telling stories
I find that if I relate the meterial that I am teaching to a real world event or story that it gives better indight to the meterial and it give a name to a face so to speak
Michael,
Students as I am sure you have experienced really light up when you share an story or example from your past as it relates to the topic being discussed. They like these stories because they show relevance and application and that increases the value of the course to them.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think that when an instructor is able to connect lessons to their own personal experiences, students are able to better relate to their instructor as well as see the value of the material being taught.
Robert,
I agree and this is why I use stories and examples to illustrate the content being shared and to increase the application understanding on the part of students. I call it "connecting the dots" for them.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I concur completely with the above comments. I have always used stories and events to make a point. It is no mystery as to the fact that it gives people a sense of being there and seeing the events unfold. This will give them an insight to apply the learned principle before the end of the story. When this happens, learning and applying what they have been learning as been accomplished. It is the mission is it not? I think this when not overly played is one of the greatest of teach real principles.
Andric,
These examples and stories are extremely valuable to students and their learning process so I agree with you about the details. Make sure the stories are applied to the topic being studied and then use details to support the point being made.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
when your are telling story them be very detailed to them so that they can understand and relate to the situation if it is similar to there's. and explain to them how you got in and out of those good or bad times and give them a big picture of it so the can see the picture and realize or even visualize the situation
Ruth,
Great way to connect content to application. I am sure after these many years you are a master story teller and your students perk up when they know you are going to share a story with them. Stories are fun ways to get the attention of students while helping them to see the relevancy of they are learning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
David,
Students love stories from their instructors as you know. These stories help to reinforce the content and helps them to see the value of what is being shared. In addition, they also give the students and idea of what they will be facing when they are out working.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I use story telling also to bring home points or make points seem real, give them flesh and blood with experiences I have had over the years. I have had a few classes that think we are "getting off track" but most of them find it interesting and ask more questions about the topic or story or share some of their own personal experiences. I find it a very helpful technique.
I have taught for over 30 years and early on in my career found the benefit to telling stories. I found that when I could relate an encounter, whether it was personal or one I had read about, it brought the subject matter to life for my students. They listed to my stories while at the same time, they learned about the topic at hand. What was suprising was that they often did not see the story as "learning" but rather thought we were just "getting off topic". Then when it came to taking a quiz, they realized that by applying what they had learned in the "story" actually taught them about the topic under discussion.
I try to tell real life class related stories, not to necessarily amuse my class, this could happen because of circumstances, but to educate them. Some stories deal with the way I accomplished a task and prevailed, and some stories serve as a warning of the way a task should probably not be done. From that point I usually ask the class what I could have done differently to get a better result. Most find where the story went bad and are able to offer a solution, sometimes better than what really happened
Jeffery,
This is connecting the dots for the students so they can see the value of what you are teaching.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
