|
originally published in Foxprint, Summer 2005.
Simply put, storytelling inspires. The success of any activity, particularly one involving mental focus, is greatly aided by starting with a story that inspires the students to immerse themselves in the upcoming experience.
In my time at Wilderness Awareness School, I have watched many mentors as they preface a game or exercise with a personal story involving a similar exercise. For example, before sending a group of youth out at sunset to sit quietly around a pond, I told them a story about how I once almost had a heron land on my head at that very pond, all because I had been sitting incredibly still and quiet. They loved this storytelling.
You can usually see a shift in the body language of the students as their energy goes from scattered and unfocused to receptive and eager to participate. Inspiring stories create a ‘vacuum’ for learning, or a readiness for learning, because the students want to experience something incredible too.
This use of personal stories is strengthened when kids are also given the chance to share stories of their memorable experiences; this gives them a need to collect stories, as well as affirms for them that it’s not just instructors or legendary figures that have neat experiences in nature, but students of any age and experience level.
“Do you know what scouts used to do to make themselves invisible?” So might begin a story on a day to be spent sneaking through the woods with senses fully activated, finding all the hidden animal trails to travel on. This sets the stage for the day’s focus and inspires the students to dive fully into the activities.
Whether the focus is tracking and mammal studies, edible and medical plants, or experiences of community and teamwork, we will often ask ourselves as we plan the curriculum, “What story would set this up?” and also, “What elements of the story do we want to emphasize to fit this particular day or group of students?”
On the other hand, often a story will just pop into mind in the moment, and if the mentor trusts that mind-flash and tells the story, it is often just what’s needed for the situation. So in this manner we use storytelling consciously and intuitively to subtly prime our day and get all the students on the same page, ready to immerse themselves in exploration of the natural world.
Stories can also set up long-term routines that become instilled in the students and that happen consistently over months or even years. A classic example of this is beginning a week-long summer camp with a story about sneaking around without ever being seen. Told well, you can bet your money that most of the kids will be sneaking around not just that week, but for a long time at home after the camp (parents often come back a year later with stories of being caught unaware!).
Another example of inspiring an important routine in students is telling stories that create a need to pay attention, such as accounts of mountain lions and bears. It is amazing to watch students as they grasp the concept of bird alarms on the very first day, and pause in their wanderings through the forest to listen to what bird calls are telling them about nearby predators.
On an even more long-term basis, a mentor can tell hero stories of advanced students or legendary figures that give the students a carrot-on-the-end-of-the-string to keep them going ever-deeper into their knowledge and experience of the natural world.
Storytelling can be used to inspire students in a multitude of ways, and keep students confidently and continually striving to develop as naturalists, as healthy human beings, and as helpful members of their communities. Furthermore, students rarely realize that they are “learning” or “developing themselves.” The experience for them has simply been listening to cool stories and hanging out in the woods.
Evan McGown is a director and instructor at Wilderness Awareness School. He is an accomplished musician and often weaves music into his storytelling at Wilderness Awareness School programs.
|
