A Zimbabwean PhD Candidate at University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa Philip Chuma has reportedly committed suicide after failing to register for the 2022 academic year due to an expired permit.

In a memo to the students the university said Chuma died over the weekend.

Said the university, “His study permit expired in November, and he had been unable to renew it. Home Affairs required the processing of a Letter of Good Cause, which we supplied to him towards the end of last year. Unfortunately, all attempts to request a speedy processing of his documentation were in vain, and this distressed him enormously as he had not been able to register for the 2022 academic year until his documents were in order.”

The university said they had hoped that Chuma’s PhD would be ready for examination later this year.

“He was in regular communication with the Wits International Office, his supervisor and the School Business Manager about the progress of sorting out his documentation. This week, he had put in an application to teach in the US through the Educational Partners International (EPI) programme.

“Philip has been doing his PhD on the transition of newly qualified teachers into their first teaching position in Zimbabwean schools. He had recently completed his data analysis chapters and was busy working on his Discussion and interpretation of his findings. He presented parts of his work at SAERA and at the LCT International Conferences. It was our hope that his PhD would be ready for examination later this year.”
Commenting on the matter, former Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Professor Jonathan Moyo said, “Philip Chuma, a PhD candidate at Wits University in Johannesburg, died by suicide over the weekend; in a tragic case that has the evil trappings of the anti-Zimbabwean Afrophobia being pursued by Minister Motsoaledi at Home Affairs. Chuma played by the rules, to no avail. MHSRIP!”

The Zimbabwe Embassy and the Zimbabwe Consulate in South Africa are yet to comment on the matter.

THE South African Health Department unpacked new Covid ruIes. Initially exempting children from wearing facemask in the classrooms and general indoor gatherings, the health department issued a corrective to confirm they could only take off their mask when outdoors in playgrounds or sports fields.

The new regulations came on Thursday  at a time when South Africa has reported a new wave of covid 19 in the country, the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) warned in late April.

The plan for children to wear masks in school is part of the government’s plans to limit the spread of covid 19.

“The Department would also like to bring to the public attention of the confusion created by unfortunate and regrettable human error in the media statement issued yesterday about the removal of face mask wearing by children at school. This is not part of the gazetted health regulations, and is therefore retracted to avoid any misunderstanding of the regulations,” the department said.

“Therefore, children like other people are expected to continue complying with the provisions of Regulation 16A on face masks in the classrooms and general indoor gatherings, unlike outdoors in playgrounds and sports fields.”

The Department added that face masks remain an effective non-pharmaceutical intervention against the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and it was more relevant now as the number of COVID-19 positive cases is rising once again.

“The Department of Health has been receiving a lot of feedback from the public since announcing the extension of public consultation process together with the introduction of limited health regulations meant to manage the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and future notifiable medical conditions. We would like to urge all South Africans to continue to share their feedback because we believe it will assist the process as we move forward to finalise the regulations.”

South Africa, is officially the continent’s most affected country by Covid-19. Here, less than 45% of the adult population is fully vaccinated out of a population of nearly 60 million. The country has officially recorded more than 3.8 million cases and some 100,350 deaths.

In early March, the country had gone 48 hours without a single Covid-19-related death, the first time this had happened since 2020. President Cyril Ramaphosa had announced in early April that all legal restrictions related to the pandemic would be lifted.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), two new Omicron sub-variants, whose virulences are yet to be determined, are causing the new wave of Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

“South African scientists who identified Omicron late last year have now reported two more Omicron sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, as the cause of a spike in cases in South Africa,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. On that same day, more than 6 000 new cases were reported in South Africa. Two new Omicron sub-variants are believed to be driving an increase in cases.

AFP. Additional reporting by INSIDE EDUCATION

THE realisation of sexuality education and sexual reproductive health rights for young people is key for the prevention of HIV, early and unintended pregnancies (EUP) and gender-based violence (GBV).

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said that the prevention of these vulnerabilities among the youth will help countries in making progress in their youth development agendas.

The Minister was delivering the opening address at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Our Rights, Our Lives and Our Future (O3) and O3 plus 2021 Annual Review and Partners’ Meeting in Fourways, Johannesburg.

