Storytelling Builds Connections and Increases Engagement
Storytelling not only has the ability to create connections between curriculum, it also has the ability to create connections between groups, communities, and individuals, and can potentially increase student engagement.
In her work on digital storytelling and theatre, Megan Alrutz suggests that, "...the personal and interactive nature of applied theatre works to construct and perform relationships between self, others, and society" (2015, pg.12). Story building and theatrical performance both inherently connect students to one another through the process of creation and sharing. The interviews between nursing and social work students and theatre students illustrate storytelling and theatrical play's ability to connect students across curriculum. One could argue that these two groups of students may never have come into contact with another outside of the activity, and the inherent skills of each group within their respective discipline fostered a healthy respect and admiration for one another's craft (Dennison, 2011; Reams & Bashford, 2011). What is more, the interactions between the peer groups opened up one another to suggestions and solutions to respective situations and problems within each other's domain (Dennison, 2011; Reams & Bashford, 2011).
Storytelling in and of itself is a connecting cultural practice. With roots grounded in oral traditions; the process of creation and act of recounting story brings individuals together. An environment where collaborative storytelling exists allows for the potential of community building, "...where people affiliate with others based primarily on shared activities, interests, and goals, not shared race, class, culture, ethnicity, or gender" (Gee in Alrutz, 2015, pg.38). This can certainly be seen in the collaborative nature of Role Playing Games and similar activities.
Further to this building of connections, storytelling and theatrical activity have the ability to promote engagement in students. The fact that material is presented in a different and interesting way may create curiosity or intrigue where it otherwise may not exist. Students of different learning styles may find the narrative nature of storytelling or the creative characteristics of story creation a more comfortable means in which to learn content (Alrutz, 2015; Kornfield & Leyden, 2005; McGregor & Precious, 2011). Rather than reading from a text or viewing a video, roleplaying activities and stories have the ability to immerse students in a world, learning the same facts and details in a different context. What is more, learning through roleplaying allows for the empathy of a situation or character, as students are placing themselves in others' "shoes" and constantly judging their character's motivations and values against their own. Kornfield and Leyden (2005) describe a situation where a middle-school-aged student playing a waitress from the time of segregation completely immersed herself in the character to the point of asking another student to get up from a table and leave purely because of their colour; at this time the student's own value system came into conflict with her character's and she broke character and struggled to continue the performance. This situation perfectly illustrates the power of storytelling and roleplaying to create teachable moments regarding situations in the past that may not exist outside of the context. What is more, these moments are further enhanced by the incredible level of engagement students demonstrate in their immersion and commitment to characters and narrative. In this particular case, the student was eager to discuss the contradiction between her own personal values and what was required of her, inquiring as to why her role required the particular action and why people thought that way (Kornfield & Leyden, 2005).
In her work on digital storytelling and theatre, Megan Alrutz suggests that, "...the personal and interactive nature of applied theatre works to construct and perform relationships between self, others, and society" (2015, pg.12). Story building and theatrical performance both inherently connect students to one another through the process of creation and sharing. The interviews between nursing and social work students and theatre students illustrate storytelling and theatrical play's ability to connect students across curriculum. One could argue that these two groups of students may never have come into contact with another outside of the activity, and the inherent skills of each group within their respective discipline fostered a healthy respect and admiration for one another's craft (Dennison, 2011; Reams & Bashford, 2011). What is more, the interactions between the peer groups opened up one another to suggestions and solutions to respective situations and problems within each other's domain (Dennison, 2011; Reams & Bashford, 2011).
Storytelling in and of itself is a connecting cultural practice. With roots grounded in oral traditions; the process of creation and act of recounting story brings individuals together. An environment where collaborative storytelling exists allows for the potential of community building, "...where people affiliate with others based primarily on shared activities, interests, and goals, not shared race, class, culture, ethnicity, or gender" (Gee in Alrutz, 2015, pg.38). This can certainly be seen in the collaborative nature of Role Playing Games and similar activities.
Further to this building of connections, storytelling and theatrical activity have the ability to promote engagement in students. The fact that material is presented in a different and interesting way may create curiosity or intrigue where it otherwise may not exist. Students of different learning styles may find the narrative nature of storytelling or the creative characteristics of story creation a more comfortable means in which to learn content (Alrutz, 2015; Kornfield & Leyden, 2005; McGregor & Precious, 2011). Rather than reading from a text or viewing a video, roleplaying activities and stories have the ability to immerse students in a world, learning the same facts and details in a different context. What is more, learning through roleplaying allows for the empathy of a situation or character, as students are placing themselves in others' "shoes" and constantly judging their character's motivations and values against their own. Kornfield and Leyden (2005) describe a situation where a middle-school-aged student playing a waitress from the time of segregation completely immersed herself in the character to the point of asking another student to get up from a table and leave purely because of their colour; at this time the student's own value system came into conflict with her character's and she broke character and struggled to continue the performance. This situation perfectly illustrates the power of storytelling and roleplaying to create teachable moments regarding situations in the past that may not exist outside of the context. What is more, these moments are further enhanced by the incredible level of engagement students demonstrate in their immersion and commitment to characters and narrative. In this particular case, the student was eager to discuss the contradiction between her own personal values and what was required of her, inquiring as to why her role required the particular action and why people thought that way (Kornfield & Leyden, 2005).