Storytelling

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Storytelling has come into use in designing human-computer interactions and in education and training as a research tool to access memories on experience that can then be used reflective practices.

See also Narrative

Genre theory

“Genre theory also supposes that communicative conventions are not arbitrary, but rather arise in response to various technical and social forces which are implicit in the communicative situation. This perspective is particularly valuable for system design, in that the designer has considerable control over the technical underpinnings of on-line communication, and thus has partial control over the nature of the genre and its conventions.” (Erickson 1999)

Definition of genre

“A genre is a patterning of communication created by a combination of the individual (cognitive), social, and technical forces implicit in a recurring communicative situation. A genre structures communication by creating shared expectations about the form and content of the interaction, thus easing the burden of production and interpretation.

• the communicative goals it supports
• its conventions (of both form and content)
• the underlying situation (in both its technical and social guises) in which the genre is employed
• the relationship between the underlying situation and the genre's conventions
• the discourse community of those who enact the genre”

The regularity of form and content that define different genres can be used the design of digital media and the formalization of design patterns.

For example stories and anecdotes can be used to reveal a users-eye view of the landscape, and, provide an extremely effective way for getting people--both users and designers--involved and talking with one another.

See genres in writing-to-learn

References

• Erickson, T. (1999). Rhyme and Punishment: The Creation and Enforcement of Conventions in an On-Line Participatory Limerick Genre [1]

Genre of anecdote is used for its capacity to :

1. force the writer to distill the essence of the event
2. distillation process provides opportunity for analysis, revelation of embedded stories, bringing to light and formulation of understandings previously unclear.
3. anacdote are situated in context and detail, providing both example and the building of a shared repertoire to use in the examination of one's belief systems and their evolution. See Community of practice.

Anecdotes can be shared and written collaboratively to encourage critical thinking encouraged the learners to move through the technical, contextual and confrontational levels of reflection to uncover and clarify their understandings of the events described in the anecdote.. (McGill)

The features of an anecdote are as follows:

  1. it is a very short and simple story
  2. it usually relates one incident
  3. it begins close to the central idea
  4. includes important concrete detail
  5. it often contains several quotes
  6. it closes quickly after the climax
  7. it requires punctum for the punch line                                                                                                                                           
  (van Manen 1999, p.20 in McGill 2000)
  

Stories in solving

Stories and storytelling are useful pedagogical tools for problem-based and case-based learning

See Role of narrative in learning.