Storytelling is one of humanity’s oldest learning methods.
Stories are a powerful way to teach and inspire. They create an emotional connection to any topic, fostering a link between people and ideas, values and culture.
Incorporating stories into your teaching is therefore a fantastic way to not only engage your students but also increase the chances of students remembering information, the emotional connection creating a stronger bond to the topic.
Stories in class 📚
If there is one topic where stories are so visibly central to learning it is in the field of History and social studies. What would the study of History be without the stories of heroines and heroes? Understanding the person, upbringing, life experiences and objectives - in other words their story - of the great women and men of History helps us understand the motives that led to their actions.
What about other subjects? Science? Can we dissociate penicillin from the story of its discovery in the Petri dish? Explaining gravity from Newton’s falling apple? The invention of the microwave from the melting of the chocolate bar in Percy LeBaron Spencer’s pocket?
English? Learning the stories of the literary greats can only lead to deeper understanding their work. Maths? Even in the pure mathematical world of graphs and numbers are stories to be told and shared.
Personal student stories 💡
Perhaps maybe the most important story to tell is the one of your students. Where do they come from? What are their hobbies? What makes them enthusiastic? What are some limitations they feel they have? Their favourite ways of learning?
Knowing who your students are can help you adapt your teaching, personalise as much as possible. Sutori’s “All About Me” template does just that, providing you with a canvas your students can copy, complete and share with you.
It’s an excellent resource to use at the beginning of the school year or at the beginning of a course. The journey of learning is also a story, so why not ask students to share theirs?
Story template examples 👍
Get your students to tell their stories, whether their life, the journey of their work or learning:
Create a story timeline template yourself 🛠️
But nothing beats creating your own resource. Head on over to Sutori’s story timeline template, click on “Create your own” and then you’ll be prompted to create a free Sutori account. You can then start working from the blank timeline template in a matter of minutes.
Some advantages with using Sutori for timelines:
- Easily add videos, images and audio files to your project
- Embed any file or web link
- Build interactive quizzes and polls for engagement
- Develop peer review skills with comments
- Export to PDF or else add it directly to your website
All that is required is an internet connection! Sutori works on all common web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and we offer a free tier so you can try it out for yourself.
Summary
Stories are an important part of learning. They create extra connections in our brains, increase memorisation, keep us listening and engaged. Getting your students to tell their own stories, create new ones or put themselves in the shoes of others to tell their stories is an effective path to learning.
No matter what you teach, Sutori can help bring storytelling into the classroom. Try it out now for free with your students 😊
