Week 9: The Listener

"No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever." JK Rowling

Narrative Transportation

One of the reasons teachers should use stories to enhance student learning is that stories evoke "Narrative Transportation" in the person experiencing the story. What is Narrative Transportation? Why is it important? Check out some of these articles as you think about why  Narrative Transportation is important for your class!

Help the audience to enter the world of the story through narrative transportation

Have you ever gotten so involved in a story that you lose track of time and even forget where you are? Researchers refer to this experience as narrative transportation. It is a sign of a great story.

Annie Neimand, Ph.D.Science of Story Building

Narrative Transportation: What It Is and Why Every Storyteller Needs To Know It — Muse Storytelling

The experience of being transported to the world of a story is called narrative transportation.  It’s an incredibly powerful experience that can change how we see the world.

Patrick MoreauMuse Storytelling

Listening Comprehension

The second "why" we are exploring this week of why stories enhance learning is around the idea of Listening Comprehension. We've all heard the charge to our profession that all teachers are reading teachers...well reading and listening comprehension go hand in hand! Check out some of these articles to see how engaging students with a great story can help them become better readers.

[PDF] Plato Revisited : Learning Through Listening in the Digital World | Semantic Scholar

In our era, new technologies are challenging traditional definitions of what it means to be literate. Reading and writing remain important facets of literacy but are not themselves synonymous with literacy. Specifically, digital media have revived the importance of listening and oral literacy. This …

D. Rose>Semantic ScholarSemantic Scholar's Logo

The Listening and Reading Comprehension Link - Keys to Literacy

I recently read a piece by Monica Brady-Myerov in Language Magazine in which she addresses the importance of teaching students listening skills.

Joan SeditaKeys to Literacy

This Week

We know that stories spur on narrative transportation which "can change how you see the world" and that there are links between listening comprehension and reading comprehension. We all have experienced times where listening to a story let us access content that was beyond our cognitive level. This week we are going to act on this knowledge by creating an audio podcast for our students! You could get fancy and bring in music and background sounds using garageband on your iPad or Macbook or keep it simple and use the VoiceMemo App on your iPad or iPhone (simple tutorial here)