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.
