Teaching and storytelling

I realized a long time ago that effective teaching is not about imparting knowledge. It’s about knowing how to tell a story.

To make sense of that, it’s useful to ask yourself “Why do people like stories?” What is it about fictional people and their problems that we find so endlessly fascinating?

Clearly there is no profit motive in hearing, reading or watching a good story. It usually doesn’t advance our career, or put food on the table. We do it because there is something enormously satisfying in the process of receiving a story well told.

If you want your students to learn, place what you are teaching in the context of a good narrative.
The important thing is for your learners be motivated to ask “And then what happens?”

The rest is all detail.

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