Accordingly, story-telling holds significant potential as pedagogy. A good story allows the audience to make meaning, to bring together disparate pieces into a more coherent whole. A good story captures and holds the imagination. A good story lives on beyond its telling. Is this not what we strive for in education?
Of course, the operative word is good. Certainly all of us have also been subject to bad story-telling: the movie that puts you to sleep, the book closed before the second chapter, the television show that panders to the lowest denominator. What are common elements of a good story? How do these translate to our educational practices?
Depending on your source, there are either six, eight, five, or thirteen elements of a good story, which you want to follow, but only to a certain extent, depending on the circumstance. I did a quick Google search, not a thorough accounting, so there may actually be three, nine, or eleven elements - who knows?
I offer four. There are no big surprises here. The trick is to intentionally shape and shift your teaching pedagogy in order to draw your audience in to the process of making meaning. I do not offer any formula, rather some considerations that may springboard your creative energies when designing lectures, online components, group work, assessments, experiential learning, and so on.
First, a good story has good characters. These characters are often like us but with an intriguing splash of hyperbole - a little more crazy, a little more troubled, a little more dramatic. There is often a protagonist attempting to achieve something and an antagonist creating roadblocks.And as imperfect or flawed or burdened or crazy as they are, they are attempting to achieve some end; they have motives.
Regarding teaching, some disciplines have natural characters within the curriculum, such as history, literature, psychology and politics. Other subjects may require some anthropomorphism to create a physical law with an antagonist or a math constant with a personality. Ultimately, the heart of the matter is the relationship between characters, whether human or otherwise. Within this relationship, how does one "character" compare and contrast and interact with another?
Second, a good story has a good setting. A good setting comes in many different forms, from magical naturescapes (Lord of the Rings) to odd arrangements (White Christmas) to intense predicaments (All Quiet on the Western Front). The key is that the setting captures our fascination and creates an interesting context for the characters to pursue their motives. Here again, the power of hyperbole and novelty are significant.
Regarding teaching, we often use the word contextualize, which is another way of talking about setting. What is happening in the physical environment or political ideascape or hospital room that impacts our characters? What does this surrounding "place" look like? What are some of the smaller details that play an interesting role within the ecology of the setting?
Third, and significantly, a good story has a good plot. Shaped by the setting, our characters are attempting to do something (get the girl, figure out their place in the world, save the day). A good plot produces problems for the characters, conflicts and tension and twists and turns. We are on the edge of our seat. We want to know: how will this all work out in the end?
Regarding teaching, what are the twists and the turns that require critical thinking and analysis? What complexities come into play that problematize a simple understanding of the topic? Our characters are attempting to do something, but are they able to? How does this affect or transform our characters? Note to self: don't spoil the ending! You may even want to consider the classic choose-your-own-adventure motif, and let your students speculate on endings based on the story (information) that they have.
Fourth, a good story has good narrative style. Your narrative style, essentially the words and imagery that you choose to craft the tale from beginning to end, plays a major role in holding people's attention. Which color is more intriguing to you, red or crimson? What holds your attention better, an arcane monologue or a witty dialogue? Which catches your eye, a late model hatchback or a DeLorean?
Regarding teaching, include humor and metaphor into the language you use. Use pictures and film to bring imagery into your teaching. Take liberty to be grandiose or hyperbolic with your words if it makes a point. Be playful with esoteric jargon. Significantly, good story telling is about showing, not telling. Use words and images to paint a picture, and allow your audience to pull the pieces together.
We are educators, not entertainers. Nevertheless, story-telling serves as an engaging and impactful pedagogy in service to our end: student learning. Why not?
Below is an example of a story I created - in this case digitally - in order to start a conversation about financial literacy with my students. Note the characters, setting, plot, and narrative style. You may create a story in a literal sense, or simply incorporate the elements into other mediums.
