Reading – The Persuasive Power of Narrative
Share how you have used storytelling to link learning in your teaching practice.
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Starting from very low levels Storytelling is a great resource.I start every class with my own story -they also have a written version then every student tells their own , and it’s great as they develop their speaking & listening skills as well as their confidence in English. We can then use the narrative in reading and writing.Narrative is the text that can connect all 4 macro skills.
I agree very much Marina, that we are further developing students speaking and listening skills, a great commodity once they themselves enter and engage in society.
Hi Marina
This is a great engaging way to begin a class thank you for sharing your experience that engages the student with their link to the class
I use personal stories when modelling particular text types, for example anecdotes or short stories or when teaching creative writing. This usually works well and engages students.
I agree, that using your own personal stories when delivering content helps students make the connection and engage within the classroom.
Listening to this session and reading the comments has inspired me. Relationship is so important as is facilitating rather than dictating. I love the quote referenced – No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. Students respond to a genuine, open teacher that genuinely values them. They are open to learn from someone they respect and trust.
I am also inspired by this session as I felt I was possibly wasting time with stories.
I agree with this too Kirsten. I wrote this quote down as well – it sums up the importance of relationships within the classroom.
When I started teaching I was told to use my experience to explain learning, good experience or bad
This seems to give context to the lesson. What I have noticed is that students remember the stories more than the lesson content.
I think stories have such a huge impact throughout life. A story stays with you and allows you to learn, interpret and apply to your own unique situation.
I have always brought my own work experiences into the classroom to demonstrate things, and to show what can happen when things are not done correctly (I’m an accountant). i admit though, that i rarely share experiences of when i made an error in the workplace – although I have retold one particular story, but tried to do it in a way that didn’t make me look too incompetent!!!
Agree Fran – we can bring accounting concepts to life simply by relating our own experience in industry. I find the story telling also gives everyone a mini-break from technically heavy content and allows time for processing.
As an integral component of my teaching in VET Community Services I use some of my own experiences (both positive and challenging) from when I was a case worker to help provide the students with an understanding of the more practical components when working with people who have complex needs.
Hi Christine,
Stories from when you were a case worker would be a really powerful way to engage students. I like to do this too but with nursing stories which my students love.
Discussing personal experiences relating to work and education are really good at breaking down barriers to younger generations who may feel they are struggling to achieve course competency. They often assume as a teacher that you did well at school / uni etc. Gen Y find it interesting when I discuss my challenges going through school / TAFE / Uni. Also issues faced early in my career both in industry and early teaching years. It helps in this respect to be teaching in the same area of TAFE I studied!
I totally agree Dan! Discussing your own experiences in relation to both work and education helps build rapport with the students as well as assists them in understanding that you as the teacher are a person as well, facing challenges and struggles.
As part of my teaching I introduce to students a real life scenario where they can use what is being taught in a common activity in their lives. For example in teaching areas and ratios I discuss with students how I have built an above ground plant box and how I worked out the dimensions and the areas required for each of the plants and how much soil would be needed and the number of sleepers required – including lengths and depths. This gave them a real life example of how to apply spacial quantification and dimensions in a real life situation.
Belinda, what a great example! its something tangible and real that they can relate to, and provides a practical way the learning can be used! It might just inspire them to have a go at a home garden as well.
I work in the VET sector teaching Community Services and the sharing of stories from my work experience and personal experiences are invaluable for students, when trying to understand how complex humans can be.
I agree Renate, sharing stories and experiences certainly adds clarification to the theory that working with people is not textbook.
Renate, i can imagine how rich the stories you have must be! Those real-life experiences that you have dealt with would be invaluable for the students and would make for some very interesting class discussions!
So true. It’s the practical application that is so meaningful rather than just learning with no context to place it in.
Coming up through the ranks of HR when I was young and then shifting to being self employed in another industry, I like to use my stories about customers, my experiences as a customer (got a good one about my vaccum cleaner & the ACL) the challenges I have faced in small business and the changes. I like to throw in one about workplace discrimination when I was pregnant and overlooked for promotion and now often include my family in my stories.
