Influencing Students Part 2

In this section, we explore how we can profoundly influence students. Two ways have proven to be more effective than others. The first is to create profound vicarious experiences. You do this by putting students, as much as you can, in stories and situations where they can see themselves. You must drop the old thought of persuasion through words and create personal experiences for kids. The second is to make stories work for you. What we're talking about changing is student behavior, to create changes by helping kids alter their mental maps of cause and effect.

To help kids come to a more accurate view of cause and effect, I'm arguing that it's best to set aside one's preference for verbal persuasion and to use methods that are far more understandable, believable, and compelling that your standard pep talk. The best map-changing tool around is the poignant story.

Ever wonder why students remember more when you tell a story? From Brain Rules, we learn that the brain loves stories for a variety of reasons, but the major point here is that it's a catalyst for memory! Not only do telling stories motivate, they also help kids remember. If we want to influence students (and help them remember) we can do it through the use of stories.