The meeting is aimed at reviewing progress from the 33 programme countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa and West Central Africa.

The Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future programme supports delivery of good quality comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) that empowers adolescents and young people (AYP) and builds agency, while developing the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and competencies required for preventing HIV, reducing EUPs, and eliminating GBV.

The objectives of the programme among others are to secure and sustain strong political commitment and support for adolescents’ and young people’s access to comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services across sub-Saharan Africa.

The O3 programme is run in partnership with ministries of education across the 33 countries in which the programme is implemented. It benefits from the generous support of the governments of Sweden, Ireland, Norway, and France, as well as the Packard Foundation.

Minister Motshekga added that the prevention will also contribute towards attainment of:

– Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, and 5; – Regional commitments such as the Eastern and Southern Africa and West Central Africa Commitment; – The African Union Action Plan and the Southern Africa Development Community Strategy for Sexual Reproductive Health and others.

“It is significant that we are here to review, reflect on how the Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future Programme has contributed to the promotion of the rights of young people to education, health and wellbeing in our respective countries in the last five years.

“We are all cognisant of how the programme has supported and enhanced our efforts in ensuring that all adolescents and young people have access to sexuality education and sexual reproductive health rights,” she said on Wednesday.

Motshekga emphasised that education is a protective factor and evidence has showed this especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ramifications.

She said that children being and staying in school to complete their education is truly vital and protect them from the afore-mentioned vulnerabilities.

“To ensure that our adolescents and young people become champions of their lives and be responsible citizens that are empowered to contribute to the development of their world, achieving positive educational outcomes is extremely critical, and this is where the O3 Programme has been very beneficial,” she said.

For South Africa in particular, the Minister said that the country is thankful to have been one of the countries that has been receiving support from UNESCO through this programme.

She said that the country can attest that it has been able to up its game in strengthening the implementation of sexuality education and access to sexual reproductive health services and rights in schools. 

Challenges

“We are making great strides even though we continue to experience challenges when it comes to the sexual reproductive health and wellbeing of our adolescents and youth,” Motshekga said.

The Minister said that the challenges include:

New HIV infections reported to be at about 1300 per week among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) specifically;

Concerning numbers of births among adolescent girls, with 132 000 deliveries reported by the Health Department by young girls between ages of 10 and 19 in 2021 alone;

Gender Based violence against children having risen during COVID 19 lockdown, with the President calling it a second pandemic.

“We are however happy to say despite the above complex challenges, we have hope that we will achieve better education for all our children, and eliminate these social ills in order to report good progress, as a country towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 – that of attaining inclusive and quality education for all by 2030,” she said.

Progress

Motshekga went on to share the strides that have been made in the past five years, with the support of UNESCO and other Partners such as Global Fund, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and others.

The DBE Policy on the Prevention of HIV, STIs and TB (2017) has been strengthened to improve implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) with linkages to sexual reproductive health services (SRHS) in schools.

She said that this has led to the development of the Scripted Lesson Plans (SLPs) for CSE which is now being rolled out in schools in Life Orientation and Life Skills Subjects.

In 2021, the DBE finalised and gazetted the Policy for the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy in Schools which seek to increase efforts to prevent early and unintended pregnancies.

Though much has been achieved, the Minister said that challenges continue to exist, thus as they review progress, the country also looks forward to learn from other countries.

“Our young people who are our most precious asset for the future of our countries and regions still need us to do more and to fast-track the agenda towards realising the SDG goals and our efforts to achieve an HIV free generation by 2030,” she said. 

SA NEWS

THE Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has confirmed the death of former Secretary-General Godrich Gardee’s daughter, Hillary Gardee.

The 28-year-old Unisa student was last seen last Friday at the local Spar Supermarket in Nelspruit wearing a black top and black trousers.

“The EFF regrets with deep sadness to inform the public on the passing of the daughter of EFF former Secretary General, Hillary Gardee,” said the EFF in a statement.

“The body of Hillary Gardee was found abandoned outside Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, after she had gone missing on the April 29, 2022 … This heart-breaking news has left the Gardee family distraught, and the collective leadership of the EFF at a loss for words.”

