DRAMA AND TRADITIONAL STORY FOR THE EARLY YEARS. By Nigel Toye and Francis Prendiville. (Routledge/Falmer, 14.99, 020 7583 9855).
Reviewed by Marian Whitehead, language and early years consultant
This book comes with a respectable pedigree in 'drama in education', and raises some important topics. Among these are the significance of the stories in nursery rhymes and folk tales; the nature and value of adult intervention in play; and children's ways of making sense of the world through socio-dramatic play, and their emerging ability as 'experts' on human behaviour.
The authors say their book is about three things: a distinctive method of teaching and learning through drama; using traditional stories as a way of looking at the world; and, a strong focus on moral education. They offer 16 full dramas and more than 30 starting points for developing new ones in nursery, reception and Key Stage 1 classes.
But this book is also an example of the downward pressure for subject specialism in the early years and of close adherence to the National Curriculum in all its inappropriateness for young learners. Many of the activities tend to give a far more active role to the teacher than to the children, and it is not acceptable for a book published in 2000 to be oblivious to the early learning goals and Foundation Stage.
