Storytelling & Teacher Development
The Prince who thought he was a Turkey: NLP Revisited Creating rapport by matching and mirroring another person’s behaviour and the use of guided imagery are nothing new, and have in fact been around for centuries. Through storytelling, story making, and guided visualisation, the aim of this teacher development workshop is to provide you with the means to transform your own lives for the better.
ETPD, another acronym, but what does it stand for? The only way to find out is by attending the session. However, without giving too much away, what can be said is ETPD represents a shift in instructional strategy, from the way things have traditionally been done. One of the ways it can be applied in the classroom is through storytelling, which is what this workshop will focus on. And what is guaranteed is that you will leave at the end of it not only with material you can make use of in class that requires no preparation but also, hopefully, with increased self-knowledge.
The Lesson as a Ceremony A tripartite ritual framework was explicated by Arnold van Gennep in 1909, consisting of separation from everyday life, the ritual proper, and then reintegration back into everyday life. The model was later developed further by Victor Turner (1969). Cahill and Halpern (1991) also suggest there are three distinct stages in ceremony which need to be honoured for the experience to touch us deeply - Severance, entering Sacred Time & Space, and Reincorporation. This workshop will show how the model can be used in the classroom.
Working with Tales of Power Jürgen Kremer, transpersonal psychologist and spiritual practitioner, defines such texts as conscious verbal constructions based on numinous experiences in non-ordinary reality, “which guide individuals and help them to integrate the spiritual, mythical, or archetypal aspects of their internal and external experience in unique, meaningful, and fulfilling ways” (Kremer, 1988, p.192). Such stories can broaden our horizons, connect us to a vision and provide an overarching narrative for our journeys through life. The teaching tales presented in this session show how this can be achieved in the classroom.
Developing Emotional Intelligence The ability to respond effectively to potential conflict is known as emotional intelligence and includes the personal intelligences proposed by Gardner in his theory of MI. According to Salovey and Maher, who first coined the phrase, Emotional Intelligence involves knowing your emotions, managing your emotions, motivating yourself, recognizing emotions in others and handling relationships. Activities designed to cater for all five of these domains will be presented in this session, preceded by an overview of the theory.
Once upon a Story Since stories first began being told, one of the methods of passing on a culture’s teaching has involved a student sitting at his teachers feet and listening to the tales that teacher had to tell of times and people gone by. The stories of early India, the Greek fables, Taoist, Zen, Sufi and Hasidic tales are all examples of trying to pass on not just a cultural tale but a valuable lesson as well. Several such stories will be presented with follow-up activities and hand-outs will be provided with detailed lesson plans and worksheets.
Sit back, relax (more or less), and let the learners do all the work In this workshop, techniques will be demonstrated that can be used when storytelling to ensure that the learners take an active part in the session and that you, the teacher, don’t end up having to do all the work. The intention is to make sure that you will be able to go home at the end of it with material that requires next to no preparation that you can then use with your own classes. No theory this time, just an hour packed with practical stuff.
English through the Writing on your Forehead It is believed there is writing on a person’s forehead which tells the future and that this future is pre-determined. The Writer responsible for recording this is said to be Tir, the good angel who sits on the right shoulder of each of us, urging us to do good things and keeping accurate records of such doings - the scribe of the supreme god, Aramazd. Find out how to change your future (and the future of your students) for the better – through storytelling, guided visualisation, and graphology.
Your First Day with a New Class Is this new teacher any good? - The students wonder. Are they going to like me? - You ask yourself. What do you do first day with a new class? Clearly this will depend on their level and whether they already know each other or not. However, we each have our preferred activities and in this session I will be inviting you to share some of yours with me, as well as demonstrating some of the approaches that I have found to be productive.
Using Jokes, Urban Myths and Personal Anecdotes in ELT Why tell jokes, urban myths or personal anecdotes in the classroom? First of all because, as they entertain and hold people’s attention, and if we cannot hold the learners’ attention then there is really nothing that we can achieve. Secondly, as they are a means of creating a rapport with people, and without such a rapport again little of value is possible. Last but not least, through such storytelling indirect learning can take place, which is believed to be the most powerful sort of all – when we learn without even realising we are doing so. Examples of all three genres, adapted for classroom use, will be presented in this session.
How to cater for Intrapersonal Intelligence Howard Gardner, the educational psychologist responsible for Multiple Intelligences Theory, defines Intrapersonal intelligence as the capacity to understand oneself – including one’s own desires, fears, and capacities – and to use such information effectively in regulating one’s own life. Learners with high Intrapersonal Intelligence prefer having an opportunity to look within first before discussing their thoughts with others and failure to cater for this fact in class can only lead to resentment. All the activities presented in this session, which you will be able to take away and use, have been designed to give learners this opportunity.
The Way of the Kabbalist 'In seeking Wisdom, the first stage is silence, the second listening, the third remembrance, the fourth practising, the fifth teaching' - Rabbi Solomon ibn Gabirol, 11th century (a philosopher, a poet, a Kabbalist, a prolific writer and a mystic). In this session it will be shown how the model outlined above can be applied in the classroom by making use of information gap activities.
