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Analysis of the methods of using narrative and storytelling in geography education based on global experiences

    Author

    Alireza Sadeghinia, Departement of Geography Education, Farhangian University, P.O.Box 14665-889, Tehran, Iran.

,

Document Type : Research Paper
10.22034/trj.2025.138930.1768

Abstract

Introduction: Various methods are used to teach geography. In general, the methods used for training are divided into two categories: active and passive methods. Narration and storytelling are active methods of education. Storytelling is the art of telling a story in the form of poetry or prose, which the storyteller performs in front of the listener. Narration and storytelling as educational methods have been widely used in geography education. McPartland (1998) discussed the increasing use of narrative discourse in geography education. Barens (2001) used the biographies of some researchers to highlight the quantitative revolution in geography. Alderman et al. (2019) used reflective storytelling as a tool to raise anti-racist awareness. In recent years, many studies have focused on how to produce digital stories and use them in geography education. The reason for paying more attention to "digital storytelling" compared to traditional storytelling has been the development of the role of technology in teaching and learning. Teachers who have used digital stories have found that this tool can help stimulate deep learning and also make difficult concepts more understandable for students. One of the most important types of narrative use has been the use of "story maps" in geographic education. The study of Strachan and Michel (2014) proved the appropriateness of using "story maps" in the field of geography education. Reviewing the background of the research confirms the effectiveness of storytelling in improving social skills, language, and verbal skills, increasing creativity and social intelligence, and reducing depression and low self-esteem. Despite conducting extensive studies in the world that have discussed the role of narration and storytelling in geography education, geographical research conducted in Iran has not investigated the uses of storytelling in geography education. Considering that the use of narrative and stories in the field of geography education is rapidly developing, knowing the different ways of telling stories will help to develop the teaching skills of geography teachers. In this research, the following questions were answered: (1) based on world experiences, what kind of storytelling methods have been used to teach geography? (2) Storytelling method has been used to teach which branches of geography? (3) Who were the target groups of the studies? (4) What are the types of discourses that geography teachers can use to teach in the geography classroom? (5) Why are narrative and storytelling an effective way to teach geography? (6) Considering global experiences, how can teachers use storytelling to teach geographic subjects?
Methodology: For this purpose, first the keywords of geography, narrative, storytelling, digital storytelling, and "story map" were searched in global scientific databases. Then, the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The focus of study was more focused on the type of stories, educational topics, target groups, and how to use storytelling in geography education.
Result: The most important results are as follows. Different types of storytelling including traditional storytelling and "digital storytelling" have been used to teach geography. New studies have used more "story maps". Storytelling has been used to teach all branches of geography at all levels of education (primary to university). Researchers have confirmed the effectiveness of the storytelling method in teaching all age groups. Geographers have used storytelling to teach in several ways. (1) Sometimes the teacher starts a story and continues it until the end (Gudmundsdottir, 1991). (2) In the second method, instead of presenting a story in its entirety, the teacher uses the story in teaching intervals to provide explanations, images, examples, memories, and experiences. (3) it is better to tell the story with the presentation of images and other visual forms, that is, the teacher should use "visual/visual storytelling" (Fantinia, 2019); (4) In the fourth method, with the help of technology, the teacher combines the text with image, sound, video, diagram, etc. and produces a “digital story”. This method is very useful for teaching geography (5) if the teacher uses a map in digital stories, a new type of story called a "map story" will be formed. The effectiveness of this method in learning geography has been confirmed in recent years. Digital stories and “story maps” can be produced using several software such as Movie Maker, WebGIS Story Maps, Knight Lab StoryMapJS, and Google Tour Builder (Vojtekova et al., 2021). Geography teachers can simultaneously pay attention to events, places, phenomena, and geographical issues in the classroom by using map-based storytelling (Marta & Oso, 2015). (6) Elementary and middle school teachers can combine storytelling models with game methods. This method is very suitable for low educational levels (Kickmeier- Rust et al., 2011; Göbel & Mehm, 2013). (7) In newer methods, the teacher combines the storytelling method with other methods such as the project method (Daniele, 2022), field study (Mukherjee, 2019), exploration (Puttillia et al., 2016), discovery and problem solving.

Conclusion: Based on global experiences, the effectiveness of storytelling in conveying the concepts of geography, internalizing geographical values, understanding the complexities of places, developing research skills, and spatial and critical thinking has been confirmed. For success when using the storytelling method, pay attention to the following suggestions. It is necessary to hook the learners at the very beginning of the story by proposing a problem that encourages the listeners to follow the discussion. Engage students' senses. A story that engages more senses is remembered more. For example, maps and geographic images can be used for the geography class to involve the sense of sight. Students can also be given objects to touch up close. Use music while telling stories. Music is a wonderful tool for learning and memorizing long lists. Make eye contact and be active while narrating. As a storyteller, you can visualize with body movements. Pause at critical and tense moments of the story. The characters in your story will be more memorable if you give them an identity, so vary your tone for different characters. Create an effective ending with the help of an important and key point. Save whatever point or concept you think is most important for the end of the story. Sometimes stop the narration and ask the students questions. For example, ask what they would do if they were in the place of the protagonist, or ask them to guess the continuation of the story.

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References
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Research in Teaching
Volume 13, Issue 1 - Serial Number 34
April 2025
Pages 116-144
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