Storytelling to Ignite Learning

Storytelling is as old as human communication. It is how communities kept and passed down their histories before the written word. For as long as there have been classrooms, teachers who wanted to connect with students have incorporated stories into their lessons. Today, teachers are navigating the complex realities of trying to keep students’ attention in the digital age. They are competing with the influence of social media and ubiquitous use of smartphones. In addition to these struggles, the effects of the worldwide pandemic and the realities of countries like Ukraine living through wartime on the state of global education, make it even more challenging to engage students. Teachers need additional tools to help students achieve critical outcomes and life skills. There is significant qualitative confirmation regarding the efficacy of storytelling in learning. The article presents research findings of educators in various fields who have studied the efficacy of storytelling as a pedagogy. This article also details observed outcomes and advantages of digital filmmaking as a type of storytelling that is an effective teaching framework. Digital storytelling is a dynamic and immersive tool that can help teachers foster lifelong learning skills in students. These include problem-solving, critical thinking, empathy and active listening, accountability, ethics, and integrity. Once learned, these skills and behaviors create the capacity to achieve further learning engagement, outcomes, such as leadership, community and innovation. Further, a consideration of how digital storytelling can help overcome recent challenges to the education system, such as COVID-19, is also included.