Story.Com

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often referred to as the “new electricity.” It is about augmenting and transforming human potential.

AI stimulates the imagination for what is possible.

The fascination surrounding AI could be considered similar to the excitement that accompanied the emergence of quantum physics in the early 1900s, super-seeding classical physics, or the dot-com era in the late 1990s. These monumental shifts in human creativity and problem-solving allowed us all to view the world differently.

Narratives are shaped by current trends and popular culture. From these new perspectives we create new narratives.

Stories shape our beliefs about the world and influence the domains of life, work, and business, which, in turn, affect our economic, cultural, and spiritual values. People adopt these stories, integrating them into their identities.

Often, the stories that resonate and inform us most deeply can be unexpected. Popular narratives can become so entrenched in our hearts and minds that we accept them as undeniable truths—reality itself. Yet, these narratives are often crafted by a few and adopted by many. As social creatures, driven by emotion and the instinct to belong, we flock to shared stories.

In other words, the stories we choose to tell define our experience of them.

For instance, during Roman times, people believed magnets had a soul because they attracted each other. They also thought the flight of certain birds from left to right signified success, while the opposite direction meant doom. Carrying a mouse in your pocket was believed to prevent disease, and women who menstruated were thought to have magical powers (well, they might have gotten that one right 😉).

Rather than focusing on the narrative itself, Yuval Noah Harari, a historian and author, highlights the importance of the network and interaction between stories. These become the true medium of communication. According to Harari, storytelling serves as the foundation of human societies. Unlike other animals, humans can organise themselves in large groups because they believe in shared fictions—concepts like religion, nations, or money. These fictions depend on the transmission and acceptance of information. If Harari’s argument holds true, the story itself becomes a by-product of storytelling’s deeper purpose: fostering relationships, connection, and bonds among those who share it.

Within a classroom, storytelling is essential for creating bonds and forming relationships with students. It connects people and fosters cohesion.

In a fragmented world, storytelling becomes a crucial tool to bond and unite.

We use stories everyday and as educators understand their value. However, there is also a different way to think about a story. A story can be not only about its content but on the act and art of telling it—a statement of knowledge transfer and mutual understanding between people.

When a teacher or student tells a story, they form relationships and connections. This act becomes the true essence of information.

Drawing on stories from oral folklore or real-life experiences helps create connections between humans and their interactions with each other and the world. Additionally, age-appropriate fiction can also serve as a powerful means to bond and unite listeners, drawing them into fantastical, funny, scary, and wonderful worlds.

Stories can be enjoyed both individually and collectively. Within the classroom, sharing stories becomes an important way to foster bonds and transfer the inherent connections that storytelling provides beyond mere information.

Reading aloud, reading to each other in pairs or groups, should be a part of an everyday classroom that looks to foster connections and bonds with those that learn together.

Until next time,

Mon x