Story, theatre and learning
Read moreLast time, we took a look at narrative’s powerful combination of sequential structure, context and emotion. We saw how the three elements together make story and storytelling highly usable tools for teachers. Of the three elements in question, the one I addressed least was emotion. Now, I would like to hone in specifically on why this emotional component is one we
Structure, context and emotion—how narrative helps us learn and remember
Read moreAfter writing the previous entry, I realized how much more there is to say about the power of narrative as a teaching device. Since storytelling has been a central focus of my work, writing and public speaking since the 1990s, I could probably go on discussing the subject for a long time. Rather than do that, though, I will close
Why we remember the stories (continued)
Read moreRecently, when I decided to write something here about why narrative structures help people remember their school lessons, I realized that I have never really gone into detail about the underlying reasons for this phenomenon. Today, I would like to explain a bit more about why linking abstract concepts to stories is so effective. Of course, one of the most prominent
Why we remember the stories
Read moreIn a recent post, we saw that grade school and graduate school classrooms are similar in at least one basic way. In both venues, using narrative-based approaches is an effective device for teachers who strive to help class participants retain information. As I have written here before, my extensive experience as a lecturer in a variety of contexts has perhaps left
Narrative-based learning can work anywhere
Read moreIn the last post, we noted that narrative approaches to teaching are highly valued and praised by educators, regardless of the age of their students. In fact, my informal interviews with primary school teachers yielded a number of interesting observations, almost all of which involved things I could also see with my MBA students at the graduate school of management
Stories can make any lesson far more powerful
Read moreIn the previous post, we saw that story’s sequential flow is a significant element of its power as a mnemonic device. To me, the Memory Palace system we discussed last time is an interesting technique, especially from a storytelling perspective. In essence, its success as a memory aid is derived from imposing a rudimentary narrative structure on a random list of items