Storytelling
A storytelling is understood as a narration of historical content, usually presented by the teacher in class , which is characterized by homogeneity , literary quality and fictionality . Teachers can make itself or from the pool of existing stories take (lecture or the stories teachers lecture ). Students can also create storytelling. The ability to do so is part of narrative competence .
Storytelling in a historical perspective
The storytelling can look back on a long tradition in the context of oral tradition . It was a common part of history lessons until the 1960s . In the course of the 1968 movement and the associated revision of teaching methods, the storytelling moved into the sights of the critics, who accused it of placing more value on suggestive entertainment than on its own thinking. Indeed, many of the narratives were characterized by a high degree of personalization or an unreflective clarity of the events depicted.
In the GDR, the storytelling, which was widely spread by Mühlstädt (see below), remained unchallenged as a method because the desired effect was politically and ideologically acceptable. This is particularly evident in the stories about Ernst Thälmann .
The criticism can largely be traced back to generic characteristics. For example, it may appear that historical facts take a back seat to literary means, or that the closed narrative processes suggest the criticized clarity. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that fictional storytelling in particular can support the development of the pupils' imagination . In addition, intensive engagement with history is only possible if the emotions of the students are addressed. Hardly any other form of conveying history can be so vivid and lively. Above all, their exemplary character makes it possible to make abstract and complicated events understandable for students.
Important criteria
In order to achieve the highest possible degree of historicity and to avoid a clear perspective, historical narratives must meet certain criteria. These include:
- Relevance of the subject matter
- historical correctness (place, time, characters, actions, thoughts and conversations must be historically conceivable)
- Enable multiple perspectives
- meaningful personalization (not necessarily personalization )
- irritating moments that encourage critical and distanced thinking
further reading
theory
- Quandt, Siegfried, Süssmuth, Hans (Hrsg.): Historical storytelling. Forms and functions . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1982, ISBN 3-525-33475-3
- Rohlfes, Joachim: Geschichtserzählung , in: GWU 48, 1997, pp. 736-743.
- Baumgärtner, Ulrich, Schreiber, Waltraud (ed.): History-narration and history-culture. Two historical didactic key concepts in the discussion . Utz, Munich 2001 (Munich History Didactic Colloquium, No. 3), ISBN 3-89675-967-1
- Barricelli, Michele: Students tell stories. Narrative competence in history lessons . 3rd edition, Wochenschau, Schwalbach / Ts. 2008, ISBN 978-3899741681
- Hans-Jürgen Pandel: Historical storytelling. Narrativity in History Class . Newsreel, Schwalbach / Ts. 2009 ISBN 978389974532-0
history
- Rudolf Bonna: The narrative in the historical methodology of the Soviet Zone and GDR, together with a source volume . Brockmeyer, Bochum 1996, ISBN 3-8196-0390-5
Useful examples
- Harald Parigger: History tells: from antiquity to the 20th century . Cornelsen Scriptor, Berlin 1994, ISBN 3-589-20940-2
- Harald Parigger (ed.): The treasure trove for history lessons. The reference work for every day . Cornelsen Scriptor, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3589210621
- Herbert Mühlstädt : Experienced stories . 2 vols., Volk und Wissen, Berlin 2003/2005, ISBN 3-06-112258-3 (revision of the version widespread in the GDR by Bernd Hildenbrand)