Storytelling as an effective technique to put at work the phonological, grammatical and lexical components of the language

ESPACIOS PARA LA REFLEXIÓN: REVISTA DEL CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIÓN LINGÜÍSTICA Y DE DIDÁCTICA DE LA LENGUA INGLESA

ISFD "Nuestra Señora del Sagrado Corazón"

Lugar: Córdoba; Año: 2017; p. 25 - 51

Narrative and stories in education have been the focus of increasing attention in recent years. Several authors (Hirvela & Boyle, 1988; McDonald, 1993; Ma, 1994; Wright, 1995; Mckay, 2001; Hismanoglu, 2005; Sell, 2005; Erkaya, 2005; Chiang, 2007; Pardede, 2010; among others) support the idea that short stories are quite suitable in English teaching, as they are interesting to use both as materials for self-employment and as devices to help learners enhance their language skills. Since the objective of EFL teaching is to help students to communicate fluently in the target language, teachers should provide an authentic model of language use. In this sense, storytelling can result a wonderful technique to achieve such purpose. Both telling a story and listening to a well-told tale encourage students to use their imagination. Developing the imagination can empower students to consider new and inventive ideas; it can also contribute to strengthening self-confidence and personal motivation. Thus, the purpose of this article is to familiarize EFL teachers and teacher trainees with the effectiveness of using different storytelling techniques in EFL instruction as a means to put at work the phonological, grammatical and lexical components of the language.