Hillary Indira Gardee, aged 28, was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1994.

“She was the first-born daughter of Commissar Godrich Gardee and her loss has left immeasurable devastation, as he grapples with the pain of losing a child in such a callous, cruel and inhumane manner. Hillary was an enthusiastic, kind and loving individual, who had a passion for information technology,” the EFF said.

“She was a student at the University of South Africa, studying IT part-time while running her own IT business. Her kindness and generosity was most evident in her commitment to adopt and care for a 3-year old child, who by the grace of God was spared on the day of Hillary’s abduction. She looked after the child as if she were her own, an inspiring act for a woman of such a young age.”

“We mourn with the Gardee family, and will provide a helping hand to ensure that her memory is preserved and she goes to her final resting place with dignity. The family at this time is still reeling from the terrible news of the loss of their child, and as such is not in a position to speak to the media or the public.”

Hillary disappeared on Friday after she was last seen at a Spar Supermarket in Nelspruit.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Siphiwo Mahala is well known as a South African short story writer, novelist, playwright and literary organiser. He is also an academic. In fact, his most recent book is a product of his PhD thesis, titled Can Themba: The Making and Breaking of the Intellectual Tsotsi. Can Themba was a journalist and short story writer who challenged the apartheid state by foregrounding the pain and the joy of black life. We asked Mahala to tell us more.

Who was Can Themba and why does he matter?

Can Themba was part of a generation of black writers that revolutionised journalism and the South African literary landscape in the 1950s and early 1960s. This was a culturally dynamic and politically volatile period in South Africa. In 1948 apartheid was introduced by the white minority government, followed by the enactment of draconian laws in the early 1950s, which sought to separate people according to race. This prompted the black oppressed majority to intensify its resistance struggle. Artists, intellectuals and the growing cohort of black journalists were at the forefront of finding platforms to speak against these socio-political ills and challenge the regime.

Drum was the most widely distributed magazine that foregrounded the voices of urban black people at this time. Themba was associate editor and also wrote for Drum’s sister newspaper, the Golden City Post. He was central in chronicling the black condition. Themba had a penchant for ordinary stories – of the neglected, the marginalised and even the resented – and he wrote them in such a sensational way that they would attract global attention. He was a daring journalist, unafraid to put his body on the line in pursuit of a story.

The kind of stories he covered included the impact on ordinary people of the 1957 bus boycott and of pass laws. One of his most documented stories was Brothers in Christ, where he investigated if white churches would welcome black worshippers in accordance with the Christian doctrine of brotherhood. He was assaulted and charged for trespassing in churches, creating a controversy that solicited international attention.

His romantic relationship was the subject of police interrogation because he dared to love across the colour line. He was manhandled and arrested for doing journalism. He was banned under the Suppression of Communism Amendment Act and his writing could neither be published nor referenced in South Africa until 15 years after his death. Clearly the apartheid regime wished to erase him from the face of history.

He went to exile in the early 1960s, was banned shortly after and died in exile. This has made it difficult to trace his life’s journey. Although his works – especially his short story The Suit – have been celebrated for years, his personal story has been sketchy, limited to his period as a Drum journalist.

How does your study approach him?

My interest was in his construction. Tracing the factors that contributed to the making of the writer who became known as the winner of Drum’s short story competition in 1953, and the elements that contributed to his deterioration a few years later. I feel privileged to have been the first to document his life story – more than 50 years after his passing in 1967. In this book, through the voices of people who knew him personally, we get to know Can Themba as a husband, father, a drinking buddy, a teacher, a colleague. As a person and not just the public figure.

More than half the people I interviewed as part of the research have since passed away. The unique insights shared by the late Anne Themba, Nadine Gordimer, Keorapetse Kgositsile, Parks Mangena, Mbulelo Mzamane, Ahmed Kathrada and Lindiwe Mabuza cannot be replicated and could have been easily lost.

I trace him from an early age, his family background in the racially mixed community Marabastad, relocating to Atteridgeville, a township outside Pretoria. I trace his schooling as well as his years as a student at the University Fort Hare, where he studied towards a BA degree and majored in English which he passed with a distinction. Sharing the university syllabus helps us to understand the foundations of his literary apprenticeship, as it included literary criticism, the history of literature and the study of poetry. The earliest available record of Themba’s publication dates back to 1945, when he was a student at Fort Hare, and the influence of Shakespeare is palpable.

