Storytelling in foreign language teaching
The teaching of English to children Storytelling has always been seen as an aid in the teaching of foreign languages, although this has nearly always been with learners of at least intermediate level and through translation or text analysis. The recent interest in using storytelling techniques with lower level learners is for a number of reasons. Apart from the aforementioned advantages which also apply to language teaching, there are others which can be highlighted. One of these is the need for classroom activities which are meaningful to the learners, and which lead to greater learner involvement. There is
clearly a great need to create activities in the foreign language classroom which most closely reflect the process of natural acquisition of language and we know that this process basically stems from the need to communicate.
Recent proposals on content based syllabuses have developed out of this need. The selection of vocabulary, structures and activities in these syllabuses is based on a certain topic or area of interest to the learners, or there is a strong focus on using all the opportunities for real communicative interaction in the classroom (here and now activities which involve spontaneous use of the foreign language, classroom language, etc). This need has also led to the inclusion of resources such as games, stories and task-based activities as a central and not complementary part of the syllabus. As stated earlier, all this is designed to stimulate the learners’ interest in communicating in a meaningful way which in turn helps the learner internalise the language.
The teaching of English to children Storytelling has always been seen as an aid in the teaching of foreign languages, although this has nearly always been with learners of at least intermediate level and through translation or text analysis. The recent interest in using storytelling techniques with lower level learners is for a number of reasons. Apart from the aforementioned advantages which also apply to language teaching, there are others which can be highlighted. One of these is the need for classroom activities which are meaningful to the learners, and which lead to greater learner involvement. There is
clearly a great need to create activities in the foreign language classroom which most closely reflect the process of natural acquisition of language and we know that this process basically stems from the need to communicate.
Recent proposals on content based syllabuses have developed out of this need. The selection of vocabulary, structures and activities in these syllabuses is based on a certain topic or area of interest to the learners, or there is a strong focus on using all the opportunities for real communicative interaction in the classroom (here and now activities which involve spontaneous use of the foreign language, classroom language, etc). This need has also led to the inclusion of resources such as games, stories and task-based activities as a central and not complementary part of the syllabus. As stated earlier, all this is designed to stimulate the learners’ interest in communicating in a meaningful way which in turn helps the learner internalise the language.
The use of stories with other learners
Storytelling can also be widely used with other groups of learners such as teenagers and adults. Although it is always very difficult to say which are the main topics or areas of interest for teenagers, it seems clear that they prefer working with contemporary stories which relate to their world and the world around them and even prefer inventing their own stories to listening to those designed for children. The element of fantasy in stories still holds some appeal for teenagers, but they prefer a more modern treatment of it as in science fiction. The learners’ greater knowledge of the language allows for more linguistic complexity both when listening to stories and telling or re-telling them. The use of stories with teenagers by no means loses its value but rather takes on a different focus which includes more complex stories and therefore more sophisticated activities.
Storytelling can also be widely used with other groups of learners such as teenagers and adults. Although it is always very difficult to say which are the main topics or areas of interest for teenagers, it seems clear that they prefer working with contemporary stories which relate to their world and the world around them and even prefer inventing their own stories to listening to those designed for children. The element of fantasy in stories still holds some appeal for teenagers, but they prefer a more modern treatment of it as in science fiction. The learners’ greater knowledge of the language allows for more linguistic complexity both when listening to stories and telling or re-telling them. The use of stories with teenagers by no means loses its value but rather takes on a different focus which includes more complex stories and therefore more sophisticated activities.
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