Storytelling has existed since the dawn of time. It’s one of the most powerful ways to get a message over to someone else. It is a point of contact between two individuals. In a world that is often chaotic and disordered, it provides context, meaning, and insight.
As a result, if educators want to teach their students, they must employ tales. People will remember stories much longer than figures or facts. If a teacher learns to tell stories well, he or she can assure that any topic they teach is remembered for years. Stories aren’t simply good for telling stories; they can also be used to demonstrate scientific or mathematical concepts.
Let’s look at some storytelling skills for teachers in the article below.
Also Read: Stand Out and Win eMaester’s Communication Trainer Challenge: Hurry and Register Now!
Storytelling Skills for Teachers
Children have a natural affinity towards stories. Stories instil a sense of awe and wonder in the world. We learn about ourselves, life, and others via stories. Storytelling is a unique opportunity for students to gain better respect, understanding, and appreciation for various cultures, as well as establish a positive attitude toward individuals of all religions, races, and backgrounds.
Storytelling may help people learn and communicate across cultures in a variety of ways. Stories can:
#allow kids to dig deeper into their cultural heritage
#allow children to learn about different cultures assist children to empathise with places, people, and situations they are unfamiliar with
#provide insight into various cultures and ideas
#assist children in comprehending how wisdom is shared by all peoples and cultures
#provide insight into universal life situations.
Storytelling Strategies
Storyline Should be Checked
Make sure that each part of your story, whether it’s a fictional story to teach a lesson or a non-fiction example, is necessary for the ending. Each point, character, or principle must be connected to the main argument you’re attempting to make. Anything that does not have a direct or indirect impact on the story’s outcome can be removed.
Take, for instance, a story about the 7 continents. You can be attempting to aid students in memorising the seven continents names. Any story you make up to assist explain the facts must involve the 7 continents. It is not the time to discuss places, culture, or even the relative sizes of the continents.
Have a Hook and Theme
You pique the interest of the listener by posing an issue that inspires them to continue listening. This strategy can be used in any class. The relevance of the process you’re describing is revealed when you create a world where it’s taken away. The relevance of the process you’re describing is revealed when you create a world where it’s taken away.
When there is a theme in a story, it gives it more depth of significance. However, writing a story with a topic in mind isn’t always straightforward. Rather, start by writing the story, including all of the topics you want to include. When you’ve completed, take a step back from the story to see if you can spot a theme.
Work on the Theme
This is especially vital if your story involves historical events. History can be a dry subject with little practical application. Themes serve as a bridge between the past, present, and future. Don’t be disheartened if you have to rethink and rewrite the tale once you’ve discovered your theme. This is a regular situation.
Keep it Simple
Complicated storylines aren’t always superior. Simple is evident if your audience is young. When a complex subject is reduced to a nugget that can be recalled, even elder audiences might be powerfully impressed.
For young minds, scientific ideas like gravity and electricity can be challenging. Analogies can be useful. Explain how a train can only move over tracks that are connected, for example, to explain an electrical circuit.
A train on a broken track must come to a halt, and electricity works in the same manner.
Also Read: How to Earn INR 50k Every Month by Teaching Phonics? Top Online Teaching Jobs in India
Use New Words
Pick a word or two that your students haven’t heard before, even if you’re teaching science or math principles. First, define and describe the word, then use it throughout the tale.
This technique is used in popular television series. Dumbing down your words will detract from the impact of your tale. It’s analogous to reading a translation of a text. When someone wants to dig further into the content, they must first master the original language in which it was written to completely comprehend what the author was trying to say.
You want to utilise the appropriate phrases, which may entail initially having to explain to them so pupils can follow along.
Use Dramatic Pauses
People frequently speak faster than the brain can process. You provide your students with the opportunity to think critically about the information you just gave them if you pause at key points in the tale. Don’t be hesitant to take a breather, especially if you’re in a tight situation.
Dramatic pauses (or cliffhangers) are used in popular television shows to draw viewers back into the tale. When it appears that the situation is insoluble, take a breather and let your audience come up with a solution on their own.
Use Voice Modulations
When you give them individuality, it helps to make them more memorable. Changing your voice for each persona is a part of that. Without visible props, one of the only ways to bring the character to life is through the voice.
This is the ideal solution if you can have numerous instructors play different personas. However, this isn’t always achievable. When portraying President Abraham Lincoln in a Civil War reenactment, stand erect and talk clearly. Change the volume of your voice and use an accent when speaking as an African American slave. Slump your shoulders over to give the impression of oppression.
Also Read: Is Emaester Really Good? Is Online Teaching a Potential Income Source?
Storytelling Tips for Teachers
With the appropriate tactics and a little practice, telling a narrative can fascinate an audience.
#Remembering and recounting the tale: use a plot map as a memory aid.
#Use narrative skeletons to help you recall important details.
#Consider the plot as a movie or a collection of interconnected images.
#Create your version of the narrative by telling it to yourself in your own words (improvise and adapt)
#Retell it as many times as necessary until it feels like a tale.
Performance Skills
#Remember to alter your voice’s pitch, volume, and speed (enunciate clearly and exaggerate expression)
#Use your body, face, and gestures to communicate (let your body speak)
#Maintain a sharp focus and maintain concentration by allowing your body and face to respond to the narration.
#Establish eye contact with the audience/individual listeners that is engaging
#Create an enthralling presence (make the audience believe in you)
#Use a variety of exaggerated character voices
#Use your space/be dynamic, remember to pace yourself, and always remember to reclaim your narrator’s style. Use quiet and pauses to create a dramatic effect.
Conclusion
Young Learners have a wide range of personal values, experiences, and ways of thinking. They shape their feelings and thoughts using the words they acquire in the classroom. It’s more than just a means of expanding ideas and exchanging information; it’s also a chance for them to reach out and connect with others.
Stories may connect not only the school and home but also the classroom and the rest of the world. Stories provide a common and long thread that can help bring cultures together and bridge cultural and religious divides. It’s much better if you can condense the conclusion into a single sentence. Make it memorable by using repeating words, alliteration, or a singsong rhythm.
Also Read: Online Teaching Jobs from Home: Top 5 Online Teaching Platforms in India
