REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY

LET'S TALK STORY
Non-Threatening Instructional Strategy Encourages Student Participation
By Sandra Taosaka

Different cultures have their own rules regarding speech (speaking, listening, and conversing). In Hawaii, people engage in informal conversations commonly known as "talk story" in which collaboration and cooperation are highly regarded. In her 1975 article, "Transferable Communication Routines: Strategies and Group Identity in Two Speech Events" (Language in Society, 4, p. 54), Karen Watson described these conversations as "rambling personal experience narratives mixed with folk materials." In talk story, a person shares a story while others corroborate or add to it as it is being told.

You may find people talking story in the grocery store line, at social events, and on the soccer field sidelines. In some situations, talk story is viewed as a waste of time, idle chatter leading nowhere. But in the right context, talk story can be a powerful tool for learning – both for students and adults.

Talk story is a strategy we encourage in our Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) project, Pacific CHILD (Communities with High-performance In Literacy Development). Pacific REL staff and Co-Development Partner (CDP) schools are working to improve reading achievement and to develop high-performing learning communities. Talk story is a strategy that supports both of these efforts.

In this article, we’ll discuss how talk story can be used both in the classroom and in professional development. Talk story in the classroom builds upon collaboration and cooperation to provide meaningful learning experiences for students. It is equally beneficial for teachers, leaders, administrators, and others who provide professional development.

So sit back, relax, and let’s talk story.

Talk Story in the Classroom
In traditional classroom discussions, the teacher poses a question to the entire class, hands shoot upward, and responses come from students one at a time. All attention focuses on the student responding; everyone anticipates "right" or "wrong" answers. In some cultures, discussion that singles out a student is uncomfortable and discourages participation. We have learned from past research that for students to become successful learners, effective communication and collaboration are essential. Thus, we want to encourage participation. According to Fennimore and Tinzmann, it is primarily through dialogue and through exchanging and examining different perspectives that students become knowledgeable, strategic, self-determined, and empathetic ("What is a Thinking Curriculum?" [1990], www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/rpl_esys/thinking.htm). One strategy that encourages participation in the classroom is talk story.

Talk story has already been used successfully in a 1st grade class on the island of Hawaii, where a teacher uses the strategy to engage students in story theme discussions. In addition to responding to literary inquiries, students make decisions, solve problems, and practice cooperation. The teacher describes the talk story experience as very rewarding, adding that all of her students are actively engaged. In this setting, the teacher is now a facilitator, walking around the classroom to monitor student participation and encourage conversations.

Talk Story and Literature
Talk story encourages dialogue in a nonthreatening manner. In their 1981 article, "Social Organizational Factors in Learning to Read: The Balance of Rights Hypothesis" (Reading Research Quarterly, 17, pp. 115-52), Kathryn Au and Jana Mason found that the talk story model encouraged growth in literary skills for Hawaiian children. When compared to this model, a traditional discussion format resulted in fewer story ideas and logical inferences about the story.

Teachers need to understand that in talk story "turn taking" undergoes a definition change. Once the teacher poses an open-ended question to the group, responses are rapid and sometimes overlapping. Students are not being rude; rather, they are attempting to link ideas and build upon responses to the question. Sometimes this process unearths a deep understanding of the topic under discussion. Other times, students may lose focus. Teachers listen attentively to determine whether to steer students back to the right path or to allow new ideas and different directions.

It’s Structured but It’s Not
A 5th grade teacher describes talk story as "structured, but not" and as a key strategy in developing good readers. She gives her students daily opportunities to practice talk story in small groups in which topics are discussed freely and at length. Sometimes she asks open-ended questions or provides story prompts, while other times students determine the discussion topic. The level of her students’ engagement is "amazing," she says. Clearly, students really do have a voice in talk story.

Talk Story in Professional Development
In a time when expectations and accountability are at an all time high, schools are flooded with tasks, programs, and yes, professional development – all in the name of reform/school improvement. It is difficult at times to feel excited and engaged in these activities when teachers feel that professional development is something that is being done "to them" not "with them." The Pacific CHILD is sensitive to the ripple effects of reform and looks to incorporate culturally responsive professional development strategies to engage teachers.

Depending on the culture, talk story may be a much-welcomed professional development strategy to engage teachers in learning. In talk story, the delivery of information is not the focus or the major component of the session. The format is more interactive, with the facilitator presenting information and teachers engaged in a discussion of that information. Discussion centers not between the presenter and individual participants, but among the presenter and any number of participants. Talk story is a conversation about the activity topic to build and deepen understanding and then transcend that information so it can be used in the classroom.

Five Models of Staff Development for Teachers
In their 1989 article, "Five Models of Staff Development" (Journal of Staff Development, 10(4), published by the National Staff Development Council), Dennis Sparks and Susan Loucks-Horsley identified five models of professional development that represent ways of organizing teacher learning. The five models are individually guided, observation/ assessment, involvement in a curriculum development and/or school improvement process, training, and inquiry.

Individually Guided
The key characteristic in this model is that learning is designed by the teacher. The teacher determines his or her own goals and selects the activities that will result in the achievement of those goals. Talk story can fit into the individually guided learning activity if his or her preferred mode of learning involves collaboration and cooperation.

Teachers may involve others in their grade level or building in discussions about their topics of interest. Teachers can freely talk about topics and engage colleagues in informal consultations.

Training
For most teachers, training involves attending workshop sessions in which a presenter as expert delivers content and controls the flow of activities. G. Sparks in her 1983 article, "Synthesis of Research on Staff Development for Effective Teaching" (Educational Leader, 41(3), pp. 65-72), cites the importance of discussion as a training activity. She notes that discussion is useful both when new concepts or techniques are presented and as a problem solving strategy after teachers have had an opportunity to try out new strategies in their classrooms.

Talk story is an appropriate strategy to engage teachers in discussions of new knowledge or in problem solving.

Inquiry
While the inquiry model of staff development can take many forms, all have a number of common elements. Teachers identify a problem of interest, explore ways of collecting data, organize and interpret the data, and determine what action should be taken and its effectiveness. Where can talk story fit in? Talk story can occur at every level of the inquiry process. The collaborative and active exchange of ideas encourages participation and acceptance of accountability for the group’s actions.

A Personal Invitation to Talk Story
You’ve just read about talk story in two different contexts. If you’re a classroom teacher, you may want to use talk story in your next literature lesson. If you’re a professional development provider or a teacher leader, try using talk story at your next workshop session or faculty meeting. See how many more ideas are generated through this collaborative and cooperative process.