Yulia Kachurovska
Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University
Scientific Supervisor: J.V. Falshtynska, PhD
INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING STRATEGY
The improvement of learners’ communicative skills in English language teaching and learning has captured the attention of applied researchers in recent years. As a result, a lot of researchers focus on how students interact with others when they talk as part of their research and attempt to develop methods for helping students become more effective communicators. In a similar vein, students want to have strong speaking abilities. Many of them attempt to concentrate more on their speaking abilities rather than other capabilities. A large number of language learners have emphasized the importance of gaining speaking proficiency.
The need to improve speaking ability must have several benefits for the English learning process. Effectiveness of classroom lessons, however, suffer from the learners’ inability to communicate with one another. Many students lack the motivation to participate in classroom activities that require speaking. Many times, even when they have something to say, the students appear unwilling to express themselves. They do not feel confident, which is another issue that makes it difficult for them to communicate their views [4, p. 115].
In light of the aforementioned difficulties, a suitable method must be used to involve the students in speaking activity and make them develop conversations based on the assigned topic. In order for the learners to quickly connect with the material, it also seems vital to present an engaging content that is well-known to them. Consequently, it is advantageous to apply an interactive speaking strategy to improve their communication skills.
As a result, it is thought that including folktales into the Interactive Storytelling Strategy would help EFL learners speak more clearly and benefit from their classroom activities. By considering factors such as whether the tale is appropriate for teaching, if it contributes significantly to the lesson, and whether it is simple to comprehend and engaging, the teacher selects a story to be proposed in the learning process.
Theoretically, telling stories in a school setting can be one of approaches to learn a foreign language. It is crucial to prepare and involve the learners in speaking activities. Additionally, it is a great linguistic practice for encouraging students to imagine and develop stories while also enhancing their public speaking skills. [3, p. 3].
Moreover, a storytelling method can incorporate certain linguistic abilities. It teaches storytellers to use their vocabulary creatively, to engage the listeners’ imagination, and it motivates listeners to relate the story to their own experiences. Through storytelling, EFL students can show off their narrative skills as well as their ability to use vivid vocabulary to spark the imagination of their listeners. A effective method of engaging EFL learners with various levels of language proficiency is through storytelling.
Interactive Storytelling Strategy use the storytelling as the way to improve the EFL learners’ speaking competence. Through asking for help, providing assistance, and asking and answering questions, the students will develop interactive communication with teachers and peers. This indicates that when they discuss their thoughts, emotions, and experiences relating to the story, the students will develop their communication skills. This strategy will also trigger the learners’ motivation to speak since it asks students to explore their imagination in relation to the narrative and then offer it while speaking [1, p. 45].
Storytelling entails the introduction of new language vocabulary through the creation of stories using some vocabulary pieces. In keeping with what has been said so far, storytelling is seen as a crucial activity that exemplifies the influence of words. Here, language is utilized to help the reader visualize what is being spoken. Additionally, it makes use of words to improve understanding, verbal expressiveness, and mental image [2, p. 37].
The storytelling practice teaches students to link their imagination to the story’s events and attempt to establish connections with the actual situations. As a result, it is an excellent verbal activity and a worthwhile technique to get the students speaking.
Taking everything into account, the storytelling technique aids students in their academic endeavors. From a pedagogical perspective, storytelling is a significant technique that may be used to stimulate the learning of students using a narrative method to helps students’ speaking abilities.
References
- Agustina L. Telling a Story from Watching A Movie Potentially Improving Students’ Oral Communication. English as a foreign language. 2015. Vol. 1. Issue 1. pp. 42-53.
- Graham S. Developing Speaking Skill in the Modern Foreign Language. A Practical Guide to Teaching Modern Foreign Language in the Secondary School. Oxon: Routledge, 2019. 58 p.
- Reinders H. (2011). Digital Storytelling in the Foreign Language Classroom. ELTWO. 2011. Vol. 3. pp. 1-9.
- Richard J. C., Renandya, W. Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. 415 p.