This period also gives a glimpse of what he and some of his fellow students would become. Whereas Themba and his fellow literary enthusiast Dennis Brutus contributed mainly poetry and short stories in student journals, political leader Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe was contributing articles in political pamphlets.

I hope readers will take away a more holistic view of Can Themba and understand that he was an abundantly talented individual who was as flawed as the rest of us. He died before his fullest potential could be realised.

What did you conclude about Themba?

Much has been written about the perceived lack of political commitment in his works, his romanticisation of the township and his excessive drinking. In this book, I reveal some of his sharpest political commentary. I reveal that Themba did not drink until he joined Drum. Former Drum photographer Jurgen Schadeberg states that drinking in the newsroom was encouraged. Schadeberg says Themba initially felt out of place in the newsroom, and kept wearing a tie just like the teacher he was.

Themba died in 1967, supposedly of alcohol related causes, only 14 years after he started drinking. I interrogate a number of personal, social and political factors that contributed to his early demise. As an epigraph to the book, I use a quote from his former protege, veteran journalist Harry Mashabela: Can Themba was what he was and not what he could have been because his country is what it is.

For a writer who believed in freedom of expression, living in a tyrannical society was a constant assault to his soul.

More than anything else, I realised that Can Themba was a teacher at heart. It’s common knowledge that before joining Drum in 1953, he had been working as a teacher, and that he taught at St Joseph’s Catholic School in Swaziland, where he passed away in 1967. It’s not very well known that he lived for teaching even when he was not teaching for a living.

He was a teacher in his House of Truth, which he established in his room in Sophiatown as a forum for debate. He taught in the newsroom and in the drinking dens, becoming known as the “shebeen intellectual”. And in every space where he found himself. He did guest lectures at universities. He even offered English lessons to groups and individuals. For me, his greatest legacy is his determination to nurture young minds.

Can Themba: The Making and Breaking of the Intellectual Tsotsi is available from Wits University Press.

THE CONVERSATION

WENDY MOTHATA|

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa says that 96% of children of school-going age are in school while wo-thirds of those pupils attend schools where their parents do not have to pay school fees.

Ramaphosa was reflecting on the gains made and challenges the country has grappled with since April 27, 1994.

The president led Freedom Day celebrations at the Kees Taljaard Stadium in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.

“Ninety-six per cent of children of school-going age are in school. Two-thirds of these learners attend no-fee schools,” said Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa, however, conceded that “”much more still needs to be done”.

He said that that free tertiary education was also being provided to young people in South Africa.

“Free tertiary education is being provided to young South Africans to study, a dream that was denied their forebears,” he said.

He further added that more than 600 000 learners in Mpumalanga received their daily meals at various schools across the province.

“Here in Mpumalanga, more than 600 000 children from poor households receive a meal at school through the National School Nutrition Programme,” Ramaphosa said.

The president added that the National School Nutrition programme currently feeds more than nine million learners every school day across the country.

“In democratic SA, 81% of people live in formal housing. Nine out of 10 South Africans have access to clean water and more than 85% have access to electricity. In democratic SA, basic education and health care is no longer the privilege of a few, but available to all,” he said.

Ramaphosa said: “In democratic South Africa, basic education and health care is no longer the privilege
of a few, but available to all.”

While the country has mixed feelings regarding the scourge of Gender Based-Violence, crime and corruption, Ramaphosa said there were laws to protect the vulnerable in the country.

“Gender-based violence, substance abuse and other societal ills have become rampant in our communities. Crime and violence is eating away at our society. We can only defeat crime if we work together, as families, as communities and community leaders, as faith communities and leaders, and as individuals,” he said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

SuperSport Schools celebrates 365 days of broadcasting the best of school and youth sports action in Southern Africa. The OTT channel has grown to become one of South Africa’s leading school and youth sport platforms; the go-to place for live and on demand content for the passionate school sports community.

