Storytelling and Success: How Storytelling Can be Used to Promote Diversity, Cross-Cultural Understanding, and Confidence in the Classroom

Storytelling and Success: How Storytelling Can be Used to Promote Diversity, Cross-Cultural Understanding, and Confidence in the Classroom

Taylor Morgan Dunn1 and Susan Cherup1

Abstract Storytelling plays an important role in preserving historical and cultural traditions. Research proves it is beneficial to utilize in the classroom setting as well. One college seeks to cultivate an interest in storytelling for teacher education candidates by having storytelling incorporated into their future classrooms. In two of the education courses, Education (EDUC) 488—Cross Cultural Education; Native American Studies, and Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) 200—Encounter with Cultures, prospective teachers gain an appreciation of different cultures and traditions through storytelling. This article will address the personal and teaching benefits that arise from implementing storytelling into classroom curriculum.


Storytelling takes the expression of the mind and weaves it seamlessly with descriptive language and details, revealing a developed story with a fully constructed plot, characters, and setting, allowing the original idea to come to life. Above all else, stories become the link between the individual and the rest of humanity. Storytelling is humanity's attempt to find meaning and purpose in an ever-changing and evolving world. Storytellers have complete discretion in deciding how to tell stories, and they have free will to explore myriad avenues that can contribute to the magic of storytelling. Every story is unique. The power of storytelling comes entirely from the storyteller himself. When reinforced with gestures, dramatic pauses, facial expressions, and a brief, easy-to-follow plot, stories have the power to transport listeners to new worlds and alternate realities (Mokhtar et al., 2011, p. 164). Stories provide information. Our attention is greatly increased when the various characters and struggles mentioned have a strong emotional familiarity when we connect them with the emotions and struggles we have experienced.

Economic status plays a major role in determining a student's success in school. It's probably a much bigger part than we'd like to admit. The most important part of socioeconomic status is that the combination of parental education, income and occupation is completely out of the child's control (Ladson-Billings, 2006, p. 4). A child has no control over the family circumstances in which they are born, and those who are fortunate enough to have been born into a supportive atmosphere tend to take this great blessing for granted. The American public school system often harms minorities by inaccurately portraying their culture and the ways in which they have contributed to history (Cheeseman & Gap, 2012, p.1) For these reasons, the public school system tends to fail culturally diverse students. there is. Curriculum and traditional teaching methods often conflict with the teaching of information in the home (Cheeseman & Gap, 2012, p. 1).

When what they learn at home differs from what they learn at school, students struggle to believe what to believe, falling prey to culture shock and identity confusion. This is further evidenced by the high dropout rates, absenteeism and poor academic achievement experienced in the public school system (Cheeseman & Gap, 2012, p. 1).

Storytelling is a beneficial tool when incorporated into the curriculum. Because it creates emotional engagement with the material and reinforces students' interest and investment (McNett, 2016, p. 186).

Storytelling, in a way that addresses students' different learning styles, has been shown to broaden awareness and understanding of diversity and increase public speaking and self-confidence. Meets the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Humans tend to remember information when presented as a story rather than factual information given in a lecture that needs to be memorized and retold in the future.

In fact, according to a study conducted at Stanford University, information contained in a story is 22 times more memorable than statistics or facts alone (Aaker, n.d., n.p.).

By modeling the way stories are constructed and told, students are encouraged to create their own stories. In other words, it strengthens creativity and self-expression skills, essential components of success in today's world (Al-Jafar & Buzzeli, 2004, p. 36).

Storytelling not only retained the language and culture of the Lakota, but the morals and ethics held most important by the tribe were often incorporated into the story.

A key aspect of storytelling is that students are not simply memorizing research papers, as many people think.

Diversity Aspects - Understanding and Appreciating Stories are the perfect medium for cultural information to intertwine with language to promote a greater understanding of the differences that make us unique and individual people. Despite their differences, many cultures follow the same morals, which makes storytelling so effective. Storytelling contributes to the development of creative thinking and language skills.

Listening to stories helps enhance vocabulary learning (Valentini et al., 2018, p. 10).

Many students fear public speaking because they have been conditioned to believe that teachers are looking for concrete, memorized answers.

A storyteller is simply a vessel for telling stories. Once the storyteller is able to realize this, even the most resistant eventually succumb to the story.

The more students practiced using the picture cards as an aid, the more comfortable they became with their stories and the idea of presenting them in front of a small group of people.

Storytelling is a creative process that relies entirely on the storyteller and the preparation and motivation for telling the story.

Storytelling provides a creative outlet to spark our innovation and find our voice in the great tumult of the world around us.

Storytelling is the glue that holds all cultures together in the face of the incredible diversity that exists in today's world.