Linking problem solving through storytelling for Indian school students

Have you ever thought how to do problem solving through storytelling for Indian school students? For any individual the most common problem in everyday life is problem solving against the challenges faced. Storytelling is an art that helps the individuals to solve problems in a creative way in their daily lives. So you might ask what is storytelling?

Wiki explains that, ‘’ Storytelling describes the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment.’’ The literature states storytelling as ‘’ Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images, and sounds often by improvisation or embellishment.’’ History states that, ‘Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture and in every land as a means of entertainment, education, preservation of culture and in order to instill moral values.’ Since the earliest civilisation, ‘’the earliest forms of storytelling are thought to have been primarily oral combined with gestures and expressions.’’ The stories in our history have been carved, scratched, painted, printed, or inked onto wood or bamboo, ivory and other bones, pottery, clay tablets, stone, palm-leaf books, skins (parchment), bark cloth, paper, silk, canvas and other textiles, recorded on film and stored electronically in digital form.

Problems are inevitable in school life and remember that problems in student life are solvable. Facing the solving problems is a pretty good description of student life in school. So when you understand the problem-solving nature of stories, it becomes obvious that we love storytelling but not able to master storytelling skills. And when you see how to use stories for problem-solving, you will have a secret method, to solve any student life problem . Problem-solving with story is an all-purpose, money-making, timesaving, status-building, enjoyment tool. Storytelling is a meta-skill! There are four types of storytelling – linear Narrative, a linear narrative presents the events of the story in the order in which they actually happened, Non-linear Narrative,Quest Narrative, viewpoint Narrative.

You might be thinking, ‘It’s not that simple…’; and your question that storytelling is not really about problem-solving, it is about entertainment, human connection and emotions, or something else. Let us teach you the basics of storytelling. The Five Cs of storytelling are – characters, conversations, circumstance, curiosity,  and conflict.

So how to inculcate the storytelling and problem solving for school children? As a student, the problem-solving abilities in school children can be evaluated in three methods:

1. by asking for examples of times when you previously solved a problem;
2. by presenting you with certain hypothetical situations and asking how you would respond to them;
3. and by seeing how you apply your problem-solving skills to different tests and exercises.

Some of the golden rules for the school children for problem solving-

Step 1: Identify the Problem. …

Step 2: Analyze the Problem. …

Step 3: Describe the Problem. …

Step 4: Look for Root Causes. …

Step 5: Develop Alternate Solutions. …

Step 6: Implement the Solution. …

Step 7: Measure the Results.

The above approach is a testimony that storytelling is for sharing and storytelling interpreting the school life problems and school life experiences. This in turn, leads to learning in social environment, like storytelling in classroom. Teaching school students storytelling is an excellent strategy before they become adolescents. However, remember that storytelling for school students is adaptive for all ages of school students. So if you leave out the notion of age of the child and storytelling, or segregation, then storytelling is an art for all ages. However the type of story changes as per age, plot and ability to comprehend. Storytelling is a method to teach school children ethics, teach values to school children and teach cultural norms to children.  and differences. As the school students grow up, they enter college or university which have a different form of life. Human knowledge is built on the basis of stories heard or learnt. So when school students grow up passing out of school, colleges, universities towards job or entrepreneurship, they start to tell their personal stories. The human brain contains the cognitive machinery necessary to understand, remember and tell stories. And using their past experiences in school, students are able to solve their life problems better. Problem solving through storytelling for Indian school students is therefore a technique that enables school children to create lasting personal connections, promote innovative problem solving. Storytelling foster a shared understanding with fellow school classmates regarding their future career ambitions.

– @UniversityofSt3

Storytelling method of teaching for teaching history

History as a subject in Indian schools was originally presented in stories. Storytelling method of teaching for teaching history in Indian schools, particularly at their early school classes, should be taught history, as a series of stories. Teaching history in chronological date of events, is the normal method, but adopting applied form of teaching storytelling can give them immense engagement, better retention of subject. It extends the school children imagination and develops their creative powers to imagine the turn of events in history if it is presented with art of storytelling. There are mainly three types of stories : (1) True stories, (2) Myths and (3) Legends.

Thus, the stories are the rich sources of history and are interesting only when it is presented with the storytelling skills. History as a subject is taught in every Indian school class, segmented for different ages of children. However, it is through the stories the context of history with much satisfactory result. However, truth cannot be sacrificed for the sake of teaching history interestingly. Hence the true stories or the stories having elements of truth can be utilized for teaching history. It is, therefore, imperative to select suitable stories for storytelling for the purpose.

Story-telling is an art and it is a skillful teaching process that one can learn over a period of time results in higher children engagement in classroom, higher interest towards the subject history, and better retention of subject. Success in learning storytelling method mostly depends on school teacher competence in Indian schools. Both these factors, the selection of stories in the manner series of stories and their presentation in school classrooms is extremely important for storytelling method of teaching for teaching history in Indian schools. The former method depends on the history teacher’s knowledge as well as understanding while the latter depends on teacher’s skill in story-telling.  Story-telling is an art and it is a skilful teaching process where imagery, dramatization to project the stories having elements of truth, is needed to weave a story out of history.

It implies that Indian school children signing up for storytelling course in 2021, means they are reaching out and connecting with new methods of learning and applied from of teaching. Stories can link not only between the child’s world of classroom and home environment but also between the Indian school classroom and beyond.

