Sarah DeGraaf

Why Tell Stories?

Sarah DeGraaf
Professor Kuyvenhoven
CAS-214
December 14, 2016
 Sarah DeGraaf

Sarah DeGraaf
Professor Kuyvenhoven
December 14, 2016
Why Tell Stories?
Throughout this class I have learned a lot about storytelling and the value of oral culture
that our school system seems to be shying away from. Through the activities that we have done,
conversations we have had, and exercises we have participated in, I feel that I have started to
understand why storytelling is a practice that should be implemented in the classroom. The
unique way that a shared story contributes to learning explains why storytelling is a classroom
activity that we cannot afford to loose. Because of the unique benefits that each brings, all
three circles of storytelling, talking, thinking, and imaginating with stories, should be actively
intertwined to teach students in the classroom.
An important distinction that I learned in this class was between the knowledge and
skills gained in storybook reading and writing verses storytelling and listening. At first I thought
that what students learned form hearing a story in read-a-loud could not be that different from
what they would learn hearing a story told from memory. There are many benefits to print
culture, but there are also many takeaways from oral culture that can only be learned through
oral practices. Where print culture engages the eyes of the reader, oral culture engages sight,
sound, and is affected by the environment of the listener. In a book, a reader can flip through
pages, skip over words, and reread where necessary, but while listening to a story a listener
must actively listen to be able to grasp the story being told. There are many benefits to both
print and oral culture, but in a society where print is replacing all orality, it is important to
remember that there are some learning benefits that only result through oral listening.
Another important concept that we learned in this class was that storytelling is not the
same thing as information sharing. In the book, In the Presence of Each Other, in the context
of Linda Stenders classroom, we learned just what the unique experience of storytelling does
for students. Through the three circles of storytelling, talking, thinking, and imaginating with
stories we see the variation of valuable skills and lessons that storytelling teaches in the
classroom.
 Sarah DeGraaf

The first circle of storytelling, talking with stories, is commonly seen in a school setting.
These types of stories are the ones that students tell on the playground, in between classes, and
even in class itself. This circle of storytelling is comprised of jokes, riddles, chants, and
memories. These types of stories create dialogue, they invite interruption, and they are given
life by the interactions of the listeners.
Linda used this type of storytelling as a way to build community in her classroom.
Students learned about Linda when she told little stories about herself and when students were
the storytellers, Linda learned about the childrens lives. Through talking with stories the class
learned about each others passions and interests, things about their families, their homes, their
siblings, and their likes and dislikes. They learned about each others perspectives, hopes, and
dreams as they told stories. Building a safe environment where students are comfortable and
feel loved and encouraged is crucial to successful education and storytelling is a powerful tool to
utilize in order to learn about students, share with them about yourself, and make a
comfortable room for them to grow.
As well as forming a safe environment for students, talking with stories also builds
confidence in students. A variety of activities, both formal and informal can be done to help
students build confidence as they speak. An activity that can be done to encourage formal
speaking is be a presentations, perhaps where students tell stories about themselves in front of
their peers. As they present, students will not only gain confidence in his or her speaking
abilities, but they will also be learning about to organize information, what details to include,
and what to leave out. There are also activities that can be done involving thinking with stories
that strengthen students confidence in informal speaking. One example of this would be a
small group discussion between peers. Small group discussions can provide a safe and
comfortable setting for students to practice oral discussion of stories, help them to see the
perspectives of others, and start a conversation.
In class, we had the opportunity to present about ourselves through digital storytelling.
Through these formal presentations, we as a class learned a lot about each other. The stories
that each person shared conveyed a message about themselves to the listeners, and while doing
it the storyteller learned about organizing a story, what to include, and how to share their own
experience with the class. From these presentations in class I learned that Jori spent time in the
hospital when she was young and I was touched as she shared that her dog helped get through
the tough times. I learned that part of what shaped Julia was that she was on an all-boys chess
 Sarah DeGraaf

team throughout her high school years. I learned that Rachel gained confidence in herself as
she joined the track team and recently found the courage to start running again on her own,
even without her team by her side. The work that each student put into their oral storytelling
paid off as we experienced what it was like to grow together through each others stories.
In Lindas classroom, students also thought with stories. Thinking with stories usually
feels very purposeful and involves a lesson or an application. Many times when thinking with
stories in Lindas class, students would be making connections and thinking of questions about
the story as she spoke. In this circle of storytelling, listeners actively focus their attention to the
storyteller. Like when Lindas students talked with stories, when they thought with stories, it
also brought about a variety of different learning outcomes.
One way that Linda used thinking with stories was as a way to engage students. She
told stories to spark interest in topics and as a way to encourage students to pick up a
challenging book or to interest them in a new topic that was going to be discussed in class. For
example, Linda told the story of Rumplestilskin in her classroom and then left a copy of the book
for students to look at if they wanted. The next day, two students picked up the book and read it
over and over, knowing that since they had enjoyed the storytelling they were sure to enjoy the
book as well. This thick 600-page storybook was one that was likely not to have been chosen if
not for Lindas advertisement via storytelling.
Linda also used thinking with stories as a way for students to practice their writing. The
day after she told the story of Theseus and the Minotaur she had her students choose any part
of the story and write about it. Compared to other writing assignments, students wrote with
more energy, their thoughts were more fully formed, and they even changed the story line to fit
their own desires. Storytelling powerfully motivated students writing and was a great tool for
Linda to use.
In the third circle of storytelling, imaginating with stories, we see that storytelling is not
just a tool for building community or confidence or for helping students make connections, but
that there are benefits of storytelling just for storytellings sake. Imaginating with stories
provides a storytelling environment where students loose themselves in the story. In this type of
storytelling, students actively engage with the story as they picture the images of the story in
their minds. In this circle of storytelling, the storyteller disappears and the reader gives in to the
story world. The unique experience that imaginating with stories provides for students results in
a stream of benefits that are deeply valuable for students.
 Sarah DeGraaf

