Story as Sense-Making and Meaning-Making
"Narratives are stories, "the oldest and most natural form of sense making" (Jonassen & Hernandez-Serrano, 2002, p. 66), and they have a place in adult learning because stories enable us to make meaning of our lives."
(Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 257)
- Our lives are made up of stories: our memories, our dreams, our beliefs. If learning can tap into this core human experience, it is more likely to have a lasting impact.
- Along with embodied and spiritual learning, narrative learning is part of the nonscientific. It is more concerned with human meaning than discrete facts or logic (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 257)
Core Belief: Story
This element of narrative learning ties into my core belief of story. I get excited by the possible benefits of incorporating story-telling into my course design. I want learners to pause and make sense of how new ideas fit with what they already know or believe, and how their own story might be changing.
As Daloz (2012) states, "A good story transforms our vision of the possible and provides us with a map for the journey ahead" (as cited in Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 173).
Types and Layers of Narrative
"Personal narratives involve reflection on one's life story and can be empowering. This process, Rossiter and Clark assert, "is at the heart of learning and change in adulthood""
(Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 258)
- Rossiter and Clark (2007) organize narrative into four types: cultural, familial, individual, and organizational (as cited in Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 257)
- Cultural narratives: the ideas that we take for granted, that we are immersed like the air we breathe (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 257)
- Family narratives: values and beliefs, customs, roles and rituals (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 258)
- Individual narratives: the stories we create about our own lives. When incorporating reflection, this can be empowering (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 258)
- Organizational narratives: stories also structure meaning within the organizations in our society (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 258)
Core Belief: Purpose
Along with my core belief around story, the types and layers of narrative connect with my core belief of purpose. In my work in corporate learning, I often have to navigate the tension between learner needs and organizational goals. The stories that we tell ourselves and each other can help shift an organizational narrative and drive lasting impact.
Story in Practice: Forms and Tools
"Using stories to engage students in ideas that are part of course content may be the only way to allow understanding to occur. It is also a powerful means of making connections not only with ideas but with other learners, perhaps ultimately creating a learning community. Whether these stories are generated by students themselves, are case studies, or are fictional accounts, they draw us in, they allow us to see from another's perspective."
(Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 260)
- De Groot (2018) names four modes of narrative learning: learning from narratives/stories, learning through narrating one's own story, learning by recognizing that one's citizenship identity is narratively constituted, and "learning to position existing societal and cultural narratives in their cultural and historical context" (as cited in Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 259).
- Rossiter and Clark (2007) identify three modes in which stories appear in practice: "storying" the curriculum, storytelling, and autobiography" (as cited in Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 259).
- Jonassen and Hernandez-Serrano (2002) discuss how things like case studies and scenarios can expand our understanding (as cited in Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 260).
Core Belief: Connection
These examples of narrative learning types also support my core belief of connection. In my role, I rarely work in direct contact with learners. While I can include prompts and case studies that reflect warmth and compassion, I can't always create emotional safety through live interaction. I find it helpful to remember that learning relationships can be formed in all types of interactions, even asynchronous ones.
Narrative and Self-Reflection
"While we do not have control over many of the events or circumstances of our lives, we do have some choice as to how we interpret them. If something unpleasant happens it is not imperative that we will see it as the end of all happiness forever and ever. This realization of choice in meaning making is one of the most valuable aspects of the narrative orientation"
(Rossiter & Clark, as cited in Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 264)
- Journaling is an effective strategy and counselling tool for dealing with the challenges of everyday life. (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 261)
- Individual self-reflection can help adults develop a narrative framework for their lives (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 264)
Core Belief: Resilience
This element of self-reflection is closely tied to my core belief of resilience. Change is a normal and necessary part of learning design, not a sign of failure. Confidence and growth are built by working through problems with self-compassion, not avoiding them because it's not perfect the first time.
Narrative and Transformative Learning
"Whereas Mezirow's [transformational learning] process most often begins with a "disorienting dilemma" that causes us to examine our underlying assumptions and values, Randall suggests that when we encounter a life experience that cannot be accommodated by our old story of ourselves and the world, we seek to restory our lives"
(Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, pp. 264-265)
- "Restorying" involves changing the dominant story we tell about ourselves when our current story is no longer coherent (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 265)
- Hearing other people's stories expose learners to other perspectives on the world, which is key to critical self-reflection and transformative learning (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 265)
- The stories of our lives also include cognitive, emotional, embodied and spiritual dimensions (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 265)
Core Belief: Agency
With its deeply personal element of self-reflection or restorying, I find this aspect of narrative learning to connect with my core belief of agency. To bring this into my practice, I try to offer a variety of learning activities so that everyone can find something that meets their needs.
Jarvis includes both experimental learning (the result of a person experimenting on the environment) and reflective practice (thinking about and monitoring one's practice as it is happening) with what he conceives as the highest forms of learning (as cited in Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 203). I look for ways to incorporate both types of learning into the large-scale, asynchronous courses I design.