Instructor experience vs. New groups of students
I wonder how many instructors update or simply recycle the stories from personal experiences that are shared with a class.
My students know me to be a storyteller. I have to remind myself that new groups of students have not shared my experiences and so the information is new and instructive to them.
I also share current or relevant case studies that are not mine but apply to the topic of discussion.
I think effective storytelling enhances the instructor's credibility, and therefore effectiveness, with the students.
Hi Jane,
This is such a great example of how a creative instructor can make a topic become alive in a new and different way. The historical perspective you present about each wine or winemaker is something the students will remember for a very long time. Nice way to wrap a class because you keep their interest to the end because they want to hear the story that you have prepared for them.
Gary
I teach a wine class, which everyone thinks should be so easy, but I must warn everyone that it is not a drinking class, it is a lecture class. It is just as hard to make grapes, geography, and chemistry as interesting as other topics!! One way I work around this is to end each class with what I call "Today's Wine Icon", which is a story of the history of one of the world's major wines or winemakers. It actually takes quite a bit of research to find these stories, especially stories that illustrate the day's class topic. However, I have a 15-day class, and I have found 15 stories with which to end each class...most of my students say it is their favorite part of the day...one parent even offered to publish them as a coffee table book!
Absolutely! Story telling can bridge the gap to relevance!
Scott
This is so true! I have told several stories and teh students get really excited about learning after a good story.
They have the expectation that you will assist them in acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in their career field.
I agree. Career stories, I think as well, give you more legitimacy in a student's eyes because it really sinks in with them that you have been out there working in this career. Your stories give them a few brief moments of what it's like to be in the profession. Stories inspire! The stories also help to bring the unexpected moments into the classroom and shake things up and help mentally wandering students come back to the classroom setting and refocus again on the lesson at hand.
always have basic story our out line of your expirience. I do grpahics for a living so if I miss anythign they can simply go to my website and see the work I've done.
Hi Bryan,
Yes too much of anyone instructional method can cause the students to drift away mentally. There needs to be a flow and pace to the delivery to keep the students engaged.
Gary
sometimes to much story telling can be a problem i think from my teachings anyway
I jokingly warn my students on the first day of class that I tend to embark on tangents, and instruct them to wave me back in when they think I've gone too far astray. They won't, however, so long as those tangents come back to a relevant point or offer original insight into the material. It may be a personal story, something from the news or current cultural trends -- if it's interesting and relevant, it can be a great way to make your instruction more dimensional and thus more memorable.
Personal experience is the name of the game. Sharing stories, no matter how many times, builds credibility with the students that you actually know what you're talking about and aren't just standing up there regurgitating something out of a textbook
Hi Rosalie,
This is a real challenge. What have you found to work in online settings that have been effective in keeping the interest of students?
Gary
The stories we share let them know that you learn alot with experience. I know that as a health care worker there are things that they never taught me in a book!!! And my students love it when I share those things with them!
Amy
Both residential and online students respond well to stories about my experiences. Since I teach marketing, many weird things are relevant, even the hairstyle I sported in the 80's. I don't know why they think some things are so interesting - whether it is realizing their instructor is a person or that every topic can be brought around to relate to marketing. The bigget benefit is that students feel very comforatable sharing their stories as well and I learn so much every quarter from them.
I used to tell stories when I was in a residential classroom and the students loved it. It is difficult to tell stories in an online class where everything is in writing as stories can be misinterrupted.
Hi Joseph,
Storytelling for many instructors is a lost art and it shouldn't be. Verbal examples of past experiences or as you mention new examples are a great way of keeping students focused and engaged during lectures. I enjoy listening to lectures that use storytelling as a part of the delivery.
Gary
Joseph - I love to share stories to illustrate points or provide examples for learned concepts. I ask my students if they get sick of the stories. Their response is overwhelmingly - NO. I find that even when I get a bit off topic to expand into a story or experience within the industry, the students perk up, listen and ask questions. It sticks with them into their future. I remember many stories told by my college teachers almost 20 years ago.
Colleen
