TELL ME A STORY: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF STORIFICATION IN THE GHANAIAN CLASSROOM

Following insights from the impact of technology on education and the implementation of innovative strategies in the classroom, there has been a recent growing interest in exploring storied pedagogy in the classroom. The present study contributes to this growing body of studies by assessing the utilization of personal narratives or stories in ongoing lessons. This study seeks to achieve two main objectives. All fourteen lecturers at the Department of English Education, University of Education, Winneba and twenty randomly selected students were included in the study. In all, a total of nine non relational and four relational instances were recorded and analyzed. The relational digressional instances facilitated understanding on the part of students since the stories made lessons relatively easy to understand. The non-relational digression instances also played a significant role in enhancing teaching and learning. These instances highlighted the affective and didactic dimensions of classroom teaching and learning. All the non relational digression instances allowed students and the lecturer to engage in issues unrelated to the lecture. These occasions encouraged students to put off their affective filters to relax and be mentally ready when the lecture resumed. The study confirms established studies that storied pedagogy or the inclusion of personal narratives in ongoing lessons effectively enhances teaching and learning. It also has implications for further research in storied pedagogy, teacher’s digressional instances in the classroom and how digressions can be utilized to ease learners’ anxiety in the classroom