Since launching in April 2021, SuperSport Schools has broadcast over 5000 live matches and 16 sporting codes to devices and screens far and wide across the globe, despite half of the year being cut short due to Covid-19.

Apart from the unparalleled coverage, some highlights include:

– The debut broadcast of the SA Schools Water Polo IPT in Cape Town with the broadcast of 369 matches across 10 pools in four days

– Easter Festivals broadcast from six venues, including 30 simultaneous live streams at the peak of the St Stithians College Easter Festiva

– Capturing 19 South African records during the broadcast of the Athletics South Africa Primary Schools, High Schools and Junior Track and Field Championships. This included 100m and 200m sensation, Vivwe Jingqi

– The roll-out of over 100 automated and artificial intelligence driven cameras across over 70 schools and clubs

– Nearly 100 000 subscribers on the App

Speaking of the achievement, SuperSport Head of Commercial, Rendani Ramovha said: “The highlight for me is seeing the vision becoming a reality. It’s very easy to ideate and to have a strategy of how to launch something, but to see how the SuperSport Schools product is gaining momentum and how the public is getting behind the product, that’s the biggest milestone.”

The operation has evolved throughout the year, adapting, and adjusting to fit the unique demands of the zealous South African sports fan. Although the popular sporting codes have captured most of the viewership, lesser-profiled codes including canoeing, padel tennis, rowing, squash, basketball, water polo and tennis have also had their time to shine.

From Johannesburg, Kimberley, Mookgophong, Nelspruit, Hilton, Matatiele, Mdantsane, Camps Bay to Windhoek; the SuperSport Schools cameras have shone the spotlight on talent from all backgrounds and walks of life.

“What is special for me is that we capture the moments that people care most about,” SuperSport Schools GM, Gerhard Steyn explained. “In athletics, it often happens on our platform that more people watch the heats than the finals, it’s different to the Olympics where everyone mostly waits for the Final. In our schools’ space, people care about the kids who participate, they care about the U14c match or the fourth team hockey. That is special, it’s an important contribution to the sports community in the country.

“The opportunities that our coverage has opened for young athletes has been inspiring,” he added. “We’ve had athletes using our footage to apply for scholarships to international universities and funding, that would have never happened in the past. If you look at the talent and achievements that have been captured in the South African school sports space, the future of South Africa sport seems to be in a good space.”

In the past six weeks, over 3000 matches have been broadcast. Put into context, if those matches were spread over six weeks, SuperSport Schools would have been able to show school sport live for 10 hours a day, on eight channels, six days a week for six consecutive weeks!

SUPERSPORT|

EARLY childhood education is the foundation or cornerstone of any higher education and so a Liberian education is craving the indulgence of the national government and stakeholders to place key emphasis on that area.

Mr. G. Sebastine Gaye, Director of the Trumpet of Praise (TOP) International School, asserted that in order to strengthen the educational sector of the country so that Liberia comes on par with other comity of nations, the Liberian government specifically must place serious emphasis on training for teachers in early childhood education.

Mr. Gaye, who is also one of the founders of the TOP International School, made these comments at the weekend at the occasion marking the observance of the school’s 17th anniversary.

“We want to call on the national government to place emphasis on the training of teachers for this group of people, who are the foundation for every education process – because taking care of kids is something extremely difficult,” said Mr. Gaye.

“And so we want to encourage national government to place serious emphasis on manpower development so as get our kids prepared early,” he asserted.

And as the TOP International School envisages to be a second to none institution of learning, Mr. Gaye disclosed plan for the elevation of an additional annex to bring in more facilities.

Founded in 2005, following barely nine years of the establishment of the church -Trumpet of Praise Tabernacle, the TOP International School currently operates two key branches in Fiamah in Sinkor, Monrovia and in Pipeline in Paynesville, outside Monrovia. The school operates from nursery up to 8th grade.

“At the end of the current academic year (2021/2022), we will start the elevation of another annex for additional classes, a library, a playground and a reading room for our kids,” Gaye revealed.

We will be calling on the public; national government, parents and guardians and well-wishers to come and grace the occasion marking the groundbreaking for the construction of this annex. We want to extend the school to ninth grade and in the future extend it to senior high,” the TOP International School Director, among other things, added.

