testimonials & frequently asked questions

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What educators say about us . . .


“The Story Spinner DVD set is a brilliant use of new technology to bring the delights of the oral tradition to a 21st century audience. Children crave stories, and for good reason. Stories build up their understanding of ideas, feelings, people, places and their store of words to explore and express their own experiences of the world. They create strong foundations on which literacy and learning can be built. But this carefully selected and beautifully produced collection is far more than an educational resource - it’s a cultural treasure trove, and a very special personal experience!”
Sue Palmer, Literacy Consultant and writer on contemporary childhood

“Enthralling, moving, amusing – such words aren’t enough to describe the richness of this series of stories. Carefully chosen for Reception to Year 6 and enchantingly told by Phil McDermott, this series of DVDs is an immense resource for any school. Drawn from around the world, some of the stories may seem familiar – but often have a unique twist. You can hear all about why Jack and Jill really went up the hill (Reception), feel anger at the cruelty, fortunately redeemed, in Granddad and the Laundry Basket (Year 4) and experience the tension and horror of the Red Riding Hood tale, set in 13th century England and told from different points of view (Year 6). Greek Myths rub shoulders with British tales and Phil Mc Dermott brings life to each, offering a model for teachers and children alike of how to tell stories which can touch our lives, evoke all sorts of emotions and captivate the imagination.

Each DVD is accompanied by notes linked to the Literacy Framework with suggestions for how they can be enjoyed and built on but they have a richness which means they offer much more to the wider curriculum. Some stories take the listener to different places and different times, asking tough questions about right and wrong, or painting pictures for the mind of landscapes beyond the here and now. Others are rooted in everyday life where anything can happen!

The power of story to engage, amaze and disturb is presented here in a compelling collection, brilliantly told. If you buy nothing else this year, buy The Story Spinner and enjoy the journey.”
Eve Bearne, University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education

“These wonderful stories are taken from a range of cultures but because they are told without pictures they transcend their cultural origins. When teachers use them in the classroom each child will draw on his or her own previous experience and imagination to visualise the stories in a unique way. The DVD format means that they can hear the stories over and over again.

Children who are learning English as an additional language will benefit particularly, once they are beyond the initial stages. Repeated listening will support them to embed the patterns of language used to tell stories, internalise the templates they provide for archetypal characters and different story structures, and learn the features of different narrative genre. Dramatisation scaffolds understanding and supports language development.
Teachers and practitioners can use the DVDs to create a rich shared experience in the classroom, confidently sitting children down in front of the interactive whiteboard or computer screen secure in the knowledge that this is nothing like watching television!

When I sat down to let this story teller work his magic I was utterly spellbound from start to finish. Phil Dermott provides a model of story telling that we can all benefit from.”
Jill Catlow. Former National Strategy Regional Adviser and lead author of the professional development materials commonly known as the EAL Toolkit
(Excellence and Enjoyment: learning and teaching for bilingual children in the primary years [DfES 2006])

“The stories are retold vividly with the storyteller’s face and voice providing all the detail children need to picture the action, and feel the tension. The fact that the stories could be replayed would help children internalise the language and structure of the stories. An unusual resource, with imaginative language and an interesting choice of stories which all schools could use, both in and out of the Literacy lesson.”
NATE

“From time to time someone comes up with a gem. And this is one. However old we are, 3 or 83, there is something enthralling about listening to these stories; something familiar about their shapes, the richness of the language and the power of Phil McDermott's tellings. The Story Spinner whets our appetite, stirs our imaginations, enthuses and delights - but perhaps most of all gives us an exciting glimpse of what… might be. How powerful would it be to find out how many stories could travel across a city! From home to school, through communities, across cultures and generations…and how many stories would there be? The Story Spinner sows the seed for teachers, children, families to weave their own tales of wonder and delight for the National Year of Reading and beyond!”
Marilyn Mottram, School Effectiveness Adviser, Birmingham LA

Please feel free to contact us if you’d like to read further testimonials from the following;

frequently asked questions

Why do you have only one Storyteller?

There is a subtle trust between a storyteller and their audience, especially children. This trust is built up over time and repetition and gives the viewer a chance to build their own personal relationship with Phil. So having one familiar storyteller allows the children to be taken into their own imagination more quickly and more deeply and the shared experience of watching the Story Spinner becomes more about the story they create together than the teller. Many teachers have told us that having a regular male figure in their classroom has had a really positive effect on the children’s learning.

Why is it filmed this way?

We have done extensive research into how children watch stories and tested filming Phil in every possible way. We observed time and again that any distraction or movement away from Phil’s face only distracted the viewer from the story. This way, the child has the unique experience of watching their own version of the story unfold. It is a powerful way of stretching their imagination

Like the oldest oral tradition, the strongest way to tell a story is without a script so that eye contact is maintained throughout the story. This is especially helpful and vitally important for boys.

Phil’s facial expressions, characterisations and dramatisation build up ‘the scaffolding’ of the story and become key in informing the children of the emotion of the story, while the words help them to create their own pictures of the story. This is vitally important for children with EAL or SEN.

Why is oral storytelling so important?

Oral stories fit into the evolution of reading and writing way before a pencil has even been lifted or the first words pronounced. It’s all about ‘image making’ - allowing words to be transformed into images through each child’s own imagination, based on their individual life experience. Every child will experience a different story. For example a child from Bosnia will have a very different picture of a wood than a child from Somalia. This individual visualisation then leads to being able to imagine what they read and give them confidence in their images when they write.

What makes the Story Spinner so special?

The Story Spinner box set is the only library of oral stories available on DVD. Phil McDermott is in the rare position of being a full time storyteller in primary schools. So built into the series is an age appropriate progression of stories that have been tried and tested, live, in primary schools for the last 13 years. By offering so many stories on DVD, children at all levels can watch and enjoy the stories again and again. This also allows teachers to share stories from other years with children who might need extra support.

Live storytellers vs. the Story Spinner DVD.

There is no doubt that experiencing a live storyteller is more entertaining. The stories change with each audience, sometimes drastically in each telling. It is a truly shared experience. However when the storyteller leaves the school they are left with a vacuum. The story dissipates and is eventually lost, leaving the memory of the experience, not the story. The Story Spinner DVDs allow you to have repeated viewings of the exact same telling of a particular live story. You can then use it as a powerful teaching tool - have the children do their own re-tellings; analyse the story structure; discuss the characters; hot seat; make story plates; story boards; artwork; drama... as well as simply enjoying the shared experience of the story.

Imagine - you have a master storyteller at your disposal whenever you want! The DVD should never replace the wonderful experience of live story telling. It simply enables you to take the story back to the classroom.