Stories

Storytelling is a means for sharing and interpreting experiences. Stories are universal in that they can bridge cultural, linguistic, and age-related divides. Storytelling can be adaptive for all ages leaving out notion of age segregation.[6] Storytelling can be used as a method to teach ethics, values, and cultural norms and differences.[7] Learning is most effective when it takes place in social environments that provide authentic social cues about how knowledge is to be applied.[8] Stories provide a tool to transfer knowledge in a social context.

Human knowledge is based on stories and the human brain consists of cognitive machinery necessary to understand, remember, and tell stories.[9] Humans are storytelling organisms that both individually and socially, lead storied lives.[10] Stories mirror human thought as humans think in narrative structures and most often remember facts in story form. Facts can be understood as smaller versions of a larger story thus storytelling can supplement analytical thinking. Because storytelling requires auditory and visual senses from listeners, one can learn to organize their mental representation of a story, recognize structure of language, and express his/her thoughts.[11]

Stories are effective educational tools because listeners become engaged and therefore remember. While the storylistener is engaged, they are able to imagine new perspectives, inviting a transformative and empathetic experience.[12] This involves allowing the individual to actively engage in the story as well as observe, listen and participate with minimal guidance.[13] Listening to a storyteller can create lasting personal connections, promote innovative problem solving, and foster a shared understanding regarding future ambitions.[14] The listener can then activate knowledge and imagine new possibilities. Together a storyteller and listener can seek best practices and invent new solutions,because stories often have multiple layers of meanings, listeners...