Successful Story Telling
As a student, I remember my best learning experiences were with teachers/professors who could tell a story or relate a personal experience about the content he/she was trying to convey. I'm currently teaching Anatomy and Physiology to nursing students. The material is dense and sometimes very dry but I try to inject a personal experience very now and again to break up the lecture and maybe help some students to remember the disease process or body part we just learned about. Just a brief story that starts with: "I took care of patient once with..." and, by linking the content to a real life situation makes it more interesting and something the students might be able to relate to better. This technique takes some extra time but I think it's well worth it.
Carol,
Stories are motivators for students. They increase the value of the course content because they show relevance and application. So continue sharing these examples of how the knowledge that is being offered can help move students closer to their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
when I do this it also seems to wake the students up! These are situations they may also face and it becomes a valuable lesson that will be remembered more easily.
Billie Jo,
I share my failure as well as successes with my students for the reason you mention. Students like to hear the stories but especially those stories that involve some mistakes and then positive solutions. They really perk up when stories are told as you know.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree, story telling is a great way to keep your students interested. Another thing I incorporate is mistakes and lessons I've learned from trial and error. It helps break the ice as well.
Pat,
Thank you for sharing how you developed your abilities as a story teller and how the examples you are now using help to reinforce the content being taught. Students like to hear such stories as they reinforce the content being taught and help to show them the ROI of being in school.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When I first started teaching it was difficult to use this method due to my lack of experience in the field. As time went on I had first hand experiences. I wrote down scenerios that I would refer to in each new class to point out the successes and downfalls of students before them.
Joseph,
This is my teaching style as well for the reason you state. When you hear someone doing this you stay engaged and this is true for our students as well. Sharing these stories and examples help them to see the relevancy of what they are being taught and how it can be applied in their careers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is perfect! Listening to someone lecture/teach by being able to relate course materials and content back to personal/professional experiences is one I always enjoyed. I find that I can get into a flow and elicit much more feedback by using real examples and experiences during teaching.
Ms. Viger,
I totally agree with what you stated above. I use this technique very often in class and I receive positive feedback from not only my students but also my professional peers. What I have found is that if I have students in my classroom that can relate to my story of what has happen to me out in my field and experience, the audience naturally applies their similar experiences in their past career or job setting. I find that the story telling method helps with the rapport with us and our students. Happy story telling and must success with your classes :)
Don Vo
Julia,
Yes, it is worth it for the reasons you cite. Real world experiences that are shared in the classroom help to reinforce the value of the content being offered as well as appealing to the interest of the students. They like to hear these stories and see how the content being taught fits into how the examples being shared.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
