Narratives replace themes

Narratives have replaced themes as the approach to teaching in the Early Sector of San Anton School.

Sandra Mezzapelle, head of the Early Sector, explained that teaching through themes had always been a strong point of pedagogy, but narratives had now replaced themes as the glue that holds together all aspects of the Early Sector curriculum.

"Children respond more readily to stories and identify more closely with the characters."

She said teaching staff had voluntarily given up part of their summer vacation to familiarise themselves with the new techniques under the guidance of Suzanne Gatt of the University's Faculty of Education.

A number of projectors have also been installed, contributing substantially to bringing the narratives to life by animating the spoken word and dressing it up in a splash of colours.

"Multi-media thus provides the means for a multi-sensory approach, making learning colourful and more effective," she said.