S1/Ep.08 - Teacher Feature: Harness the Power of Narrative to Teach Boys

For thousands of years people have used stories to process and make sense of the world around them. Stories connect us to one another, helping us learn about our history and ancestors. We tell our own stories to transform ourselves, inspire others, and help define our own identity. When we listen to other people’s stories, we develop empathy, understanding, and a tolerance of difference and “otherness”—we begin to recognize the world from multiple perspectives.



Stories have always held a strong appeal for the human brain. Research shows that when we learn through stories, we improve content retention and recall of key ideas. Stories encourage deep learning by establishing significant links and connections.



In this episode of the IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education podcast, Bruce Collins interviews seven teachers from IBSC member schools who have successfully implemented storytelling as a pedagogy in their schools. These teachers from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa describe how they use of narrative in their classes. They discuss the impact on their teaching and offer advice for other teachers who want to explore using stories in class. Each highlights key research underpinning the use of narrative as a pedagogy.



For more ideas on proven strategies in the classroom, check out the top 10 action research reports from 2018-19 in IBSC Member Center.



We welcome your voice notes in response to IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education episodes. Leave a comment or highlight how you’re using the podcast in your school. Please send WhatsApp voice notes to Bruce Collins at +27 71 8911 898 or email voice memos to [email protected]. We’d like to feature as many of your voices as possible in future podcast episodes. Top 10 IBSC Action Research Reports 2018/2019 · @nicrichteach · @palviano2 · @richard_vandam · @melissaeramon · IBSC