Storytelling in teacher
professional
development
Made by Lyazzat Taskymbayeva, innovation management
Content
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Introduction
Content of storytelling
Digital storytelling
Purpose of stories
Conclusion
Glossary
References
“Tell
me a fact and I’ll learn.
Tell me the truth and I’ll
believe. But tell me a story
and it will live in my heart
forever.”
—Indian Proverb
Introduction
Teacher professional development is increasingly
imperative, as teachers have to navigate increased
inclusion of students with special needs, increased
focus on digital literacies, and multicultural classrooms;
and as more teachers are entering the profession
through alternative pathways and not having the initial
teacher education, teacher training is increasingly
seen as a process of lifelong learning [2].
The power of stories has been recognized for centuries. Stories are a
natural mode of thinking; before our formal education begins, we are
already learning from Aesop’s fables, fairy tales, or family history. Indeed,
some researchers have even claimed that all knowledge comes in the
form of stories (Schank & Abelson, 1995)! Although this strong claim has
been questioned, it is generally agreed that stories are a powerful
structure for organizing and transmitting information, and for creating
meaning in our lives and environments. Stories can be powerful teachers
of moral character and virtue.
Stories have the power to teach by example. They connect to personal
experience on an emotional level. They inspire us. They move us to
persuasion and even action. [1].
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Stories are the instrument for establishing friendly connections within
a class or a group, and are the effective means of carrying a task or
an idea through.
Storytelling is a creative narration. Unlike the narration of facts
(rendering, description by memory) that is based on perception,
memory and reproductive imagination, in the base of a creative
narration lies the creative imagination. Core components of such
narration must be new images, situations or actions created by the
child independently. In the process, the students apply the experience
and the knowledge they gained, but combine them in a new manner
A story depends on the audience it is meant for. Any type of story is
based on several key principles, distinguishing it from a simple citation
of facts: character; intrigue; plot [1].
Content of storytelling
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Teachers and psychologists all over the world take
much interest in storytelling, since presenting the
material in the form of telling stories develops the
students’ attentiveness and logic, at the same time
raising the level of cultural education. Storytelling
may be applied at any place and at any time. Stories
allow us to tell about how decisions are made and
relations are built. By exchanging stories, building
emotional connections, the teachers and the
students develop more correct and quality interrelations[3].
By applying the storytelling method, the following two
results may be achieved:
activation of atmosphere in
the class, relieving the
tension, creation of a
relaxed atmosphere
it is one of the fastest and
the easiest ways for
establishing a contact
between the teacher and the
students, a means for
attracting and holding the
students’ attention
Types of storytelling:
 cultural – telling about the values, morale and beliefs;
 social – a story told by people about other people (you can tell the children the
stories from the lives of famous people, which can become an example for
building their own lives);
 myths, legends – they are the reflection of culture and remind us of the things
to be avoided in order to be happy;
 jump story – everyone loves a story about mystical creatures, when an
unexpected final makes us jump from fear; such stories help us overcome our
own fears;
 family – family legends keep the stories of our families, passed on from one
generation to another, having educational and instructive nature;
 friendly – such stories unite friends, since they remind of a certain experience
they had together;
 personal – such stories tell about personal experience and emotions. This type
of storytelling is important since personal stories help understand and develop
oneself.
Components of a story:
hero
storyline
topic
idea
The hero of the story may be an object, a
person, a phenomenon, an imaginary
creature, the nature, a symbol.
The
storyline must include the exposition,
introduction, unraveling of the plot, climax
and resolution.
Examples of educational stories:
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historical narration: how prehistoric artists painted their caves
with paints made from berries, charcoal and clay; how the
geometry emerged; how the first engine was invented; where the
idea of clipping trees came from; the story of coordinates (from a
point and unidimensional space to multi-dimensional). Such stories
can be enriched with historical references about Euclid, Rene
Descartes, Pierre de Fermat, Albert Einstein.
story about a certain process: for example, the story of measuring
the plots of land in Ancient Egypt, creation of mosaics[3].