FRONTPAGE

THE University of the Western Cape (UWC) has done it again. It has been ranked in the top 800 universities globally by Times Higher Education (THE) for the sixth year running. Udubs placed seventh in South Africa and 13th on the African continent.

The THE Global Impact Rankings help universities worldwide through analysis and benchmarking. THE prides itself on having the “most rigorous and trusted rankings of universities”.

These rankings are to universities what FIFA rankings are to football-mad nations. It’s due reward for hard work. According to THE, 1 662 universities from 99 countries were evaluated.

In addition to placing in the top 800, University of the Western Cape was ranked joint 107th in the Emerging Economies University rankings this year. That is UWC’s highest position since joining the rankings in 2017.

Speaking from London, Ellie Bothwell, the rankings editor at THE, explained: “In the latest 2022 edition, the university (UWC) achieved particularly high scores for citation impact and international outlook. It has lower scores in the areas of teaching environment and research environment, but its performance in those two areas is at its highest level ever.”

UWC, a vibrant intellectual space, has excelled in several of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) areas, including No Poverty and Reduced Inequalities. UWC now ranks in the top 200 globally for these goals.

“It (UWC) is ranked in all 18 of our Impact Rankings tables – in the tables for each of the 17 SDGs, as well as the overall ranking – indicating its strong commitment to helping tackle the world’s greatest challenges and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Bothwell.

UWC’s Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, could not be prouder.

“It’s quite significant. The latest rankings speak directly to UWC’s commitment to quality education and making a meaningful difference in the world. We are already one of the finest institutions in South Africa, and to know that we are world-class is just a feather in the cap. We are well on track to meet our Sustainable Development Goals,” he said. “And it’s not just about approaching those goals on a theoretical level. We look at the challenges facing society from all angles and then put in the hard work to make a meaningful difference. It’s part of UWC’s genetic make-up. It’s what we live and breathe.”

THE use stringent metrics by which they measure universities’ performance. They use indicators to gauge a university’s strengths against its core value missions, analysing policies and initiatives. Institutions must provide evidence in support. THE then looks at examples that demonstrate best practices.

Bothwell also mentioned: “The Impact Rankings are inherently dynamic: they are growing rapidly each year as many more universities seek to demonstrate their commitment to delivering the SDGs by joining our database; and they allow institutions to demonstrate rapid improvement year-on-year by introducing clear new policies, for example, or by providing clearer and more open evidence of their progress. Therefore, we expect and welcome regular change in the ranked order of institutions (and we discourage year-on-year comparisons) as universities continue to drive this urgent agenda.”

Prof Pretorius added: “The top 800 in the world is a good place to be. It’s a genuine reflection of the work we put into achieving greatness. But we’re not resting on our laurels. There are so many more exciting programmes in the pipeline. And those will obviously match our efforts to always strive for better. We are so proud of the incredible strides we are making. The education we provide is all-encompassing. Teaching, learning, research, innovation, real solutions to real life challenges and issues. And with every graduate from our fine institution, we are staying true to our promise to change the world.”

SUPPLIED| UWC

GOOD teaching requires a special blend of the personal and the professional. Although there’s a fine line between revealing a piece of oneself to build rapport and sharing too much information, sharing past experiences—telling personal stories—is completely justified when it furthers learning and fosters a positive and engaging environment in the course.

Over the years of my academic career as a qualitative sociologist, I’ve integrated various forms of stories into my sociology and criminology lectures. Storytelling as a form of transferring knowledge has a long and venerable history. For centuries, the oral tradition of storytelling was the mechanism used to pass knowledge from one generation to the next. Before there were pens and paper, chalkboards and whiteboards, overhead projectors and PowerPoint presentations, ePortfolios and flipped classrooms, there were stories.

After all, who doesn’t like a good story? Although I might use movie-clips, newspaper stories, historical accounts, and passages from novels to enhance the classroom learning experience, for me, by far the most challenging and rewarding form of storytelling involves sharing stories from my own experiences.

