1. Beyond Once Upon a Time: Using Stories When We Teach Key Concepts Cherry Watts, Ph.D. The University of Tennessee at Martin

2. When do you tell stories… Close your eyes. Remember a story you were told. What do you see? How old were you? Can you remember the story now?

3. We will speedily… Look at why storytelling is important Listen to one story Review basic elements of storytelling Practice speed storytelling Look at a storytelling rubric

4. Why we tell stories…. The oral tradition Memory enhancement Meaning investment Connect with others

5. Oral tradition Stories can be used… ◦ Share knowledge ◦ Transmit values ◦ Teach lessons

6. Memory enhancement “A story can put your whole brain to work.” Widrich.

7. Meaning investment “A story, if broken down into the simplest form, is a connection of cause and effect. And that is exactly how we think.” Widrich

8. Connecting with others “When we tell stories to others that have really helped us shape our thinking and way of life, we can have the same effect on them too. “Uri Hasson

9. Why we tell stories to our students… Illustrate a rule Illustrate how to handle problems Illustrate how to do practical procedures Illustrate how to approach difficult situations

10. I tell stories to illustrate a period in time… Story #1 Liu Bang and the Han Dynasty

11. Donald Davis talks about the elements of storytelling People Place Problem Progress Paint a picture with words. Make it into a video with storytelling.

12. Now look at…Purpose What is your purpose in telling this story?

13. I tell stories to pose a problem… Story #2 How do you decide how to make enough food for a party?

14. Walter Benjamin says… “The storyteller take what he tells from experience…And he in turn makes it the experience of those who are listening to the tale.”

15. Let’s tell a story together…. One person starts… The next person adds the middle…. The last person ends the story. Topic… ◦ Gravity ◦ The Pythagorean Theorem ◦ The ride of Paul Revere ◦ Anne Frank

16. Think about the stories you tell your classes. What are your stories? What is the reason for telling this story? Jot down the people, place, problem and progress. What details will you add to paint the picture? What action will you describe to make it a video?

17. I invite you to share… Tell a short story that you share with your students. Look at the rubric.

18. According to George Gerbner… “Man is the storytelling animal par excellence. We live for, and die for, our stories.”

19. References Davis, D. (1993). Telling Our Own Stories. Atlanta, GA: August House. Lipman, D. (2013). Improving Your Storytelling. Grand Rapids, MI: Dickinson Press. McGuire, Jack. (1998). The Power of Personal Storytelling. New York: Putnam Books. Tate, M. (2003). Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc. Widrich, L. (2013). What storytelling does to our brains. http://blog.bufferapp.com/science of storytelling.http://blog.bufferapp.com/science