For thousands
of years stories have been used to educate, entertain and inspire.
The books of most major religions are filled with tales that have
guided the generations. Movies have influenced fashion, pop culture
-even politics. (e.g., Calls for the declassification of Kennedy
documents after the movie "JFK"). Stories allow us to
connect with other humans (real or fictional) and experience life
vicariously.
Stories are
also great for teaching youth. A lesson disguised as a story is
more likely to be absorbed by a student. For example, when we
want to teach a child not to ask for help if it's not needed,
we tell the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. A story with a moral
at the end is much more effective than the moral on its own.
Qualities
of Effective Teaching Stories:
Address
universal themes. Students can relate to the characters and
the challenges they face.
Unusual.
We don't want to hear about everyday life - we get that everyday!
Find something interesting and a little different.
Personal.
Students appreciate hearing a real, authentic story from the person
who experienced it first hand. As their teacher, your stories
will be particularly interesting and make you seem more human.
Contrary to what many teachers believe, sharing a personal and
appropriate story will actually win you more respect.
Demonstrate
consequences or rewards for choices made. Main characters
should be rewarded for making good choices, or punished for bad
choices. This is common in Shakespeare and most films we see at
the theater.
Appeal
to the three main Representational Systems: Visual, Auditory &
Kinesthetic. Some students respond to images, some to sounds
and some to feelings. When telling your stories, try to use descriptions
from all three Representational Systems. What do we see, what
do we hear, and what's it feel like?
For a great
collection of teaching stories that demonstrate these qualities,
check out the Chicken
Soup for the Soul Series.