I use personal stories in all of my classes, but I use them most often in my second-year course, Young Offenders and the Law. You see, in my younger days I was what would now be identified as an “at-risk youth.” My stories from this time range from minor social deviations, such as my first underage drinking experience at a high school dance, to more serious breaches of the law, including stealing records from music stores. I tell these stories because I can tie them directly to sociological theories of deviance (social bonds theory, differential association theory, social learning theory, etc.), and the social institutions (family, education, peers, media, religion, etc.) that students are reading about and discussing in lectures. Just like the use of movies and video clips, my personal stories serve as examples that connect course concepts and ideas to real-life experiences.

Students report that they enjoy these glimpses into my past and claim that the stories enhance their learning. Their positive reactions support my belief that what these stories bring to the student learning experience is multidimensional and corresponds with the literature on narrative theory and storytelling in classroom settings. Let me explain.

Benefits of storytelling

First, storytelling provides a change of pace. It mixes up delivery of the material, and provides a break in the lecture, seminar discussion, or group work. Stories capture students’ attention and help them focus on the lesson at hand. They may also get students thinking about the topic in a different way. As with most people, students associate stories with entertainment. You can sit back, listen, and let yourself go wherever the story takes you—the material comes alive.

Second, stories build relationships between teachers and students. Telling a personal story creates a strong connection between you and your students. This rapport makes the climate in the classroom positive. It’s hard to share your experiences without showing your passion—what’s important to you, why you care so much about the content in the course. Students genuinely enjoy catching a glimpse of the human side of their professors.

Third, storytelling encourages students, even those who normally do not participate in class, to share their personal experiences and explore how what happened to them relates to the course material. Sometimes students share their experiences in class, other times they’ll open up during an office visit, or they may share their stories with others outside of class. Sharing your personal experiences inspires reciprocity and helps create an atmosphere where students are more willing to share, not just their stories, but their opinions, insights, and questions.

Finally, and most importantly, personal storytelling facilitates learning. That’s what students regularly tell me on their course evaluations. They believe the stories made the material, especially the more abstract or theoretical material, easier to understand. Stories can be powerful in their capacity to link theory and real-life situations, making the theory recognisable. A story humanizes concepts and theories that when first encountered seem too scientific or esoteric. For example, I can define and explain hegemonic masculinity and some students will get it; but if I illustrate it with a story about my high school football days, almost all of the students will relate to the story and they’ll remember what hegemonic masculinity entails.

Neuroscience has found that images produced from a story produce a sensory experience that make the recall of information much easier. Through stories, students can take concepts, data, and facts that might seem disjointed pieces of information and tie them together in one mental image. This traces all the way back to John Dewey who equated lived experience with learning that’s meaningful and lasting. We need to think of our students’ own lived experiences as a foundation for their learning.

A word of caution

Of course, there are limitations and problems associated with storytelling. Inappropriate stories run the risk of delegitimizing the role of the professor. Personal information shapes students’ perspectives of you, not only as a professor but as person. Students often put their professors on a pedestal as exemplary human beings and some personal stories may contain information that makes it difficult for students to look up to their professors. My bad behavior as a youth happened during another time of my life. If I were still stealing records and shared that with students, chances are good, they would not hold me in high esteem.

Furthermore, too much disclosure or the over use of personal storytelling may serve to breach the necessary barrier between students and their professors. Sharing too much personal information can cause students to become too familiar with a professor. Or, the stories may make students feel uncomfortable thereby inhibiting their willingness to talk with us about content they’re having difficulty understanding. Stories should not be told without appropriate attention to the significance and importance of theory, concepts, and ideas we are using the stories to illustrate. Stories should not ever be told if they do not connect with course content. Accounts of experiences that are personally aggrandizing, ones in which the storyteller is always the one who wins, who does the right thing, will more likely impede than promote learning.

Good storytelling takes planning and practice. Instructors should carefully consider each story before integrating it into the course material. Students should be able to quickly understand the purpose of the story and be encouraged to think about how the story relates to the information being taught and to think of similar experiences in their own lives.

When used effectively, personal storytelling is a powerful pedagogical tool. Clear, succinct, well-rehearsed stories can create positive learning environments that not only foster and build teacher-student rapport, but also promote learning in dynamic and engaging ways.