People around the world understand the power of a good story. Elders
from traditional cultures pass on the ways of their people through oral
narratives, parents soothe their children at night with bedtime stories, and
movie makers entertain viewers with epic tales in wide screen formats.
Contemporary psychologists, such as Keith Oatley, have found that reading
stories increases people’s empathy for others, and improves their social skills
as measured by a number of criteria (Oatley 2011). For all these reasons and
more, many of us English teachers read stories to our students regularly. We
also ask our students to read stories, as a way to build their language skills,
while integrating them at the same time into warm and caring human
communities.
In my talk, I present short stories for English language learners, ages
10 – 16, which depict an ethical or social problem, and I show how these
stories can promote class discussion. For example, in a story I use with
teenagers, “Thank you, M’am,” by Langston Hughes, a young man tries to
steal an old woman’s purse because he doesn’t have money to buy new
shoes. However, the old woman successfully resists his attack and changes
the young man’s perspective forever. In another story I use with primary
school students, The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynn Cherry, a young man who
cuts down trees in the Amazon rain forest broadens his understanding after
coming face-to-face with young children who live in the forest and love their
home. After summarizing various stories such as these, I lead the audience
to complete several writing and speaking tasks as they examine the dilemmas
faced by characters in the stories. In an actual classroom setting, students
develop reasoning and communication skills as they participate in story
discussions with classmates whose values may conflict with their own.
Students formulate their opinions in a supportive class environment, while
respecting the views of others that may differ from their own.
STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT: GOOD STORIES FOR GREAT DISCUSSIONS (P)
10:00 - 10:50, 1 September, 2018, Autumn ’18 Thessaloniki IP Exhibition
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