Session 21: Stories from the heart: the value of storytelling to teach complex concepts from the lecturer’s perspective

Abstract

Session overview:

I am currently completing an EdD using interpretive phenomenological analysis looking at the role of the nurse lecturer and the use of personal stories from practice (clinical healthcare settings) in the university classroom. Nurses using stories in the clinical environment to teach student nurses is commonplace and has been recognised as an informal teaching tool for over a hundred years. Current research indicates that storytelling is powerful and has the potential to be influential to shaping student values and ethical behaviours, essential to excellence in nursing education and care delivery. What is not understood fully is the transferability to the university classroom in terms of being a pedagogical tool in the curriculum, whether the stories used underpin our teaching ie are they evidence based, do they bring diverse perspectives, and whether stories are tailored to suit the situation. A particular focus is on the usefulness of using storytelling to reach hard to teach concepts such as professionalism, compassion and emotional intelligence. Lecturers from three fields of nursing have been interviewed to provide a voice and to hear their insights and views into the potential for using stories. The session will cover a broad overview of storytelling, links to nursing, incorporating storytelling into the curriculum, potential for reaching hard to teach concepts and the impact of using storytelling for lecturers – raising personal credibility, incorporating diverse perspectives and enhancing student learning. With a vested interest in producing nurses ready for contemporary healthcare this is an exciting and relevant topic to investigate.

Key learning points from this session:

The audience will learn:

• power and influence of storytelling
• nursing and storytelling – what does this look like?
• using stories as a pedagogical tool / incorporating diverse perspectives
• potential for using stories to reach hard to teach concepts
• impact on lecturer credibility and enhancing student learning

Stories from the heart: the value of storytelling to teach complex concepts from the lecturer’s perspective PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.