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Storytelling in The Classroom As A Teaching Strategy

This article discusses using storytelling as a teaching strategy in the classroom. It begins by providing examples of how stories can leave lasting impressions on students. It then provides suggestions for incorporating stories, such as sharing personal anecdotes, using stories as introductions or illustrations, or tying stories to learning goals. The article also discusses different types of stories that could be told and reasons why storytelling is an effective teaching method, such as how it humanizes learning. It concludes by encouraging teachers to have students tell their own stories.

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Karla Salamero Malabanan
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133 views3 pages

Storytelling in The Classroom As A Teaching Strategy

This article discusses using storytelling as a teaching strategy in the classroom. It begins by providing examples of how stories can leave lasting impressions on students. It then provides suggestions for incorporating stories, such as sharing personal anecdotes, using stories as introductions or illustrations, or tying stories to learning goals. The article also discusses different types of stories that could be told and reasons why storytelling is an effective teaching method, such as how it humanizes learning. It concludes by encouraging teachers to have students tell their own stories.

Uploaded by

Karla Salamero Malabanan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Storytelling in the Classroom as a Teaching Strategy


By: Jordan Catapano
President Obama spoke at my college once, the night
before he was elected into congress. Upon reaching
the room containing the overflow crowd where I was
standing, he had but a few minutes left to speak—so
he told us a story. Even though he had just spent the
last 40 minutes speaking to another room full of
supporters, it was interesting that out of all the things
he could’ve talked about, he chose to speak from the
heart.
And it’s strange—I’ve noticed that many of my former students will come back and ask,
“Do you still tell your class that story about …?”
Of all the knowledge that I attempted to instill in their minds, those goofy stories I told
from time to time seemed to leave the longest-lasting impression.
There’s something about stories that stick with us. Something about an organized
narrative teaching strategy that serves as a unique kind of glue, lingering with us long
after the facts and formulas fade away. It’s exactly this kind of adhesive that I want to
leverage for my own students, weaving the skills and information they need together
with the magic of storytelling. But despite how magnetic these teaching strategy
narratives may be, it can be difficult to pry time away from our busy day-to-day lesson
plans. So how do we make it work?
Teaching Strategies to Include Stories
Should we schedule time for it, or should it be organic? Should we attach requirements
to storytelling, or simply allow it for fun? Honestly, there’s no right or wrong way to
include them. Here are a few simple approaches you might take to include storytelling
in your classroom:
Share your own stories, just for fun: Tell them about when you were their age, about
times you failed, succeeded, or about memorable lessons you learned. This builds a
strong connection between you and your classroom, letting them know that you can
relate to them, and vice versa.
Use stories as introductions: Just as we encourage students to use attention-getting
devices for their essays and speeches, we can use the same technique as educators.
Begin class with an interesting story, but one that is relevant to the lecture’s focus.
Use stories as illustrations: When you’re hammering through a relatively difficult
concept with your class, one easy way to explain it is to illustrate the concept with a
story. When facts and figures won’t do, simple narratives sometimes can.
Tie storytelling to learning goals: We want our students to develop listening skills, and
we can incorporate storytelling into the larger picture of achieving these outcomes.
Tell stories to engage reluctant learners: Some students experience difficulty
connecting to drab textbooks or abstract concepts. However, those same learners
typically have little struggle connecting to stories. Through telling stories, you make life
and learning more relevant, giving reluctant learners a better angle of engagement.
Types of Stories
There are several different types of stories you could potentially tell in your classroom.
Harbor knowledge of each type, so if you’re lacking in one kind, you can replace it with
another.
A true story from your own life.
A true story from the life of someone you know, like a friend, family member, or
neighbor.
A true story from the news or a current event.
A story that took place sometime in history.
A fictional story, with made up characters or events.
An “Imagine if …” story that sets up a hypothetical situation.
Of course, there are various genres and styles of storytelling, but the above list
represents the essential variety that you might incorporate into the classroom.
Why Storytelling Works
In its simplest form, storytelling remains a powerful element of communication, with
the narrative being equally as compelling as essays and textbooks. They humanize
learning. It offers us the opportunity to connect to like-minded characters, or see the
world literally from within someone else’s skin. Stories touch our emotions and make
us laugh, cry, fear, and get angry—a sharp contrast to a plain old presentation.
Plus, no matter how organized or detailed a textbook might be, there’s something
about the shape of a narrative—the exposition, the problem, the quest for a solution,
the resolution—that resonates with our mental makeup.
Have Students Tell Their Stories
Have Students Tell Their Stories
As you incorporate your own stories, recognize how they connect with students on a
different level. But why keep the power of storytelling to yourself? You can also actively
help students become their own powerful storytellers, too!
Allow students to write, illustrate, and tell their own tales. The way you incorporate this
may vary depending on your curricular goals, but it is essential that children
understand how to tell a good story and how this relates to effectively accomplishing
an objective. Students can use stories in their essays and argumentation—they can
help in remembering processes or formulas, or connecting events with one another.
The opportunities are endless, and easy to employ.
How do YOU incorporate storytelling in the classroom? Share your ideas with us in the
comments below!
Check out TeachHUB.com’s extensive library of back-to-school and first-day of school
articles, a list which grows every day:
7 First Day of School Activities Students Love
Back to School: 6 Things to Do at the Start of the Year
Back to School: Starting the Year on the Right Foot
How Parents Can Prepare for Back to School Time
Back to School: Top 5 Grammar Tips
Back to School: 10 Ways Teachers Can Prepare
Jordan Catapano is a high school English teacher in a Chicago suburb. In addition to
being National Board Certificated, he also has worked with the Illinois Association of
Teachers of English and currently serves as a school board member for a private school.
You can follow him on Twitter at @BuffEnglish, or visit his website
ACTWritingTips.com. 
 

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