An important distinction to point out is that this type of storytelling is much different
than information sharing, because information sharing does not bring students into this arena
where they hang on every word and sit on the edge of their seats in anticipation with every
pause. That being said, it is important to note the environment that listeners need when the
storyteller hopes for his or her listeners to loose themselves in this world. Imaginating with
stories does not tolerate interruptions. Any interruption might cause a listener to snap out of
the story world and back to the reality of the classroom. As a storyteller, it is important to be
aware of this element of storytelling and to set up the classroom to limit interruptions as much
as possible, to create an environment where students are free from distraction and interruption.
Linda recognized that students longed for an environment where there would be no
interruptions and she took special measures to set up the class in a way that catered to this
particular need of the listeners. She would close the door of the classroom and students would
move out of the desks and onto the circle rug. Students would also be free to choose a position
that was comfortable for them, to lie down or sit cross-legged or lean against a wall. Students
knew that when they went to the rug it was time to settle in for the ride. Once the storytelling
environment was set up, then the storytelling could begin.
The first benefit to imaginating with stories is the way these stories are able to strongly
convey valuable life lessons and human truths to listeners. In the story of the Golden Fish told
by my classmates, I was struck by the deep meaning that was powerfully conveyed in the five-
minute story. The story portrayed messages of greed and selfishness and wanting more, wanting
what we do not have. These are truths that we as human beings face yet are so rarely
confronted with on a day-to-day basis. Imaginating with stories effortlessly conveys truths that
we daily experience but seldom speak of.
Another benefit to imaginating with stories is the experience it provides for students.
While listening to this type of story, students experience the story in a way that is much
different than when someone is merely speaking to share information. When students hear a
story that puts them in this circle of storytelling it is almost a magical feeling, they loose
themselves in the story. The relationship between the listener and the storyteller becomes lost
as the story becomes the world that the listener feels they are in. It takes time and requires a
long enough story that the listeners can give in and become part of the story, but when they do
they enter into a world of possibilities. This type of storytelling invites students to use their
imaginations to envision the story being told. There are no pictures to follow in front of them,
 Sarah DeGraaf

but the picture created by the storytelling imagery creates pictures for the listeners
imagination. Encouraging students to use their imaginations is a valuable art.
In the end, if nothing else, imaginating with stories is a gift for students. Linda felt
obligated to share the gift of storytelling with her students because she knew the delight that
they found when she shared a story with them.
In my own classroom, I hope to implement all three of the circles of storytelling. The
three circles all provide benefits to the classroom from different angles, approaching stories at
different depths and I hope to utilize these different variations of storytelling to better my own
teaching. I hope that through storytelling my students will be able to talk, listen, and imaginate
with stories in ways that we cannot afford to lose.
I hope that through storytelling my students will be challenged in a different way that
they are used to. In our largely print, and transforming technological world, the art of orality is a
practice that students need to be engaged in. Through talking with stories, I hope that my
students will better develop their communication skills, enlarge their vocabulary, and develop
the structure to tell their own stories. Through thinking with stories, I hope that I will be able to
motivate my students to write more fluently and eloquently, and challenge them to tackle new
topics. And lastly, through imaginating with stories I hope to bring a gift to my students that
brings our class together, provides opportunity for imagination, and teaches valuable life
lessons. I plan to story tell in class in order to provide the benefits for students that can only be
reached through this type of experience.
I am thankful that I had the opportunity in this class to practice some of the things that
we learned are useful for students. I remember memorizing poems in middle school, and
memorizing Bible verses, but when I got to high school I never gave a speech or an oral
presentation that I did not have note cards for. I wish that I had been challenged more orally, to
practice memorization and utilize that part of my brain that so often goes without being used. I
am thankful for the practice that we have had in this class that will prepare me as I go forward. I
am thankful that we had practice picking poems that we enjoyed and memorizing them, finding
stories and learning how to express them to an audience, and even doing puppet shows that will
harness the imagination of young children.
Although I am not sure that I will ever be referred to as the storytelling teacher like
Linda Stender was, I hope that I can not only use storytelling as a useful tool, but also as a way
to provide delightful storytelling experiences for my students as I teach.
 Sarah DeGraaf

Works Cited:
Kuyvenhoven, Johanna. In the Presence of Each Other. Toronto, University of Toronto Press,
2009.