Storytelling could be an effective teaching tool: Study

Washington, Mar 2 : Storytelling can be an effective way of teaching valuable lessons to children, says a researcher.

Jillian Yawney, a graduate student from the University of Alberta's School of Library and Information Studies believes that storytelling is an interactive tool that motivates children to learn more.

Yawney conducted the study with a group of fourth graders in Edmonton and told them the "The Lost Lemon Mine" story. The students were later asked to write a one-page report and "solve" the mystery by making an informed decision based on research they completed.

She helped by teaching the students lessons in key word searching, determining credibility and note taking.

The findings revealed that storytelling approach engaged the students and encouraged them to learn more.

The comments made by the students included "when you were storytelling a little mini movie was running in my head and that's just where all the ideas came from" and "I want to find out more because I liked your stories."

Yawney believes that the story telling approach can be applied for different disciplines.

"I would like teachers to be more aware of the use of story, crossing all disciplines and all ages," she said.

She suggested that this approach could be used by high school teachers while teaching about Galileo Galilei, Albert Einstein or World War II.

ANI