Once upon a time, there was a … story. Storytelling defines us as a species, culturally, and also on a very personal level. And it’s something children do naturally and instinctively, and in a variety of ways and contexts. But storytelling shouldn’t be limited to our young learners. Teenagers and adults can benefit from listening to and telling stories in the classroom too.
Laura Moulton is Professional Learning and Development Manager for Cambridge University Press, Turkey. She has been a teacher since early 2000 and a teacher trainer since 2004. Delivering training to KG, Primary, Secondary, University and Language School teachers, she has developed and delivered workshops, plenaries and training sessions at schools, universities and conferences in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and all over Turkey.
Storytelling is a huge area, so here I’m going to just have a brief look at some of the whys of storytelling in the classroom. In the accompanying video (below), I will also talk about the key elements to a good story and things we can do to make storytelling effective.
Stories and storytelling predate written language. The human brain seems hard-wired to enjoy, respond to, and create stories. Even if you think you are not a natural storyteller, consider this: every time you recount an event (large or small) that happened to you, you are telling a story. Every time you dream, your brain is telling you a story (even though it may be weird and nonsensical, your brain tries to form your unconscious thoughts into a narrative). You may even re-tell that strange story to your friends. So why is this storytelling great for the classroom?
Motivation and engagement
Most teachers will cite this as one of the main reasons for using storytelling. And why not? It’s true! We all respond to stories, especially ones that resonate with our own life experiences, hopes and dreams.
When you are telling a story, you are pulling the audience into the world of the story, and the journey of the characters. The techniques I talk about in the video can help you to do this. But the most important thing is for you – the storyteller – to fully believe in the story yourself. If something surprising occurs, you need to be surprised! If you want your listeners to wonder what is going to happen next, you also need to wonder (even if you know).
Exposure to language
Of course, this is important as English language teachers. But let’s dig a little deeper here. Think about the difference between the language used in a story to the functional language we might teach in other parts of the lesson. We have the opportunity in a story to use and explore a much richer and exciting range of language.
Think of all those glorious, scrumptious, delectable adjectives, for instance. Grammar, and syntax too, can be approached in a much more exciting and digestible context. And you can expose your students to more complex grammar structures that they will be able to grasp. Many teachers (and parents) are afraid to expose learners to ‘difficult’ language, but a story is the perfect way to do it, as everything can be contextualized either through the story itself, or through pictures, actions and questions. “In fact, stories are the perfect way to teach structures such as narrative tenses and reported speech!” She exclaimed.
More than vocabulary and grammar
Storytelling is both pre-reading and pre-writing skills development. The first thing we read, when we begin to read in our first language, is a story. The first substantial thing we write is a story. So along with vocabulary and grammar, storytelling can help to develop skills in discourse, such as structure, cohesion, linkers (time, cause, result, etc.), tone and style.
We can also expose our learners to an enormous amount of figurative language, such as metaphor, simile and personification. All these are fundamental to good reading and writing skills they will need throughout their learning journey.
Develop a love of literature
Children who have stories read to them are much more likely to become enthusiastic and confident readers of stories. Children who enjoy reading stories are much more likely to become adults who read stories (and other things). They are more likely to pick up a book ‘for fun’ in their free time. This is true autonomous learning, that all teachers seek to encourage.
If our students develop a love of literature, a whole new world will open up for them. They will develop a greater and richer vocabulary. They will be exposed to characters, places and situations beyond their own world and experience.
Emotional and social development
In following the stories of characters they can identify with, learners can develop these important Life Competencies. Many traditional tales have a moral to them, but this isn’t necessary. Engagement with a character’s journey, their inner life and how they interact with others can help build their understanding of how the world works and their own place in it. They can also develop empathy, critical thinking skills and cultural awareness. Stories can also help to build a learner’s self-esteem, confidence and resilience.
Make storytelling effective
This list is not exhaustive, and I’m sure you can add to it! The point is, there is no reason not to use storytelling.
I would suggest that the first step is to find a story you like and that you think your learners will like. This is probably more important than the language used, or the length or genre of the story.
We may not always have the time or the means to do this, but it is definitely worthwhile to try storytelling, rather than story reading. This means you need to know a story by heart. Not word for word, but the main ideas of the story. As you practise telling the story, you may change the details or the order of events – that’s ok: it’s all about being comfortable telling a story and making it ‘your own’.
If you can tell your story from your heart, rather than from the page, making eye contact, using gestures, facial expressions, and even voices, you will capture your listeners’ attention and imagination and they will readily join you on a very exciting adventure!
Want more on storytelling? Check out storytelling online with young learners and for more activity-based storytelling, try Bringing storytelling to life, with Fitz and Will