Sunday 4 October 2015

The Power of Stories

I have just read this post by Rachel Chisnall (@ibpossum) about the power of telling stories, and how moving the physical focus in and during lessons has made a difference in her class.

It got me thinking about how I teach, and do I do enough telling of stories. Rachel teaches high school whereas I teach primary - but should that make a difference? I suspect not. Rachel says it has made a difference for her, so surely it would for me. But then, do I tell stories enough?

When I think about it, I do *read* a lot of stories, and have always enjoyed reading the 'right' stories. These are not always easy to find, so when you find one, do not lose it! Taking part in #NZreadaloud twice this year has been great, and has had my class really thinking deeply about a variety of things that have come out of the stories. We're also starting Global Read Aloud next term, which will be a whole different level, but really looking forward to it.

But I digress... When I think of telling stories, I don't usually think about reading books, I usually think about telling about something that happened in your life. These are the times that I really have the kids' attention - I remember telling my class about the blister on my thumb the size of a 50-cent coin (the old ones...); I remember telling my class about the way Mr Terry used to zone out in the middle of a class when I was in Standard 3 (we call it a "mental beach"); and I will never forget the time I told my class about the time my brakes on my bike failing going down the Ashburton rail bridge and narrowly missing the horizontal bar at the bottom. The class loves it when I go on a tangent, and what I love is seeing their faces light up when I say "you know, this reminds me of the time when...."

I like to tell stories like these when I'm trying to make or emphasize a point, or when I'm trying to motivate some writing (ala Gail Loanne). But let's be honest, sometimes it's just fun to listen to stories, and to tell stories. They can get students motivated in different areas, and develops all sorts of skills and abilities. Students can show a range of learning, and can develops empathy. I love hearing, reading and telling stories, and if nothing else, I hope that my students develop a similar love for stories.


8 comments:

  1. Nice Mark! I agree with you both of the importance of stories. We share stories EVERY morning in 'theONE6' - develops listening and questioning skills and as you say - empathy. But more than that, it helps to build that community of learners who are respectful of each other and our diversity:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds great, Kerri. I'd be worried that we would spend all day telling stories, and never actually do any "work" - I'd be going off on tangents left right and centre :)
      Thanks for the comment, Kerri!

      Delete
  2. Not being in the classroom this year has made me value even more the importance and value of stories. I have found this is fundamental to the building of relationships with kids... whether it be a short story over a lunchbox or a wee chat related to the learning... the story bonds the kids and you... builds a relationship :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are absolutely right, Claire. I'm embarrassed that I never thought about stories building those relationships, because I'm always telling people how important relationships are between teachers and students. Being a great teacher is not about being great at maths or reading, but in really knowing your students.
      Thanks for the comment, Claire!

      Delete
  3. Love this post Mark. I tell some 'personal' stories, so important for building relationships. But I also try and tell the stories if what we are learning about, their are some amazing 'stories' around the history of Science that are 'boring' when you teach about them directly, but when you casually drop in that Marie Curie's lab book is still too radioactive to view safely, or why Ernest Rutherford is on the $100 note, the students will take an interest. If nothing else, I tell them it might mean they win a pub quiz one day :) And a wee tangent from the content content content push behind NCEA is always a welcome relief.
    I'm looking forward to reading more of your stories :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true - your students are lucky to have you for their teacher.
      Thanks for the inspiration.

      Delete
  4. Enjoyed your post, Mark. Story telling is the highlight of kids lives - they will do anything to get you talking about anything but the task in hand but the skill is tying it in to the topic and it sounds like that's just what you do. Getting them to tell their stories is powerful too. It is one of the things I miss not being in the classroom now and I especially missed not having a form class in the early part of this year as that is when my students had time to sit and talk with me. Essential for building the trust and relationships that inspire us all as learners.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely. There are a few kids in my class who love stories, love telling me about "stuff", but so reluctant to write about it - I'm always trying to find new ways to get them telling their stories, and motivating them to tell more. Cheers

      Delete