The Power of Personal Narratives by Sarah Millsaps (Argentina ETA)
Everyone has a story to tell. If we as ESL teachers can encourage our students to share even short snippets of their lives across the language barrier, the positive impacts on our classroom environment and the students’ education can be enormous. Practicing the art of storytelling can greatly improve students’ language development, critical thinking skills, self-esteem and more. We teachers, too, can learn a great deal from taking the time to stop and listen to what our students have to say.
If you’re looking for methods to incorporate storytelling practice in your ESL classroom, this Lesson of the Week, “The Power of Personal Narratives” by Argentina ETA Sarah Millsaps may provide just the inspiration you need. Designed as a workshop for students at the tertiary level, the lesson draws inspiration from The Moth storytelling initiative. It encourages students to brainstorm and work from a variety of themes, and also guides them through active listening practices to ensure that they learn from their classmates’ experiences as well.
You can view the Prezi related to Sarah’s workshop here. Her lesson was originally featured on the LATAM Teaching Collab site.
That’s all for the month of May, but please come back throughout June for more fabulous lesson content!