Liza, I agree and have found myself in a similar situation when discussing stories and experiences that have come about from the small family business my husband and I are involved in. How to overcome challenges are positive stories for students to ponder.
Teaching Retail and Hospitality I have had many stories to tell. Plenty that are fun but some that have been sometimes even hard to tell. It gets the student so captivated while you are telling the story. I have been training for many years and have been grateful that I have had many experiences to share with students but the best thing for me is to see students employed that never thought they would ever have a job or the ability to get a job.
Kathryn I can totally relate to the stories in retail and hospitality about customer service, how to attract sales and WHS etc etc. Students love hearing about the good, the bad and the ugly and it often encourages them to share their own experiences.
Teaching business administration, with students, I like to share stories of my work experience – good and bad. But what I like more is when they open up and share their own stories and experiences, and everyone can learn from them, including me.
Hi, Lee, this is why I think for so many students that we need to keep face to face training as you learn so much in a classroom.
Agree Lee I like to share stories of my work experiences as I believe it is a valuable way for all to learn. It encourages self reflection too and personalises the context which is great for relationship buliding.
Thanks Lee – I feel that sharing our stories of challenges and adversity throughout our careers and study help to build stronger relationships in the classroom. More relatable than discussing success and superiority to a student challenged in the moment.
This is when building a relationship really works – when students will also share their stories!
Hi Lee, yes it does open up the gate of stories from students and I do share some of the student stories with new learners. Very healthy learning.
Shared experiences help all students to gain a feeling of being normal.
Absolutely, Karen, shared experiences are great as a classroom/online activity for any level/generation.
When teaching about cultural differences in understanding the English language. I tell the story of a teacher/colleague I worked with in Africa. He was marking the role and a student was absent. Another student said the student was late. The teacher replied was displeased that the student was late as he needed to undertake a test. The student had, in fact, died. He was the late Mr A.
Helen I often use my experiences in Japan when teaching English to my Japanese students of how to use communication techniques to ensure understanding when communicating using both verbal and non verbal communication and diversity
Working and teaching about animals makes it easy to retell amusing animal stories- my stuff-ups, or the crazy things that animals do. It makes class very engaging at times!
I love hearing animal stories and have told some to my students in the ESOL classes about what my animals were up to.
Stories, quotes, or sayings seem to help students grasp and hold on to tricky or difficult to remember concepts. They can be repeated and referred back to as well!
Most definitely. If you can make a student laugh, they are more likely to remember the context.
Hi Christine I often use pictures or drawings that make students laugh, but I know they have more of a chance to remember what I am trying to explain
I agree Christine, using quotes and anecdotes helps with memory. I have even used “raps” for memory – especially with history.
I agree stories seem to make a memory
As I work in VET sector – this is the key we have at our disposal – we have all worked in the industry about which we teach – this is a powerful tool that definitely engages with students.
It definitely helps them relate and recall what they have just learnt
I totally agree Jennifer. I too work in the VET sector and feel that without the industry experience I would not have the examples to share with students to increase their depth of knowledge.
Jennifer, It definitely is a powerful tool and it lets students realize we all make mistakes in the workplace which I’m sure they appreciate and it can relieve some of their anxiety
I often share with my students about the industry i worked for many years, is a good and bad, however, i noticed often i will get asked many questions after sharing the story.
I can relate to this method as well. My students seem to love hearing about the real life experiences I had operating my preschool
Yes, I can also relate teaching a trade. Industry experience and stories bring the lesson content to life for many students
I was teaching a group of adults how to supervise and told them the story of how I was very young when I first became a supervisor and the problems I had, asserting myself with more experienced and older staff – I also told them the lessons I learned from this and made sure I didn’t make the same mistakes with the next team I supervised.
the power of how experience shared as a teaching tool -especially to encourage engagement
Its a great teaching tool
You make a really good point here Margaret about the power of sharing personal experiences. Often, as facilitators, we share our ‘wins’, the experiences we are proud to share. Important that our stories are also balanced and we are able to share our challenges with learners to support their learning process.