– @UniversityofSt3

Storytelling as a method of teaching Indian school students

The human species have storytelling as a method, especially their children have their own, immediate environment build around themselves, their immediate family, their neighbourhood, and later the school environment. All of these are, of course, good sources of story theme units. In addition to these, their exposure to the nursery rhymes and children’s literature in any culture or a country helps to offer a natural and interesting medium for language acquisition process in children. The children literature contains predictable, repetitive patterns that reinforce vocabulary and structures, provide relevant themes for young learners, and they are often highly generative.

Just as Indian children acquiring their first language begins to develop it orally, their reading capabilities, understanding (cognition) also develops. While most of it is heard, from parents, grandma, school teachers, the school curriculum for young children learning introduces a second language need to develop their capability in a second oral language in India. This happens to some extent before they can be expected to function in English writing and speaking. However, in many Indian School classes the young children copy words and phrases they do not understand and then in chorus “read” them together to the subject teacher. Carefully chosen children’s literature in Indian schools allow the children to develop their receptive language in an entertaining, meaningful context and naturally invites them to repeat many of the predictable words and phrases, which they gradually take ownership of and add to their receptive and productive language. Engagement to storytelling happens with learning new words and with explanation of visual imageries.

 “Literature is the high point of language usage, as it marks the greatest skill a language user can demonstrate. Anyone who wants to acquire a profound knowledge of language that goes beyond the utilitarian will read literary texts in that language” –(Bassnett and Grundy, 1993).

Therefore, read stories to your child everyday, and in the process ask them to express what they have understood. Test of skill over a period of time becomes storytelling skill for your school going child. Your engagement to storytelling therefore is a form of applied teaching, and must start early in the child’s life. Storytelling is a form of teaching that has existed in civilisation and societies across global cultures. While the oral storytelling have transformed in the electronic platform in 21^st century, your presence and persona impacts the child more, as they engage more in listening to stories. The domain of storytelling has evolved, in terms of criticality, now skills like problem solving through storytelling are higher level, application-oriented courses that help Indian students to learn storytelling. Many debates have sprung up, that tells us that allowing children to express more is beneficial than watching cartoons on television, which is why ‘storytelling for children’ must not stop. There are professional storytellers for your (11-13) years kid as well.

It implies Storytelling as a method of teaching Indian school students which is why the Indian school children signing up for storytelling course in 2021. It is an applied form of teaching is a new method of learning that your child must be exposed to. Stories can link not only between the child’s world of classroom and home environment, while it is important to make your child, expressive, intelligent, creative beyond Indian school classroom walls.

– @UniversityofSt3

What does storytelling offer school children in India?

So what does storytelling offer school children in India? It is evident every child has interest in listening to stories, which reminds of our grandma bedtime stories even today. Stories create magic, as there is a sense of wonder which the school children perceive this world. Stories teach us about life, our civilisation, the history, about ourselves and about friends. Storytelling is an art, unique way for school children in India to develop deeper understanding, respect and appreciation for other cultures too. Thus, storytelling offers school children in India to promote and adopt a positive attitude towards people from different countries, races and religions.

What is the connection of storytelling and intercultural understanding?

There are a number of ways in which storytelling school children in India can be enhanced. One of the best methods in through storytelling is linking the intercultural understanding and communication. Storytelling offers benefits to school children in India the following-

• allow Indian school children to explore their own cultural roots through storytelling
• allow Indian school children to experience diverse cultures
• enable Indian school children to empathise with unfamiliar people/places/situations
• offer insights into diverse global traditions and values through storytelling
• help Indian school children understand how wisdom is common to all peoples/all cultures
• offer insights into universal life experiences through storytelling to Indian school children
• help Indian school children consider new ideas
• reveal differences and commonalties of cultures around the world
• Other benefits of using storytelling in Indian school classroom

Storytelling guide in Indian school children promotes…

• Promote a feeling of well-being and relaxation
• Increase Indian school children’s willingness to communicate thoughts and feelings
• Encourage active participation through storytelling in Indian school children
• Increase verbal proficiency in Indian school children through storytelling
• Encourage use of imagination through storytelling and creativity through storytelling for problem solving through storytelling
• Encourage cooperation through storytelling in Indian school students
• Enhance listening skills through storytelling in Indian school students

The language Indian school children learn in the classroom is a tool now recognised by CBSE and the manner in which it is spoken helps to use to shape the child’s thought process and feelings. This is a more effective way of exchanging information and extending ideas. It implies that Indian school children signing up for storytelling course in 2021, means they are reaching out and connecting with new methods of learning and applied from of teaching. Stories can link not only between the child’s world of classroom and home environment but also between the Indian school classroom and beyond.

– @UniversityofSt3

UOS storytelling training for Indian CBSE Schools teachers

Storytelling Training for Indian CBSE Schools teachers has gained importance now. We at UOS (UniversityofStories) storytelling training workshops offer training for Indian CBSE schools and partnerships with Indian schools in the Storytelling Schools method. UOS (UniversityofStories) storytelling training workshops is ideal training course for Indian school teachers now, as the CBSE board is willing to adopt applied method of learning. The Indian school teachers attending storytelling course from UOS (UniversityofStories) storytelling training workshop, will learn the key elements of the system step-by-step:

TELLING: How to tell a story in classroom and teach your class students to retell it.

DEEPENING: How to immerse your class in the language and content of the story through drama, poetry, song, dance, reading, writing and linking across the curriculum.

CREATIVE WRITING: How to demonstrate and teach writing through shared writing practice.

STORY RECYCLING: How to create new stories from old memories.

STORY CREATION: How to invent new stories using a simple one liners, or one scenario for storymaking.

NON-FICTION: How to apply these same 5 elements to the teaching of non-fiction texts.

Connect with the experienced storytellers on board in UOS (UniversityofStories) storytelling training team.