THE MAGICAL EFFECT OF STORY TELLING APPROACH
Who doesn’t love a good story?
Once upon a time, there was a great teacher. Whenever she was teaching, her students’ eyes and ears were glued to her. When these children went home, many of them used to share a lot of what they discussed in her class, with their parents. The parents wondered how engaged their children were while doing so.
How did this teacher make it possible? She was an effective storyteller. Not only that she used stories as such to drive messages, ideas, and concepts, she used the story telling approach while delivering her lessons.
We all know that attention is a scarce resource. We, as teachers, strive to grab the attention of our students. Try out, and experience the magical effect of the technique of storytelling in your class.
Why this approach?
Stories engage the learner. They help connect the dots because they have a logical flow. They appeal to all sorts of learners. Students will find it easier to remember what they have learned. They lead to learning that sticks. They keep the learners curious, and make them think, “What next?”
To develop a deeper understanding of a specific subject, students need to trace their learning journey and ask – What do I know? How do these ideas fit together? How has my understanding changed? And can I explain what I know to someone else?
“We remember stories, not isolated facts. Learning facts devoid of context taxes working memory and without context, what we learn soon fades.” – Wharton Interactive.
What should you do?
Make sure you start with what they know, and what they have seen/ experienced around, and take them to the world of the unknown.
See that there is a connection between pieces of knowledge and information, and your students will be able to make out, “Where does this piece fit in?”
While you may wonder if you can always tell stories in the class, you can incorporate the storytelling approach into whatever you teach them.