Beyond Once Upon a Time: Using Stories When We Teach Key ConceptsCherry Watts, Ph.D.The University of Tennessee at Martin

When do you tell stories…Close your eyes.Remember a story you were told.

What do you see? How old were you? Can you remember the story now?

We will speedily…Look at why storytelling is

importantListen to one storyReview basic elements of

storytellingPractice speed storytellingLook at a storytelling rubric

Why we tell stories….The oral tradition Memory enhancementMeaning investmentConnect with others

Oral traditionStories can be used…

◦Share knowledge◦Transmit values◦Teach lessons

Memory enhancement“A story can put your whole brain

to work.” Widrich.

Meaning investment“A story, if broken down into the

simplest form, is a connection of cause and effect. And that is exactly how we think.” Widrich

Connecting with others“When we tell stories to others

that have really helped us shape our thinking and way of life, we can have the same effect on them too. “Uri Hasson

Why we tell stories to our students…Illustrate a ruleIllustrate how to handle problemsIllustrate how to do practical

proceduresIllustrate how to approach

difficult situations

I tell stories to illustrate a period in time…Story #1

Liu Bang and the Han Dynasty

Donald Davis talks about the elements of storytellingPeoplePlaceProblemProgress

Paint a picture with words. Make it into a video with storytelling.

Now look at…PurposeWhat is your purpose in telling

this story?

I tell stories to pose a problem…Story #2

How do you decide how to make enough food for a party?

Walter Benjamin says…“The storyteller take what he

tells from experience…And he in turn makes it the experience of those who are listening to the tale.”

Let’s tell a story together….One person starts…The next person adds the middle….The last person ends the story.

Topic…◦Gravity◦The Pythagorean Theorem◦The ride of Paul Revere◦Anne Frank

Think about the stories you tell your classes.What are your stories?What is the reason for telling this

story?Jot down the people, place,

problem and progress. What details will you add to paint

the picture?What action will you describe to

make it a video?

I invite you to share…

Tell a short story that you share with your students.

Look at the rubric.

According to George Gerbner…

“Man is the storytelling animal par excellence. We live for, and die for, our stories.”

ReferencesDavis, D. (1993). Telling Our Own Stories.

Atlanta, GA: August House.Lipman, D. (2013). Improving Your

Storytelling. Grand Rapids, MI: Dickinson Press.

McGuire, Jack. (1998). The Power of Personal Storytelling. New York: Putnam Books.

Tate, M. (2003). Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Widrich, L. (2013). What storytelling does to our brains. http://blog.bufferapp.com/science of storytelling.