7 Surefire Tips On Teaching With Stories

Children have a hunger for stories. " Tell me a story Mommy." "Tell me a story Daddy." are words that come out of their mouths at least once a day.
 
Stories entertain, inform, explain and help us decide how we will relate to the world and its people.
 
It is a wise teacher who includes storytelling  in their teaching  tool kit.

Example of the power of story.

I once met a former student I hadn't seen since his senior year in High School. After we made the usual comments about how nice it was to see one another he looked at me and said, " Mr. Moore, do you remember telling us the story about Josephine?"  I replied, " Yes I do. Don't tell me you remember that story after all these years."  He then proceeded to tell me the entire story in detail.  I couldn't believe it.

I'm sure he couldn't tell me anything about the academic content I covered in his senior year, but he recalled every detail of that story.


Here are 7 surefire tips on using stories to teach your students and have them love it.
 
1. Don't begin a story with " Once Upon a time . . . " unless you're dealing with very young children.
 
2. Become aware of stories with a message while you read , listen and view the media and life around you.
 
3. When you find a story you can use jot the story line down in few words.
 
4. Practice telling the story in your own words. Feel free to embellish the story to suit your situation.
 
5. When you tell the story let it speak to the listener. Resist the temptation to tell them what the story means.
 
6. You can ask a question related to the story when you're finished but don't try to condition their response. Just listen.
 
7. Keep your stories short and crisp. Don't get bogged down in detail.

Learn more about effective storytelling CLICK HERE