When teaching fault finding techniques to apprentices, I share a story that I was told by my boss when I was an apprentice that was passed on by his boss. It relates to ‘rolling a cigarette’ when faced with a machine breakdown. In other words, don’t get caught up in the panic of the moment, but step back and observe and ask questions first.
What a great strategy Glen. I like the analogy of taking the time to process what is going on and not being to gung-ho.
That’s a great share Glen! Yes, sometimes just stepping back and taking a moment to reflect is critical. Similar to idea of “when you are not sure what to do, do it slowly!”.
I also have stories to tell my students. I use industry stories but also stories from home, family and friends. I believe it shows a kind of honesty and openness to the sudents. They are more engaged and see you as a person not just a teacher
Spot on Aimee, level of engagement is heightened when we share our own experiences.
I could’t agree with you more, Aimee.
Agreed, Aimee, there’s nothing quite like being a real person!
I totally agree with you.
I will always tell about my first experience with programming, how hard I found it, how I would go home and cry after class as I struggled with it and how I ended up getting a HD but then how now I feel like I have forgotten much of what I learnt in that language but the pathways are still there to go back down
I think it’s important to share both positives and negatives. It allows us to share insights about how to problem solve, overcome challenges, and manage mental health.
In my working life I have had several different careers. I use my stories to demonstrate how skills learned in one area can be applied to other areas. Two examples are working with clients to determine their requirements and troubleshooting.
I think this is really useful, creating links which helps for the students to identify relevancy
I like to relate to my migrant students by sharing the early years that I settle in Australia. They can easily identify their culture shocks and adjustment settling in a foreign. This has build mutual respect and rapport. That has also created an engaging environment for my students to learn, interact and contribute. They have build great sense of commitment instead of commitment.
I totally agree Ivy, I teach migrant learners too and sharing these stories helps us all to bond and be on the learning journey together.
I too agree and this enables a smooth journey of learning and teaching.
As a beauty therapist i have wonderful stories of failures and i just love sharing them! i love sharing the last minute client on a Thursday evening – squeezing them in just to make salon targets, but accidentally dripping the wax on their clothing or floor only to have to stay longer to clean it up – resulting in a client that wont return or paperwork to complete or and now the potential of a bad review!
this story – which is true is linked o so many units found in the training package and of course not to mention common sense!
great example Karalyn showing the problems with clients and your own experiences of these.
I worked for Ritz-Carlton Hotel company in Sydney in the late 1990’s so as a teacher of Event Management I love to tell stories about Tom Cruise, Princess Diana, Bob Hawke and Michael Hutchence.. then I explain by referencing Leo, Megan, ScoMo and Bieber. I have them eating out of the palm of my hands ….
Love this! when teaching the muscles of the body, i always ask my students who the ‘hotties’ are in their world and ensure i throw a few pictures of Pink or a Hemsworth into the mix!
Awesome…I’d love to hear some of those stories! I teach business admin, and have shared stories of meeting Richard Branson – unfortunately with my younger students they say “who?”
I love to tell my students about my travels and experiences, the problems I have faced and the fun I have had. It makes it real for the students.
Student love to hear stories because they can relate and they appreciate … as Ben Lee would say “We are all in this together” ……..Well done Caron
I’m the same and I love to hear their stories as well
Yes, this is true but it can also expose our vulnerabilities.
I use real life stories/experience from industry to help students connect and learn from course content
I think the students can usually tell if the stories are real. They are extremely clever these days in picking things up and catching you out if it is not consistent.
Jackie, i do this too.They get so much more out of the content. They also see us as people not just teachers
I constantly use my professional and current industry experience to tell my student a narrative or my experience as it is so relevant and beneficial to them as student as well as future professionals. I convey to them my strengths as well as weaknesses and how they can learn from those for their own benefit. I also often excite them with narratives and stories where I have used constraints as opportunities and reversed negatives into positives to make every project as enjoyable as possible.
Completely agree – Weaknesses are a must in the training room, shows them your human too
Good point. Sharing our learning from weaknesses and reverse negatives is very powerful.
When I am teaching I always tell stories as it relates to the subject I am teaching and the students then are able to connect what I have taught to their learning.
