Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/finding-our-voices-the-power-of-telling-stories/5009847/
"The stories we hear and the stories we tell shape the meaning and texture of our lives at every stage and juncture."- Carol Witherell and Nel Noddings in Stories Lives Tell: Narrative and Dialogue in Education
I've been amazed at the proliferation of recent literature on the role of storytelling for all levels of teaching, informal and professional. Perhaps this comes, in part, from our interest in multicultural education and the discovery that storytelling is central to the culture, family life, and education systems of nearly every country outside our own. Stories can illustrate and illuminate, cause us to wonder, and confirm what we already know. They are powerful teachers. They can make us laugh and remember.
In my own personal and professional journey, I've encountered the power of storytelling in classrooms with children, the consciousness raising groups of the women's movement, the educational theory and pedagogy of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, and the remarkable writing of women of color, telling stories of lives so different from my own. These stories have dramatically impacted what I know and how I am in the world.
Stories teach us about ourselves as well as other people. The ...