Digital storytelling
The process of producing short personal digital videos in
collaborative sessions as a means for understanding
something new or disseminating something important
from that person’s life is particularly seen in the digital
storytelling (DS) method [2].
 The DS method originated in the US in the 1990s, focusing on the possibilities of
the new media in relation to storywork. The method “supports individuals and
organizations in using storytelling and participatory media for reflection,
education, and social change” (Storycenter, 2018), and has gained international
attention, where some researchers and practitioners focus on giving
marginalized groups a voice in society, others on developing one’s professional
identity and supporting relational engagement. In addition, various research
studies point out potentials for development of collaborative skills, mastery of
multimodal digital technology, self-knowledge, self-representation, learning
and reflection [2].
Overview of various DS approaches [2]
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• What do you want to tell? In the very beginning, you need to find out and
clarify what your story is about.
• Add your emotions. Once you identify the emotions in your story, you can
decide which emotions you would like to include in your story and how you
would like to convey them to your audience
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• Find the moment of change. You have found and clarified the insight and
emotions of your story. You became clear about meaning of your story. The
next step is to tell your story by identifying a single moment so you can
illustrate your insight.
4
• Make your story visible. You already know your story and the emotions you
want to show, and you have found he moment of change in your story.
Now you need to work on the visual component of the story to bring it to
life for your audience
Overview of various DS approaches
• Add sound.
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• : Assemble your story! At this point in the process, you have found and clarified what
your story is about and how it sits with you today. You have also established the
overall tone you want to convey. You’ve identified a moment of change and begun
making choices about how to use visuals and sound to bring the story and scenes to
life for your audience. Now you are ready to assemble your story by spreading out
your notes and images and composing your script and storyboard.
• Show your story. Finally, you should think about your audience!
Personal storytelling through digital stories: Digital storytelling is a learning, creating
and sharing experience supported by technology, allowing participants to share
aspects of their life stories through the creation of their own short digital media
productions.
Moving from individual to collective storytelling: Digital stories can be used as a
springboard for a participatory video process, and as a way of moving from very
personal, individual work, towards a group storytelling project. Central to this shift is a
process of reflection and analysis of digital stories by the storytellers themselves.
Collective storytelling through participatory video: Together, participants discuss and
agree on a narrative for the film(s) they want to make, and go on to produce these
films. It is an empowering process, enabling people to take action for solving their own
problems and communicating this to decision-makers, their communities and the
wider public.
PURPOSE OF STORIES
Stories can serve multiple functions in the classroom,
including sparking student interest, aiding the flow of
lectures, making material memorable, overcoming
student resistance or anxiety, and building rapport
between the instructor and the students, or among
students themselves [1].
Stories Create Interest
As an instructor, you can capitalize on the inherent
narrative structure of research as the quest for
knowledge. Science is the process of solving mysteries; in
fact, writers of journal articles are often advised to make
their findings into “a good story.” Psychologists often start
out by confronting an intriguing problem. For example,
why are bicycle riders faster when they are racing
against another person than going around the track by
themselves?
Stories Provide a Structure for
Remembering Course Material
Coherence is the hallmark of a good narrative.
Remembering a list of isolated concepts and definitions
is difficult, but recalling the flow of a research story may
be easier for students. As mentioned above, stories may
also help create vivid mental images, another cue for
recall. Because stories provide natural connections
between events and concepts, mentioning one part of
the story may help evoke the other parts of the story, just
as hearing one bar of a familiar tune may bring the
entire song to mind.
Stories Are a Familiar and
Accessible Form of Sharing
Information
Some students may be intimidated by abstract
concepts, or may doubt their ability to master or
understand the material. A story may provide a nonthreatening way to ease students into learning. A
narrative
opening
may
seem
simple
and
straightforward, allowing students to relax and grasp a
concrete example before moving into more technical
details of a theory or finding. Sometimes stories can
even be about the learning process; tales of previous
students who struggled but then succeeded might serve
as inspiration for current students. (It probably goes
without saying that telling stories that mock or disparage
previous students may do more harm than good.)
