| Abstract | I am currently undertaking my PhD in Business Psychology, with a focus on individual differences in organisations in Jordan. Also, I have taken several teaching roles in the Psychology department at the University of Westminster, which include but are not limited to individual differences. Interestingly, what struck my attention is the deteriorating level of motivation that students have in terms of academia and their studies. This in turn allowed me to explore potential approaches which may inspire them to have a different perspective on the material they are given, thus raise their level of motivation to excel. Therefore, the most successful approach I have found was to deliver the content of the material through storytelling. This was implemented through initiating lectures with sharing an experience or story that is relevant to the course work material. This can be done via disclosing a personal experience, others’ experiences or stories from the newspaper. Following, I begin to deliver the material in a story telling format throughout the lecture.
This experience has proven to be successful over the course of two years, including but not limited to statistical modules. This is due to the fact that the meaning behind a story and the learning processes for students can powerfully coexist. Moreover, this technique allows the lecturer and the students to connect on an intellectual as well as emotional level, as it aids in delivering the content in a simplified yet thorough and structured manner. This in turn aids in understanding and processing the information in a logical and systemized manner, thus ensuring that students remember and grasp the details of the delivered content. Another advantage to the use of storytelling would be the increased level of engagement, participation and enthusiasm exhibited by the students through the innovative ideas introduced in lectures. Moreover, storytelling enhances the ability of the students’ to clearly convey their ideologies in their essays and exams, as it aids in tuning the students’ cognitive processing to easily understand as well as deliver the material effectively and efficiently. Finally, students begin to link the learnt material with their everyday life, causing them to have a more practical outlook on the content being delivered. Interestingly, this has been supported by a 2010 study in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences, where the study revealed that sharing enthralling stories that reflect the necessary material, improves the learning experience of the students. This mainly occurs because the brain of the speaker and listener sync with each other, thus allowing the lecturer to connect with the students on an emotional and biochemical level (Stephens et al., 2010).
It would be of great interest for me to investigate with my peers, other possible approaches that may be integrated in parallel to storytelling that may further enhance the quality of learning for students.
As the approach of storytelling allows ample space for creativity in teaching, the common purpose that gets developed by adopting this approach will play a big role in shifting the academic journey for students. |
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