Storytelling

Publish Date: December 17, 2006

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TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) "Suppose you want to remember a list of words... you will more readily remember the words if you make a sentence or sentences connecting the words in the form of a short story. You would remember it even better if the story was easy to visualize and best of all if you could picture a story that was dramatic, or vulgar, or comic, or in some way involved your emotions.

A story is in fact a good mnemonic, and the more elaborate the story the better. A story links words to be remembered and it causes you to build up scenes that have visual, aural, and sensory associations for you." (Collin Rose, 1985)

While Effortless English is simple, it is also, in fact, designed according to research-proven methods. The major emphasis of the Effortless English approach is to help students acquire English thoroughly and effectively.

One way to do this is with mini-stories. At first glance, the mini-stories may seem silly. They are usually kind of foolish and are quite simple. Another thing that may seem strange is that I ask a lot of questions as I retell the story. These questions can seem redundant, ridiculously easy, or pointless. But they have a purpose.

The mini-stories are structured to help you more deeply remember the new vocabulary. I use silly or exaggerated stories because they are easier to visualize; and visualization aids memory. I use short and fairly simple stories because they are also easier to remember and picture. They are also easier for the learner to repeat and retell.

The questions, likewise, have a purpose. First, the questions provide more repetition of the target vocabulary. Repetition is important.

Various research shows that we need to hear and see a new word about 30+ times, in a meaningful and understandable context, to remember it and be able to use it. The questions increase your exposure to these new words-- getting you closer to the needed 30+ repetitions.

Another purpose of the questions is to force your brain to participate in the story. As you listen, you should try to immediately answer the questions as I ask them. This will trigger your memory more quickly than if you just passively listen.

By working through all of the Effortless English system you will learn new words, phrases, and grammar forms more thoroughly. Read the articles and scan the word list. Listen to the articles several times. Listen to the vocabulary lesson a couple of times. Listen to the ministory several times- and quickly answer the questions as I ask them. After completing the mini-story, stop your iPod and try to retell the story out loud, in your own words- trying to use the new vocabulary

as much as possible.

By following all the steps, you will learn the new material thoroughly and completely-- not just at a surface level.

You will then find it much easier to actually use what you have learned.

Good luck!

proficiency: ability, skill

readily: quickly and easily

visualize: to picture, to imagine

vulgar: rude; crude

comic: funny

mnemonic: something that helps memory

elaborate: complex, complicated

build up: create; make

aural: sound (re: hearing)

sensory: touch/feel

associations: connections; related thoughts or feelings

research-proven: based on scientific study

emphasis: point or idea; stress

thoroughly: completely

at first glance: initially, in the beginning

silly: not serious; foolish, stupid

retell: tell again, say again

redundant: unnecessarily repeated; repeated too much

ridiculously easy: much too easy

pointless: having no purpose

exaggerated: not realistic; too strong or strange in some way

aids: helps

context: situation

exposure to: contact with

participate in: join with; actively join

trigger: activate; turn on

passively: not actively; without energy or action

scan: to look over something quickly; to look at quickly

several: many

out loud: not quietly; to speak with a (fairly) loud voice

at a surface level: not deeply; not completely; not seriously