, specifically “lessening of fears”, had been evaluated and the science world concluded a significant difference. We want to see if those results can be replicated.

The resources of that study are taken, redefined and adjusted to form a new research design. This design includes the needs and questions of all partners.
Those are for the partners in Belgium and Germany: How to provide children with various backgrounds and religions a common denominator.
For the partner Greece: How to give children of migrants and refugees a feeling of a “new home”.
For the partner in Denmark: How free schools can provide the common heritage in Denmark.

Objectives

The study aims to give an objective idea of how beneficial the art of storytelling is for children with migrational background, with a socially deprived background, with a sense of fear for oneself and the future. It will promote social and emotional stability, further resiliences, awaken fantasy, understand different cultures, build tolerance and self awareness, develop a sense of “home” regardless of one’s own cultural background, understand communication: personal, media and digital. It will give children regardless of who or where they are, a rise in self esteem and awaken their fantasy. Those skills will enable them to creatively form their lives and the future.

Working in small groups ©GGS Düppelstraße Aache

Activities

Professional storytellers visit the classes once a week, 30 times during the academic year. The telling is done during the morning sessions. The whole class is in attendance as well as the class room teacher. The sessions are 90 minutes long and consists of one told story, a movement element and a drawing. Nothing will ever be graded. The whole concept is not based on any paedagogical concept, just an artist presenting his/her art!

In the first year only wonder tales are told. They are based on the children’s cultural backgrounds, so all of them can feel respected and accepted. At the same time, as fairy tales all have the same structure, a common bond can be established among the class. 
In the second year themes play a role. A more active listening skill is furthered, something not so common anymore within our digital world in which the visual sense is more and more focused on. But as listening and telling are the pillars on which human communication is built, this skill is too important to be ignored. Two themes are chosen by the students themselves in a democratic way. One theme is told in all of the classes: nature and the understanding that we are part of it. The third year is dedicated to the art of inventing stories, tales, poems.

Drawing after listening to a story ©GGS Düppelstraße Aache

After each telling and the movement element each student draws a picture which is collected. At the end of the school year all of the drawings are bound into booklets. Each student creates her/his own book with his/her own drawings, after having chosen a common title. This is repeated for the theme stories and for the invented tales. At the end of the project each student has a least 5 created books of his/her own.

The study includes both quantitative and qualitative research questions. They will provide scientific information of how the subject “storytelling” can improve the children’s emotional and social competencies, intercultural acceptance, imagination, an understanding of common values and emotional and social skills.

Opinions and Thoughts

At the end of the project storytellers, teachers and pupils shared their opninions and thoughts about the project. You can find the full interviews and questionnaires in the Qualitative Results.

Reports of the Storytellers

The four storytellers have written yearly reports of their experiences and observations during the project:

Year 1
Belgium_storyteller’s report of year 1 »
Denmark_storyteller’s report of year 1 »
Germany_storyteller’s report of year 1 »
Greece_storyteller’s report of year 1 »

Year 2
Belgium_storyteller’s report of year 2 »
Denmark_storyteller’s report of year 2 »
Germany_storyteller’s report of year 2 »
Greece_storyteller’s report of year 2 »

Year 3
Belgium_storyteller’s report of year 3 »
Denmark_storyteller’s report of year 3 »
Germany_storyteller’s report of year 3 »
Greece_storyteller’s report of year 3 »

Voices of the Children

„… it brought out the creative part in me. That doesn‘t usually happen at school, not even in art.“

„I learnt how to listen.“

„It‘s closer than a film. I close my eyes and see it in front of me.“

„We learnt to work better together during the group work.“

„A little energy boost in the middle of the week.“

Voices of the Teachers

„The children … were able to listen (surprisingly) for a very long time with great concentration.“

„… they were able to sit quietly for a long time and follow the story (which is not a matter of course for children with ADHD)“

„The most positive thing about this project was that the children got to know fairy tales from their homelands and identified with their heroes!“

„The project helped the children to externalize their feelings more easily …“