Telling Stories: Connecting Theory and Experience in Classroom Conversations

Abstract

This chapter tells the story of how one course used storytelling to support class discussions and assessments. Stories were told by both the instructor and the learners, providing examples and non-examples of the concepts being addressed. Stories also were provided for class analysis and interpretation. Storytelling was found to be an effective tool for promoting conversation among students because it encourages reciprocity, is motivational, and helps learners make personal connections to the learning material. Instructors should scaffold storytelling for learners via both modeling and facilitation, indicating what types of stories are appropriate to share, what level of detail is necessary to support the connection between theory and experience, and how to demonstrate the connection between theory and experience.