Multiple Intelligences Theory Revisited Despite the acclaim with which MI Theory was welcomed into the field of ELT, by me in 1998 and by others more recently, there is in fact little empirical evidence to support it. Even Gardner concedes that this is the case, stating that he would be "delighted were such evidence to accrue". Another major problem with MI Theory is how difficult it is for the newly qualified and inexperienced teacher to put into practice. For these reasons, I have come to the conclusion that an alternative tri-partite model derived from ritual theory might be of more use as an aid to lesson planning, and in this workshop you will have the opportunity to experience for yourself how it works.
The Seven Doors to Mastering a Language When making a recipe, if some of the ingredients are missing, you go out and look for them, probably to your local supermarket. In language learning, this means recognising you have a need and looking for a course, probably on the internet these days. As educators, our first job is to help our learners recognize that something is missing or something is not quite right, as it is only once they do so that they have any reason for learning. This workshop will present material that can be used to facilitate this process, in particular with advanced level students.
Shamanic Journeys and Shamanic Stories
The Shamanic Story: An Armenian Example In view of the way that the definitions of traditional story types tend to overlap – epics, myths, fables, folktales, fairy tales - a case can be made for the introduction of a new genre of tale, the shamanic story, which is either based on or inspired by a shamanic journey (a numinous experience in non-ordinary reality) or contains a number of the elements typical of such a journey. It will be shown how the Armenian folktale The Fair Maiden Sunbeam and the Serpent Prince, which features shape-shifting, descent to the Lower World, a meeting with a spirit helper, and an ordeal by water representing a form of initiation, provides an example of just such a story.
Soul Retrieval via the Internet - Bringing Keti Back from the Land of the Dead Soul loss is the term used to describe the way parts of the psyche become detached when we are faced with traumatic situations. In psychological terms, it is known as dissociation and it works as a defence mechanism, a means of displacing unpleasant feelings, impulses or thoughts into the unconscious. In shamanic terms, these split off parts can be found in non-ordinary reality and are only accessible to those familiar with its topography. Soul retrieval entails the shaman journeying to find the missing parts and then returning them to the client seeking help. This paper consists of an account of a soul retrieval that was carried out over the internet to bring my partner Keti out of a coma.
Dzyzlan, the Mother of Water: A Guided Visualisation through Abkhazia There are many stories in mythology and folklore about marriage between mortals and water-spirits, and the story of Dzyzlan comes from Abkhazia. According to legend, when God was distributing land to all the different peoples of the earth, the Abkhazians were busy entertaining guests at the time. Because it would have been impolite to leave before their guests, the Abkhazians arrived late, and all that God had left by then was some stones. Out of these it is said he created a land of mountains - hard to grow anything on, but very beautiful. As well as hearing the story of the Mother of Water, through a guided visualisation you will also have the chance to meet her.
Neo-Paganism in Armenia Today Frequently referred to as one of the cradles of civilization, Armenia is also considered by many to have been the first country in the world to officially embrace Christianity as its religion. Although in popular perception the people who follow Armenian traditions are considered to be Christians, in reality this can include both animal sacrifice and the worshipping by families of holy stones, which for many Christians from outside the Armenian cultural reality could never be accepted as a part of Christian religious heritage. Consequently, the assumption that Armenia is a Christian country is in fact not strictly accurate as what is actually practised by most people is an eclectic mix of traditions. This talk will outline and contrast the two main forms of neo-paganism being practised in the country today — both the ‘bookish’ approach artificially cultivated by urbanized intellectuals, and the more authentic rural movement.
The Shamanic Initiation of Thomas the Rhymer Writing or talking about shamanism has always been problematic as “the subject area resists ‘objective’ analysis and is sufficiently beyond mainstream research to foil …writing [or talking] about it in a conventional academic way” (Wallis, 2003, p.13). Shamans have their own ways of describing trance experience. Outsiders might call them ‘metaphors’, but to shamans these metaphors, such as ‘death’, are real, lived experiences so the term is a problematic one which does not do justice to non-Western, non-literary shamanic experiences. Perhaps this is why the accounts of memorable shamanic journeys were often turned into folktales or ballads, as it was the only way to make them both understandable and acceptable to people not familiar with the landscapes to be found and experiences to be had in such worlds. In this paper the shamanic themes to be found in Thomas Rhymer, Child Ballad 37, will be explored.
Michael Berman works as a teacher and a writer. Publications include The Power of Metaphor for Crown House, The Nature of Shamanism and the Shamanic Story for Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Shamanic Journeys through the Caucasus for O-Books, and All God’s Creatures: Stories Old and New for Pendraig Publishing. Although Michael trained as a Core Shamanic Counsellor with the Scandinavian Centre for Shamanic Studies under Jonathan Horwitz, these days his focus is more on the academic side of shamanism, with a particular interest in the folktales with shamanic themes told by and collected from the peoples of the Caucasus.
