Reading – The Persuasive Power of Narrative
Share how you have used storytelling to link learning in your teaching practice.
IMPORTANT NOTE – Teacher PD Accredited Hours
If you are participating in this forum as part of obtaining Teacher PD accredited hours please be aware that you must complete steps 1 and 2 below in order to meet the requirements of this forum and in order for you to receive your accredited PD hours.
You are required to do 2 things:
- Add your own contribution to the Community of Practice Forum
- Respond to at least two other posts on the Community of Practice Forum
I find story telling is valuable both in teaching and learning, and in working with people. Its true that the value of the teacher in any setting is enhanced through the sharing of experiences through story telling…it grounds the theory in practice and builds a better relationship through the sharing of your story.
Having such multicultural classrooms now, I found that storytelling helps break down barriers and improves students’ learning and outcomes. It also helps to create rapport when teaching via virtual classrooms as the students get to know each other as “people” not just another student. It also provides insight into how I can help different students with their learning needs.
I alway use storytelling to link learning. The students love hearing about the content when you relate it to what happens in industry with clients. I also use guest speakers and past students. I have always found story telling extremely powerful.
I also use story telling from experiences in the industry, it helps students understand why they need to learn the skills I am trying to teach them
I’ve used my own story and experiences as an immigrant and non-native speaker of English. Esp. sharing my story of feeling lonely /lack of own friends / purpose when I arrived in Australia. A friend who had lived abroad herself recommended to do some volunteer work, and this was such a great experience for me. I got a volunteer job at a Visitor Information Centre and I met lots of people, both locals and tourists, I felt useful and I learnt lots of new things and my English language skills improved.
I have also used my own experience as an immigrant to show the students struggling with language and culture that it is ok not to understand everything immediately and to give them the confidence to ask questions when another student uses colloquial language. I try to encourage my students to share some of their cultures in this environment and let them tell some of their stories and struggles. I have found that this helps everyone and makes students more tolerant and accepting
In my experience I have found that my ” war stories” from working in the profession gave context to what I was taking about and yes where things went wrong ,what I did to fix that wrong. This taught even more about the significance of consequences . Students listened asked question and were far more engaged in understanding what I was talking about then when I just talked at them.
Wow!! It was so refreshing listening to all the reasons why putting relationship before the student is the most authentic and effective way to engage our students. I have always shared my experiences with my students especially in a Vocational setting where it reinforces the learning outcomes.
Sharing my stories has always been the cornerstone of my lessons and quite frankly made teaching so much more enjoyable. I know my students love it because they are totally engaged!!
I agree. Building those relationships helps us connect with our students and that relationship combined with our experiences connects with them. An yes teaching is more enjoyable
It’s such a nice feeling when stories are shared and connect people.
I share my own story how I had to leave the uni after my Bachelor’s Degree, taught at a high school, realised I needed more of Linguistic, completed a Masters degree, got teacher training and how it changed my life, my approach to teaching. To keep current in the Industry how we, as teachers, have to keep upskilling ourselves. So its not just them learning; we keep learning too. Most of my students really show me how they want to keep learning. This is very rewarding for me.
I couldn’t agree more. Sharing my experience about learning and professional development enables my students to understand that learning is “life long” and to always strive to do the same.
Thanks for sharing Shaista. I have applied this strategy with the people I work with to encourage them to continue to upskill and reskill.
I love to discuss my errors or even break down in communication that can occur in the workplace. Not only does it seems to strengthen the connection, but it invites others in to room to share more vulnerable moments
So true . The point is made in the video that when we share our mistakes and how we deal in a real world setting connects with our students and also shows that we are all human.
I agree. Our vulnerability can validate and reassure them to keep going when they get it wrong.
I always use stories (mostly from my kids!). Being relatable and human goes a long way with gen z – that or they just like to laugh at the old duck!
When I used to teach Customer Service skills, I used my personal stories from when I worked in the hotel industry and as a flight attendant. I gave examples on how I dealt with complaints; with frustrated and tired passengers and it would bring the points across.
When I teach child protection/community services, I speak of how troubled kids came into our foster home and how their previous experiences made them behave at our home. Why emotional dysregulation is a common issue for these kids and how we need to look at what has happened to them to actually understand their behaviors and their reasoning behind why they do what they do.
I can really relate to what you are saying. I teach Hospitality and find that all my shared stories really help the students to understand not only my experiences the complexities of hospitality but how I dealt with customers, suppliers, and what it means to work in this Industry.
As a nurse story telling is a great way to teach! Telling student stories about patients or cases you have ben involved in really helps to get your points across. Highlights both good and bad experiences.
I bet you would have good stories as well!
Agree Helen, nothing more impactful for students than hearing their teacher share their stories of the workplace that will become theirs in the future. It grounds the theory and builds an image and in some cases a more real expectation around what that workplace will present to them.
Storytelling is at the core of my industry in many ways. Early childhood is a critical time to facilitate and encourage children’s thinking. Telling, and more importantly listening to stories is not to be underestimated in its benefit to lifelong learning.
I agree – its a great way to learn and kids have such a great imagination!
As a TAFE teacher – teaching Early Childhood Education & Care, I take the experiences of working in the sector, to the classroom. When & wherever possible, I share an example…..
