Why Storylines Work in Language Learning
As I talked about in this article, one of the most powerful tools I’ve found for teaching and learning foreign languages is story. The most obvious reason for the effectiveness of a compelling storyline is that it captures a student’s interest. We know that interest, or motivation, is the single-most important factor in learning a language. (If you’re interested, this is discussed in the “Teacher Talking Time” podcast, episode 13, downloadable here: https://www.podbean.com/site/EpisodeDownload/PBB50569V72UG.
Motivation, or what I like to call a student’s “buy-in” to learning a language, tends to be a little different for every learner, but one thing we all have in common is a shared human experience. The power of story has been used since the beginning of humanity in every culture. People are captivated by an intriguing story. Why? Partly, humans are just wired for it. We are made to live in community; we are meant to be social; we want to be involved with other people, making sense of their experiences and ours in this sometimes-confusing life. All of us naturally become invested in the fictional characters of movies or TV shows we watch. It doesn’t have to be someone we know; we are intrigued by interesting people. Thus, it makes sense that if our natural inclination is to follow storylines, incorporating them into our learning is a brilliant way to capture learners’ attention.
Another reason that continued storylines are effective in the language-learning sphere is that it’s easier to retain new pieces of information when they are mapped onto something we are already connected to. Once we are familiar with characters and plot, we are able to glean more meaning from non-verbal pieces of information that go along with it. For example, knowing a character’s background helps us to understand why he or she reacts in a certain way. It allows us to “read” cues and make inferences about the meanings of unfamiliar words. Every time you see or hear a new episode with the same characters as previous episodes, we don’t have to build and create an understanding of a new context every time. We’re already there.
A final reason that I believe a compelling story is so important and helpful is because it’s one of the closest methods we can provide to create a meaningful “immersion” environment for students that mimics an effective language immersion in the culture itself. Without a doubt, living in a culture and being surrounded by the language has the fastest and longest-lasting impact on language-learning. Since this isn’t as practical or as possible for everyone as we wish it were, creating an artificial world that mimics this experience is likely second-best.