ELT publications include A Multiple Intelligences Road to an ELT Classroom, In a Faraway Land (a resource book for teachers on storytelling), and On Business and for Pleasure (a self-study workbook). English Language Teaching Matters, written with Mojca Belak and Wayne Rimmer, is due to be published by O-Books in 2011.
English Language Teaching through Storytelling
This 15-hour five day course, which includes a pre-course exploratory teaching project, is aimed at practising, or recently qualified, teachers of English who wish to update their knowledge of how to use storytelling for teaching purposes, to encounter new ideas and activities in order to enhance the way in which they deal with tales in class, and to share their experience with each other. The course is suitable for teachers who have a good knowledge of English (ideally CEFR B2 or higher), and consists of tutor-led input classroom sessions supported by in-depth discussion and trainee participation. This is coupled with tutor-led project work, leading up to peer teaching practice on the final day of the course that will provide trainees with an opportunity to incorporate the new approaches they are introduced to.
DAY 1: A selection of first day activities designed to help the trainees get to know each other (and the tutor) will be followed by an introduction to techniques that can be used when storytelling to ensure that the learners take an active part in the session and that the teacher doesn't end up having to do all the work. Howard Gardner's MI theory will then be presented and it will be shown how storytelling is in fact the ideal medium for catering for all eight Intelligence types identified so far.
DAY 2: Emotional Intelligence involves knowing your emotions, managing your emotions, motivating yourself, recognizing emotions in others and handling relationships. How to cater for all five of these domains through storytelling will be demonstrated, preceded by an overview of the theory. The use of NLP in conjunction with storytelling will then be considered. Creating rapport by matching and mirroring another person's behaviour and the use of guided imagery are nothing new, and have in fact been around for centuries. And through storytelling, story making, and guided visualisation, trainees will be able to experience for themselves the transformative power of NLP.
DAY 3: The origins of storytelling will be considered today. This will be followed by looking at the Lesson as a Ceremony. A tripartite ritual framework was explicated by Arnold van Gennep in 1909, consisting of separation from everyday life, the ritual proper, and then reintegration back into everyday life. The model was later developed further by Victor Turner (1969). Cahill and Halpern (1991) also suggest there are three distinct stages in ceremony which need to be honoured for the experience to touch us deeply - Severance, entering Sacred Time & Space, and Reincorporation. How the model can be used in the classroom will then be demonstrated.
DAY 4: 'In seeking Wisdom, the first stage is silence, the second listening, the third remembrance, the fourth practising, the fifth teaching' - Rabbi Solomon ibn Gabirol, 11th century (a philosopher, a poet, a Kabbalist, a prolific writer and a mystic). It will be shown how the model outlined above can be applied in the classroom by making use of storytelling in the form of an information gap activity. 'Tales of Power' will then be considered - conscious verbal constructions based on numinous experiences in non-ordinary reality, 'which guide individuals and help them to integrate the spiritual, mythical, or archetypal aspects of their internal and external experience in unique, meaningful, and fulfilling ways' (Kremer, 1988, p.192). Such stories can broaden our horizons, connect us to a vision and provide an overarching narrative for our journeys through life.
DAY 5: ETPD represents a shift in instructional strategy, from the way things have traditionally been done, and one of the ways it can be applied in the classroom is through storytelling. Trainees will leave this session not only with material they can make use of in class that requires no preparation but also, hopefully, with increased self-knowledge. The rest of the day will consist of the trainees teaching each other stories, making use of the different techniques they will have been introduced to over the week.
If you are interested in running this course for your teachers, please contact me for further details, initially by email: Michaelberman@blueyonder.co.uk
Feedback on the ELT through Storytelling Course:
I am writing to express my gratitude on behalf of ETAG (the English Teachers’ Association of Georgia) Batumi and me personally for your wonderful training sessions. It has been a very important week for the whole community of English Language teachers in Ajara who had the opportunity to listen to you, to enrich their knowledge and reflect on their teaching. It was an invaluable input into our teacher development. I look forward to seeing you here again. - Neli Kukhaleishvili, Teacher Trainer in Batumi, Georgia 27/6/2010
Your lectures were great and I enjoyed them very much! I hope you to see you in London next year or in Batumi. Thank you for everything! - Tamar Khitiri, an undergraduate student at Batumi State University 28/6/2010
I’d like to say some words about the workshops Michael Berman held in Batumi from the 21st to the 25th of June 2010. They were really splendid. 50 teachers attended his master-classes and, to tell the truth, we'd like to have such workshops every year. Michael is really a magnificent story-teller and we spent an unbelievable week with him. Frankly speaking, we'll be very glad if he arrives every year and gives such wonderful master-classes to us, and we'll be very happy if the other trainers at your school are also as skillful and full of responsibility as Michael is. - Dr Nino Dviladze, Associate Professor, Batumi State University, Georgia 30/6/2010