Telling a Story From Experience
Can Create a More Personal
Student-Teacher Connection
This rapport can lead to a positive classroom climate.
Perhaps you are a clinical psychologist who has seen a
patient with a particularly compelling presentation of the
disorder you’re discussing in class. Or maybe you’re a
social psychologist who has had your own brush with
bystander intervention and diffusion of responsibility.
Sharing these experiences gives the class a new tone,
and makes the subject come alive. As long as every
class session isn’t another chapter from your
autobiography, students enjoy seeing a glimpse of the
human side of their professors. As an added benefit, in
discussion classes, providing this kind of opening may
inspire reciprocity and help create an atmosphere
where students are more willing to share their opinions
and experiences.
The case study method, frequently used in business schools, is a
popular means of introducing stories into the classroom. Cases
typically set up a problem by giving background information
about a situation (for example, the history of a company), and
end with a current dilemma faced by an individual or
organization. They are often designed to illustrate a particular
point or demonstrate certain analytic procedures. Students are
encouraged to generate possible solutions and consider the
consequences of those solutions. This method encourages
active learning, and in essence, puts students in the role of
writing the ending to the story[1].
A related method (which can be more or less
narrative in form) is role-playing, where students
actively create or take part in a mini-drama in the
classroom. McKeachie (1999) gives the example of
students taking the perspective of Freud or Skinner in
responding to a treatment situation. Role-playing is
another means of merging the power of stories with
the benefits of active learning [1].
Along the same lines, stories can be told from different points
of view. Think about perspective when you’re designing your
lecture. You could describe an experiment from the
researcher’s point of view, but you might instead begin by
telling the story of what a participant in that study
experienced instead, to draw students into the situation.
Imagine, for example, being a participant in the Asch
conformity studies, with rising levels of confusion and doubt
as your fellow participants continue to give wrong answers
to a line judgment task. Stories can encourage empathy,
and putting themselves in participants’ shoes can
sometimes help students understand the power of
experimental situations. Varying the presentation of
research to focus on a researcher versus a participant
perspective can also help add spice to your lectures[1].
Conclusion
Educational material provided as an interesting and exciting story favours
the development of personal traits, demonstrates the uniqueness of each
child’s imagination, allows demonstrating activity and creativity. Since
modern children spend a lot of their time online, real-life communication
becomes an art to be taught. And the storytelling method is just the right
thing to apply.
The ability of educational narrations based on history, the lives of famous
scientists and artists, the history of discoveries in math, physics, biology and
chemistry – all this must become not only a means of attracting the
students’ attention during the lesson, but also an effective instrument of
transferring the essential meanings into the students’ minds[3].
The art of storytelling is one of the most natural and, at the same time, the
most effective means of bringing new quality into the educational
process.
Glossary
 Active learning methods. Learning methods that focus on ensure learners play and
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active role in the process of learning instead of passively receiving information.
Assessment. The process of evaluating and measure an individuals achievement;
typically done with assessment tools such as assignments or examinations.
Cognitive process. Mental process such as knowing, perceiving, and understanding.
Competencies. An individual’s abilities as they relate to knowledge, understanding,
and skills
Continuing professional development (CDP). Opportunities for individuals to
increase their current level of knowledge and skills through coursework or other
means in order to improve their employment.
Guided Reading. A practice whereby a teacher or instructor leads small groups of
student through short texts to facilitate learning of fluency, comprehension, and
problem-solving strategies.
Guidelines. Statements specifying recommended procedures for completing a
specific task.
References:
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2.
3.
Melanie C. Green. Storytelling in Teaching. 2004
Henningsen, Birgitte; Ørngreen, Rikke. Digital Storytelling in Teacher
Professional Development. 2018
Creative school. Storytelling as a teaching method. 2019