I do this to. I also ask the students if they have had a similar thing happen to them or would they like to share a story that also relates
I share the same experience. When I let down my guard and start to share some of my own experience and stories, students start sharing their own stories with me too. As the presenter mentioned, we have a built a classroom where we can ‘put relationship before role’. There is a good rapport and trust built.
Yes, I do that ,too.Telling stories related to the subject, makes learning more engaging and easy to remember, and that comes through students’ feedback.
I found this method so effective when I was teaching massage – to talk about specific clients (confidentially of course) and specific instances when I used a certain technique or method really allowed the learners to think about their own stories and apply that to their learning
I also do this as it is a good relationship builder and then it is applied to their own learning
I use stories as my main form of engagement. Using stories builds relationships, connection and relevance. Make sure they are your own stories. I’ve seen people using others stories as their own and it ends badly. Student are not stupid.
Great feedback Andrew – I agree that story telling is a great way of engaging learners of all ages
Good point Andrew.
In many cultures, storytelling is the way knowledge is shared. It allows for connectedness. I have always been drawn to this method and have actively used it with my learners. Storytelling does not always have to be verbal. It can be done using technology such as sharing a video recording.
Great idea Els to share a video recording of a story – this enables you to let others tell a story in your classroom
I include my own stories of my professional experience to link content with real life applications.
I find students are very interested in how the unit content has helped me in my professional life. The stories help with the students learning and opportunities that exist once their studies are finished.
Using stories to show students the relevance of their learning is a great motivator.
I have often used stories in my teaching to encourage students to remember a salient point or concept. I have found that they relate better to the information and are able to connect information more appropriately. I have also found the negative stories, or stories of over coming negative incidents can encourage the students to do better and support them in their decision making.
I also give the good and bad stories as well as then the students understand what happens in Health
I will also try to use examples of my experiences, both positive and negative, to make my point when Teaching students. It helps them see the relevance of the practice, skill or knowledge and sees me as an authentic teacher who has alot of experience and has also made mistakes and faced challenges.
I agree Chloe, It puts a human face on their learning experience.
I also agree Chloe. Authenticity is paramount and exposing short falls builds confidence in others.
Yes Chloe, totally agree, puts you on the same playing field when being honest and open
I am teaching adult migrants and being a migrant myself I frequently use the stories about my experience as a newly-arrived migrant. My students appreciate that and relate to that and it really helps me build my rapport with the class. Quite often I use good news stories about students from previous semesters, especially stories about gaining employment or places in other courses or university. Showing students that I’ve been through what they are experiencing at that moment is a really powerful tool to develop a relationship with them.
Previous students teaching current students brings authenticity and relevance to both parties
I believe we should allow our students to be story-tellers too, especially the cohort of migrants students that I’m teaching in ESOL. There is a wealth of experience that the learners share in the classroom. Learners are actively engaged and mutual empathy and support are established. I also see myself as a facilitator in the classroom, this is always the preferred approach teaching adult students.
I love using Storytelling during my day in the classroom. It takes practice and an honest/authentic approach. Students do find the stories useful in both practical and theory areas, especially if they can place themselves in a similar situation or experience. Honest storytelling is a great method of engaging with your class. I learn something new with each new story told, the feedback and discussion points by the group is fantastic and well worth the time.
This is so true Alison, if you open up and share a story with the students, they see you as authentic and respect you for this. I love it when they then start sharing their stories and you can make relevant links to the lesson to help them see the relevance and make meaning.
I agree with your comments Alison. There is an art to storytelling like there is in writing a beautiful letter. Students have always shown their appreciation for sharing stories.
The idea of storytelling goes back hundreds of generations and it is still just as relevant today. I am guilty in veering lessons off track because a memory has returned to me and I feel that the students would benefit and connect to the lesson by hearing the story. In this tricky time of building resilience in children, telling stories of my own failures can help open an honest dialogue with my students. Years ago I was competing in an Ironman triathlon and I put together a Powerpoint on everything that I was fearing would go wrong in the race. I took a week off to fly to WA and race and upon my return the students were beating down the door to see how I had done in the race. It was a moment where the class connected through a narrative, not necessarily curriculum related, but in forming positive teacher-student relationships.
