About Me

My name is Koo Yi Jie, a centre leader in one of Singapore's early childhood programs, and passionate early childhood advocate. As the saying goes, “it is easier to build a child than to rebuild an adult”, our work with young children is truly phenomenal. I have a Early Childhood Education Diploma (2013), Degree (2015) , and Masters in Education from NIE (2021) . I am a certified Adult Trainer (2022) , specialized in Early Childhood Content. For collaborations and content development, please feel free to email me at kooyijie@gmail.com.

.

Monday, January 25

Discover the Storyteller within you by Ana Sousa Gavin

I registered this course with the intention to be a better storyteller for my toddlers. Currently, the toddlers that I am working with (are turning three), are very curious and keen to use their developing language in story reading with questions and comments and short stories.  I wish to include them in stories beyond the visuals or published content. As we know, storybooks have great visuals to enhance their language comprehension and attention span. Hence, I wish to challenge myself and the toddlers, to rely less on visuals and more on auditory and imagination. I wish to embrace the beauty of creativity and imagination in the classroom.

I was truly inspired by the facilitator and the people I met. Firstly, Ana was the most talented and engaging storyteller I’ve met. She was quick to react to the audience’s verbal and non-verbal cues while delivering consistent and engaging stories. As an adult, I was engrossed and was able to visualize her stories vividly in my mind, these visuals are unforgettable and remains in my mind till now. The classmates who I’ve met are not just teachers or students, they are film makers, sales executives, businessmen and insurance agents. Just like myself, they are aware of the importance of storytelling in convincing and educating others (to achieve sales, objectives, etc.).

Most importantly, I am inspired to know that I am a great storyteller.  Everyone has their own stories to tell and everyone can learn the skills to tell good stories. Furthermore, humans are wired to learn through stories. There are strategies that we can learn from to aid us to be great storyteller. For instance, using simple storyboards, highlighting special phrases and features to replicate. With consistent practice and evaluating, your stories can be mesmerizing and educational to others as well.  New class goals: To tell more stories! And, be better at it!

If you are keen, you can register via ALAP (Academy of Literary Arts and Publishing Singapore) for Ana’s upcoming classes - Discover the storyteller within you 2; Storytelling with Pictures in April. 

See you there!