The Learning Power of Stories
When I taught English to young language learners overseas, I taught the usual words: colors, numbers, basic vocabulary, and common phrases. But, despite my valiant efforts, I struggled to keep their attention.
Then I discovered the power of stories!
One day, I grabbed a book to read aloud and everything changed. Suddenly, the words “big” “and “small” came alive with meaning. Almost immediately the entire class was excited. Every eye was on the story, and every mind was fully focused.
This wasn’t the way the school was used to teaching English! At first, I had some pushback. But it worked. Over time, the faculty saw how the children were more engaged, how they began to speak more fluently. By the end of the year, the parents were delighted.
Now neuroscience is revealing just how powerful stories really are. It turns out stories actually shape the way our brains work. They affect how we learn, what we remember, and even how we feel toward each other.
How stories shape our brains
Stories light up our brain in ways that facts and figures don’t. According to brain science, when we dive into a story, we don’t just process the words — we imagine the sounds, sights, and movements. So, it’s not just the language center of our brain that gets involved when we listen or read a story. Brain scans show that stories also engage different parts of our brains that handle movement, emotions, and even our senses.
The mental “movie” created by stories actually helps students focus better, remember details more clearly, and understand concepts more deeply. Stories build those important learning skills like growing vocabulary and recall. And, when stories are paired with visuals — such as illustrations or diagrams — they are even more impactful.
In short, stories make learning stick.
Why stories make learning a language easier
Learning a new language can be hard — unless it’s wrapped in a story! Stories give language learners real-life context for new words and grammar, making it easier to understand and remember them more naturally. According to researchers, exposure to narratives enhances language fluency, vocabulary acquisition, recall, and even concentration (Farrell & Nessel, 1982; Maguire, 1985; Wright & Dunsmuir, 2019).
Stories also promote deeper engagement. When learners care about the story, they naturally want to know what the words mean — and that motivation boosts learning (Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007).
Stories also build empathy
Beyond their cognitive benefits, stories also teach feelings. Neuroscientific studies suggest that compelling stories actually activate brain regions associated with the ability to understand and predict the thoughts and feelings of others (Mar, 2011).
That suggests that when students step into a different character’s world, they learn to understand things from another perspective and this builds empathy, emotional intelligence, and even helps students make sense of their own lives.
So, whether it’s reading a fairy tale or sharing a personal memory, stories can help students deal with their own challenges, understand relationships, and grow as people.
Why stories matter
The amazing power of stories lies in their remarkable ability to engage, inspire and teach all at once. From enhancing cognitive ability and language acquisition to fostering emotional intelligence, stories are one of the most powerful learning tools we have as educators.
Through StoryWorld we work to capture the learning power of stories by combining compelling, meaningful narratives with visuals and follow-up activities to reinforce skills development and strengthen recall.
As research continues to affirm their impact, educators can use the transformative impact of stories to help to build both the “brains and hearts” of our students at the same time, enriching both their personal lives and academic future.
Cynthia Harrison Barbera
Cynthia Harrison Barbera is President and CEO, StoryWorld International. She served as VP Educational Technology for Scholastic and is the recipient of two US Presidential awards for educational programs. An Emmy-award winner for a television series on education, she has taught English to native-speakers and ELL students in the US and overseas.
My first class of language learners at Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten, Shanghai China, 2005
References:
Boulenger & Nazir, 2010; Carney & Levin, 2002; Farrell & Nessel, 1982; González, Barros-Loscertales, Pulvermüller, Meseguer, Sanjuán, Belloch & Ávila, 2006; Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007; Maguire, 1985; Mar, 2011; Wright & Dunsmuir, (2019).