| Summary: | Imaginative storytelling offered as an invitation to learning dovetails with the notion of Romance in cyclical, organic learning. It is upon the theme of rhythmic storytelling and its relationship to Alfred North Whitehead’s cycle of Romance/Freedom of “The Wood between the Worlds” that I concentrate in this thesis. The thesis proceeds in four chapters to facilitate such understanding. Chapter One reawakens the childlike wonder of the stories my father related to me when I was young; my personal academic trajectory traces out the Whiteheadian pattern of the overlapping tri-cycle of Romance/Freedom, Precision/Self-Discipline, and Generalization/Freedom. Chapter Two introduces the enchanted Narnian “Wood between the Worlds” envisioned by Clive Staples Lewis with reference to the literary and sensory forests I have known. Chapter Three presents the Voices of the Children from my Grade Two class over a period of one year, based upon my memories and personal anecdotal notes of their stories as well as their creative use of storytelling. I also explore Antonio Machón’s consideration of children’s drawings as storytelling. In conclusion, Chapter Four describes my journeys with First Nations pilot programs Math Warriors (Saskatoon Catholic School Board) and Indigenous Knowledge in Science (Saskatoon Public School Board), leading me to better appreciate Indigenous educational philosophy. In the process I consider insights shared by Verna Kirkness (Cree), Jo-ann Archibald (Stó:lö and Coast Salish), and others. Finally, I interpret “The Wood between the Worlds” from a Whiteheadian perspective, reflecting upon contrasts and commonalities Whitehead may share with Aboriginal thought.
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