The Art of Story-telling and the Affair of Education
Buon giorno! Good day folks and welcome back to yet another post. You have been acquainted with my love for movies and TV for some time now. So today, we revert back to those initial posts that were a reflection of life. Well, sort of. In this post, we are going to take a look at the importance and relevance of storytelling as a tool in the process of teaching and the system of education.
The education system, as we all know has been defined by the process of rote learning, which is such a pity. In the words of one of my favorite stand-up comedians, Kanan Gill,
This has always been one of my most favorite comedic episodes as it is absolutely relatable and true to a large extent. The textbook rote learning system defines our education and it is important for students to find a path beyond this atrocious method. It is high time we realize that education is not about mugging up data, but about relaying the facts in an approachable and enjoyable way. This task has however fallen upon the students, in the sense that we are left to our own devices to cultivate entertaining methodologies to keep education from boring us out.
Storytelling is a craft that has been around for a long time and has been effective as well. Employment of this craft in the field of education will prove to be fruitful, as it helps the speaker in captivating the listener's attention, by weaving a tale that combines cognition and imagination. This not only lures the student into studies, but also effectively nails down the knowledge, helping them to review and acquire information when required.
Our social and cultural development has been moulded by several tales in order to ensure the transmission of beliefs and faith. This proves the power of storytelling in keeping alive and imparting information. Stories help in creating a connection between events, which is psychologically proved to be more efficient in facilitating the brain to recover information for future use.
We all remember the tale of the girl, who with the help of her fairy godmother, went to a ball and left her glass slipper behind. But how many of you actually remember the math identities or something related to balanced equation? See... even I said 'something', and I got out of school a year ago. Now you are going to say that there is no way we can weave those into a tale, but YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT!
We remember stories, we remember how we emotionally connected to them or how it inspired us to read more. We think back to the lectures our teachers gave us and the first thing that pops into our head is some story they told us, which eventually leads to the actual topic of the lecture. This shows how vital a tool storytelling is in enhancing the propagation of knowledge.
Storytelling stimulates creativity. It facilitates a flow in conversation, building an invisible rapport between the speaker and the listener, the teacher and the student. The education system should focus on helping students live an experience during their learning days. Stories not only impart knowledge but also morals. They humanize the listener, providing them with a moment away from the material world and indulging in the imagination the story inspires. It should be the aim of education to create such an environment for students as well.
When an educator provides such a unique platform through their teaching, it not only facilitates better acquirement of knowledge, but also encourages the student to interact with the information that they acquire. This pushes the student to look past the unwilling process of mugging up textual data. If that is not a win, I don't know what is.
I can talk from personal experience about how much I adore teachers who connect with the students on a personal level through their stories, who are real and true to their self, who have the courage to go beyond the pages in the books and open up an exploration for their students. Does seem like I'm painting the picture of John Keating from the movie Dead Poets Society.
Well, it wouldn't hurt to adopt that teaching method. I didn't have to look far to find such a person, because she brought me into this world, my Mom. I have been the topic of countless tales in her class. I'm pretty sure most of her students are going to remember her anecdotes, with my name in it, for the rest of their lives. She is a brilliant teacher and to this day I approach her to help me with concepts, just because she is a storyteller and her explanation does not put my brain into suffering but rather comforts it. This gives me the confidence to believe in my ability to grasp a concept and effectively implement it in my academics.
We can definitely agree to the fact that the art of Storytelling is a useful educational tool and endorsing this idea would do much good to the community. In the hands of the right person, this tool is no less than the 'Elder Wand' (... thought that sounded cool.)
Do let me know in the comments about your experiences with such magical teachers and also on your way out, subscribe to the notifications so that you don't miss my posts.
Until the next time folks, stay Safe, Healthy and Awesome.
CIAO.
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