Dr. Rebecca Isbell is a proponent of storytelling for learning, especially for young children. On her Web site, she notes these learning advantages for children that stories offer:
- They provide a new way to learn how the world works.
- Exposes them to stories from other cultures and different people.
- Storytelling develops their visual imagery.
- Provides opportunities to discuss moral and social issues.
- Increase listening comprehension of stories.
In a blog posting on Library Trainer, Lori Reed, who attended one of Dr. Isbell’s workshops, noted these additional learning features of stories. Reed asserted that the learning that comes through storytelling applies largely to adults as well as children.
Stories:
- Help learners remember and reinforce key points and concepts.
- Give meaning and deeper understanding to a new concept or skill.
- Help the learner stay awake! How many times have you ever been in a workshop where you had to pinch yourself to stay awake?
- Make learning fun!