Leanne i think its key – using your experience to teach others
I have found that telling my apprentices of both good and bad experiences/stories when I was an apprentice and beyond to be valuable when connecting with them. It makes it real for the apprentice.
I have found sharing my mistakes makes for an interesting and humorous class
I also agree, that sharing the instances where mistakes are made but this helps with the learning, seems advantageous in the classroom
I believe having the art of storytelling is vital to being an engaging teacher as it has the ability to captivate a student “in the moment”. It aligns with our emotional intelligence and offers the student to think creatively and uniquely. Most of all, storytelling requires time and connectedness. I believe that in this technical and speedy era, students crave this.
So true and I often give an example of what a passenger or client said and then asked them what they would have done before I tell them what I did.
It makes them think outside the box and makes for good discussions.
Whenever I can, so long as it is appropriate and relevant. I find this to be a great engagement technique. It contextualises the content and makes it relevant to their lives. Not to mention, this strengthens that human connection. So valuable.
I also find it lightens, sometimes heavy learning materials. It makes the process of exchange, more enjoyable & relatable for both ‘facilitator’ & ‘learner’.
I agree Tayce, it can also bring in an element of humour to lighten some subject matter
Hi Tayce, your correct as long as its appropriate and relevant
I agree the human connection seems to improve greatly when you include your personal experiences
Yes, I find it engaging too. Students seem to like it, they can relate to it
I agree, relatability is important
I use storytelling alot in my teaching as I feel that connectedness to my student and I feel that they open up more with stories of there own and then connect stories to learning and make connection that are remembered far beyond time spent in the classroom.A very valuable teaching technique.
Totally Agree. So very important and valuable.
I feel lucky that I work in the industry and can use real life and current examples when I teach the theory. I don’t think my students would believe it just from the assessments, they need to connect with the industry through real stories.
I 100% agree, I think it also helps to take some of the mystery away from the content we teach.
Most of my students are adult migrants who are often struggling with similar issues what I had to deal with when I arrived in Australia. I share my stories of lows and highs to motivate my students. It helps me to connect to them at personal level.
And it makes you a positive role model! I think that is great.
That’s my story too. They can see how I had to steer through the different stages to achieve what I have achieved. My previous Coordinator used to encourage me to share my story with the class.
I have used storytelling as means of encouraging a student to overcome difficulty with a practical task. Engaging different thought patterns distracted and encouraged them out of fear, failure and anxiety,
Telling personal stories of resilience can definitely encourage the students to overcome their fears, failures and anxiety. It can be life-changing for the students who are struggling with these issues.
I do incorporate lots of life stories in my teaching. As I still work in the industry I have many, ranging from situations with difficult client on a customer service level and treatments. Stories make you real and give you validation to the students.
Sounds fabulous, what great validity and reasoning proof.
it is so important to connect to the industry, not only for a teacher but also for the student.
Makes you a real person to the students with real life experiences just like them. Great connections.
Absolutely agree!
Linking to current work practices is so important for students.
Agree 100% Karen – working in industry at the same time plus the life stories is so valuable and real for the students.
Hence why in the TAFE system, we need to ‘remain current’ – well done!
Incorporating your own stories in your teaching is important as it allows students to see how the information is relevant to their story. I teach accounting and incorporate my learning journey and applying what we are learning to the workplace and the role in the workplace and where my journey has taken me. As Michael said, we need to connect our learning to other areas – and we discuss how accounting can help in other areas of life, not solely to become an accountant
The students have a greater understanding when you put it into real life experiences.
Being a slow learner I have many good and bad stories to tell. I like to use the ones where I have messed up as learning experiences. I ask what did I do wrong? How could I have prevented this? While we can learn from all experiences, I am careful when it comes to teaching safety. Sometimes a story told in the wrong way can give the impression safety is a joke or not practical. Sometimes its hard to come back from. Students love telling their stories. When a student tells a story that is relevant to the days subject, I can use it to stay connected to the whole class.
Amazing, Bringing real world, real life into the classroom!
True, I used to teach airline safety too and there is a fine line between something being funny and having huge repercussions if it goes the other way. Good point.
Storytelling is a great way to share human experience. Also great to ask for students’ stories about a similar situation, so you can make it really personal.
It is amazing how much we value being heard and have others learn from our experiences good or bad.
Its a great way to open up discussions and enter into a collaborative learning environment
I agree Nicola, done right, it can also foster inclusivity.
I have noticed the importance of telling stories to back up course information. It helps students to connect with the content and help seeing the importance in knowing and understanding what we are saying.
It totally does, as long as you keep it relevant to the course information, like you said.
Agree Belinda – It makes it real for them and not just theory!
I often tells stories of my experiences – good and bad – students do appreciate knowing you are a real person. As a VET teacher I have many experiences from previous employment that add to content delivery.
Yes, I think also sharing bad experiences is a great way to humanise experiences, always great is someone can learn from your negatives.
As a TAFE business teacher, I found that sharing my many years of work experiences
interest the students more than just providing them information from a textbook.
It creates great class discussions. The students that work can relate to my stories as they provide the class with their own experiences as well.
It also ensures you are continuing to seek out and ensure your classroom practice remains industry current
I agree Jeanette – students can relate more with the sharing of our stories. It makes what we are teaching more real and relative.
I agree, sharing work experience stories helps to connect with the adult learners. It also provides the students an insight into the workplace which can not be gained through the textbooks.