The pedagogical power of storytelling.

Abstract

Stories, as a means of teaching, have been a part of society since the beginning of human communication. The power of storytelling as pedagogy, however, may have been undervalued by educators. In this teacher-ready theory review, we present the connection between teaching and storytelling, highlight a variety of storytelling approaches, summarize why storytelling works as a pedagogical device, and conclude with suggestions and recommendations for implementing storytelling as a pedagogical approach. We present cautions and limitations as well, but we encourage teachers of psychology to consider storytelling as one of their pedagogical tactics to deploy as appropriate to connect with students and work toward desired student learning outcomes.

Improving children’s fundamental movement skills through a family-based physical activity program: results from the “Active 1 + FUN” randomized controlled trial

“…During the workshops, participants were provided with knowledge in terms of health benefits of regular PA, parenting tips, and principles of SDT through a story-telling approach. Since these topics may involve theoretical concepts that might be complex to children and parents, we used story-telling to facilitate understanding and improve memorability of key principles [ 33 , 34 ]. Apart from increasing participants’ knowledge, the workshops were designed with a goal of raising the importance of basic need satisfaction, and how parents can be more need supportive, and less controlling.…”

The Black Voices in Research curriculum to promote diversity and inclusive excellence in biomedical research

“…It is considered one of the oldest forms of teaching and has allowed thousands of generations to exchange knowledge and values as well as learn from past experiences. 8 Storytelling , allows individuals to make sense of the complex world and construct their own meaning via learning from distal events, others' stories, and past experiences. 8,9 Previous studies have demonstrated that such effects of storytelling can be applied to students' learning and engagement outcomes.…”

“…8 Storytelling , allows individuals to make sense of the complex world and construct their own meaning via learning from distal events, others' stories, and past experiences. 8,9 Previous studies have demonstrated that such effects of storytelling can be applied to students' learning and engagement outcomes. In the context of teaching, storytelling has been considered a foundational approach that facilitates the personal relevance to the knowledge being taught, provides an easy way of comprehension when the information is transmitted in a narrative manner, and creates a more personal connection between the teacher and learners.…”

“…In the context of teaching, storytelling has been considered a foundational approach that facilitates the personal relevance to the knowledge being taught, provides an easy way of comprehension when the information is transmitted in a narrative manner, and creates a more personal connection between the teacher and learners. 8 When receivers are exposed to an interesting story, they are more likely to be immersed in the story and be motivated to remember and internalize the information. 10…”

When Nostalgia Tilts to Sad: Anticipatory and Personal Nostalgia

“…Stories differ from memories in that the content of stories does not necessarily originate from an individual's own experience. Empirical research exploring stories is voluminous and wellestablished, but has focused primarily on identifying features of stories, context, and cognitive processing that influence retention and emotional and behavioral impacts (Habermas and Diel, 2010;Dunlop et al, 2011;McGinty et al, 2013;Berger et al, 2019;Landrum et al, 2019). Not yet adequately explored is the enduring or cumulative influence of emotional stories, especially those that convey personal meaning.…”