They do love hearing about our failures and mistakes – but I think this is essential for them to go forward knowing that we all make mistakes and fail at things, but this just makes us more resilient in the end.
The best lessons often happen we we do go off track and if we can strengthen our relationships with our students learning for all participants can be exciting and can open students up to share their own stories.
You have provided a good example here Sophie. Showing a vulnerable side enables students to feel safe in coming forward with their own questions and not be afraid of making mistakes.
As many people have related here, storytelling is an incredibly powerful device for learning, whether it be the teacher using their own story, or students telling theirs. It makes learning more engaging and more memorable because it is relatable, authentic, tangible and personalised. As an ESOL teacher I have often used students telling their own stories to create a connection in class and empower students.
yes I agree Andrew. It helps build that relationship with teacher/ student as well as student/student
Everyone has a story that’s interesting, Its great to share these with others
As an ESOL teacher I agree with Andrew on reinstating that storytelling is a powerful device for learning.
As a Part-time teacher who still regularly works in the field I teach in, it is very easy to share stories that are important and relevant but also span a reasonable chunk of time to add an additional element of how things have changed but also how they stay the same, my experience is that this helps students not only engage, but can also stimulate thinking along productive and sometimes unexpected line or directions, for example I might tell a story about a practical task or process that we currently use is more efficient than how we ‘use to’ do it, but the student might take that experience and flip it to say that might not be efficient but it could be more effective or it could be modified and modernised, everything old is new again!
Hi Ben, absolutely agree that the ability to bring your own experience into the classroom through stories is crucial in establishing your own credibility, and the fact that your stories are coming straight out of current industry makes it even more powerful. Being able to say, “well, when I was doing this last week …” really enhances your credibility with the students and makes the learning more effective.
I most definitely agree with you both, Ben & Andrew:) A current and relevant industry narrative conveyed to students as a success or as a failure is a very powerful tool for engaging them effectively as they would relate better to you, while building a stronger trust in you and your credibility.
I have found the use of storytelling combined with communication and information technologies to be a good solution to engage students in the processes of teaching and learning. Story telling has provided a positive engagement tool for students, particularly younger cohorts, to develop numerous language skills; vocabulary, grammar, understanding of stories/narratives and more.
Hi Bryony, i completely agree that story telling is a positive tool for younger cohorts, for Cert II and TVET students it gives them a sense of belonging if they can share their stories as well, important tool to build relationships. Having common interests solidifies learning both practical and knowledge areas.
I teach adult learners who are returning to education after a history of failure in the education system. My favourite stories are about past students who left school early, who struggled with a disability or who felt that they didn’t really belong in education, but who overcame obstacles and slow progress and graduated. I remember the students names, the exact incidences when they felt like an impostor in the classroom and the way that they responded.
I have had similar experiences Janice. I remember well one group of young mothers who wrote their untold stories to form a book called, ‘The Purple Book’. The book was a collection of each students journey of motherhood and the adversities each had endured. It ended up being printed.
I have also had similar experiences with adult learners and stories of the struggles and successes of previous students can reduce the feelings of isolation and stress, think that they are the only ones in that situation, particularly if you have mixed age classes.
I use story telling all the time to all classes, particularly to link content to the different industries or experiences that students will face within my qualification area. I use both positive and negative stories of my own personal experiences for students, so that they understand that the decisions we make in the workplace are often complicated and that hindsight is a great tool, however when they are in the workplace we often have to be part of a team to make the best decision we can at the time.
Hi Georgie, i agree with the positive and negative storytelling, it gives a cohort a sense of common ground and similar human characteristics. I also have and teach a trade qualification so the workplace is a very important aspect of the experiences people gain and learn or not learn from.
I will often comment on some of the negative stories with always remaining professional as your reputation will follow you.
I was once asked to speak to a Year 10 cohort at a school assembly for the occasional address because I was ‘successful’ (the Deputy announced). However, I’d left school at Year 10 (through difficult life circumstances) but I built resilience to eventually attain a university qualification as a mature age student – this is a story I tell and learning is continuous and lifelong.
