Using Story in Education

A story is the telling of a real or fictional occurrence in such a way that the listener experiences or discovers something simply by listening to it. Stories may be used to describe and demonstrate abstract ideas or principles in a manner that is understandable and achievable to the general public. Indeed, some researchers have even claimed that all knowledge comes in the form of stories (Schank & Abelson, 1995) Books and novels are very entertaining and good for learning. I used novels and books to enhance my vocabulary. Teachers can use stories to teach their students and enhance their grammar.

But, to use story in education isn’t easy as the other form of literary such as poems or song. In my opinion, using story in education wouldn’t be so easy because there are so much words that may be students don’t understand or the slow learner students would be so in distress because of that problem. The fact that readers of another culture and language’s literature may have difficulties processing both linguistically and culturally is not of course an argument for not using such texts at all (Hall, 2005, p.119). There is a challenge for teachers in using story in education, so the teachers must prepare everything carefully.

Reading is one of the most simple ways to learn English through a story. In addition to reading, teachers can also ask their students to tell a story about something that the student likes or the current issue that is happening to their friends or the teachers can choose one word/topic and ask their students to develop that one word or topic into a story. As Lazar (1993) stated that literature exposes students to complex themes and fresh, unexpected uses of language. A good novel or short story may be particularly gripping in that it involves students in the suspense of unravelling the plot (p.15). Then, Adair (1990) mentioned that reading books will inspire and improve your critical thinking abilities, a decent read will get you in the mood to work. So, the teachers can choose another option such as asking their students what genre of novels or books they prefer.

In conclusion, using short story in education would be so effective if the teachers prepare the method very well and carefully. Short story or books or novels can also improve students vocabulary and develop students English skills in reading and writing.

 

References:

Adair, J. (2007). The Art of Creative Thinking. London & Philadelphia: Kogan Page Limited.

Hall, G. (2015). Literature in Language Education (Research and Practice in Applied Linguistics) (2nd ed. 2015 ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.

Lazar, G. (1993). Literature and Language Teaching: A Guide for Teachers and Trainers (Cambridge Teacher Training and Development). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511733048

Schank, R. C., & Abelson, R. P. (1995). Knowledge and memory: The real story. In R. S. Wyer, Jr. (Ed.), Advances in social cognition (Vol. VIII, pp. 1-85). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.