I agree and will often relay my own experience of education and opportunities I have been given to that of my students to try and help them see that there are many ways of achieving individual goals.
Well done Karen:) I also convey to my students my educational experience and how I came to Australia with a very small amount of money, a degree and a very little English. I tell them how I studied English at night while working 5 jobs for 3 years and completed here another two qualifications and masters. Many have said that my story have inspired, encouraged and motivated them to persevere with their studies even when it was getting very hard. Many have followed their dreams and are now successful professionals who still keep in touch with me, after many years.
Teaching TVET (years 11 and 12), I often get students who are doubting that they should stay at school and yet their parents are expecting them to stay at school and go to uni. The reality is that uni is not for everyone and their parents are likely setting them up for failure and high HECS bills. I also work with youth at risk and long term unemployed who often feel like they have or are failing. My story that I left school in year 11 but still went on to achieve not one but two different, but great careers, can be used in a few different way. Sometimes, I regret not finishing school and never knowing what my final grades would be. I always say to students that are worried about “dropping out” that it is not dropping out, but choosing a different pathway. To relate it more to them I talk about m son’s girlfriend who only recently “chose a different pathway” by leaving school at the end of year 10, going to TAFE to complete a qualification in her chosen field which counted towards her uni and she has now completed one year of her uni course while her peers have just completed their HSC. Everything is possible.
Excellent example Fiona. I used to manage TVET up to five years ago and trying to convince schools that uni wasn’t for everyone was difficult if a school was trying to uphold an image.
I was once asked to speak to a Year 10 cohort as for the occasional address because I was successful. However, I’d left school at Year 10 and built resilience to attain a university qualification as a mature age student – this is a story I tell and yes, anything is possible.
Yes TVET teaching can be challenging, but very rewarding. Not just staying at school but also the subjects they choose. I picked the wrong subjects and did OK at school, only later did I realise what I wanted to do!
I use the story telling component all of the time, linking what we are learning about, as to how it is used/reflected into the trade. I often find myself thinking; Wow, how did we get here? I find by using storytelling I can connect better with my cohort.
This is a great example, I find myself doing this to connect with my students in animal studies. How what we are learning will actually be of use when they are in an animal care workplace. Story telling definitely helps my students visualise how they may use their knowledge and skills within a workplace environment.
Mark, this is a great example of linking story telling with learning and I’m sure your students appreciate that and learn/remember more from the lessons when the story telling was involved.
Mark, absolutely agree that the ability to bring your own experience into the classroom through stories is crucial even if it deviates from the dolphins :). The stories coming out of current industry is powerful.
I teach across a number of levels of courses, so find telling stories about work experience, including moments of indecision, or failure to fully understand something related to the work environment quite useful as it humanises me and students can relate that none of us know everything and have moments of indecision, learning, failure and reflection, all of which contribute to our resilience. I think story telling helps make classes real for students.
I agree Caroline that when you relate your work stories, the class become much more interested and listen more actively than when reading straight from text. That is one advantage of having a job whilst teaching so that you have a good point of reference to convey what you are delivering
Stories are really useful in helping students to consider content from an experiential viewpoint. I have used stories in particular when teaching personal finance. I talk about the experience of setting a goal for something that I want to buy – a big thing like a holiday or a car. I also tell the story of when I have lost sight of my goal and spotted an outfit or a piece of technology (depending on the group) and given into the moment of wanting. I talk about the disappointment I experience afterwards and the realization I have just extended the time it will be before I can go on that holiday.
I use story telling all the time when I am teaching. Usually it is impromptu. It demonstrates the experiences and knowledge I have and I open it up for discussion in the class room to encourage others who may have encountered similar. It demonstrates reflection and students get a lot more from the lived experience and my mistakes made than obtaining the information straight from a text.
I agree, students relate to and understand personal experience through articulating and demonstrating vulnerability. They often follow through with their own stories.
I am the same Anne, I use a small impromptu story to tie in what we are learning about and how it is relevant.