The storytelling for contributing to the English Teaching / La narración de cuentos para contribuir a la enseñanza del Inglés

Abstract

The article presents an assessment of the method of storytelling in English language teaching in the Foreign Languages Major at the University of Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca". The objective is to assess the use of the storytelling method as a methodological resource for improving the learning of English in the students from the first two years, so they can achieve the development of communicative, interactive and intercultural competence. The work is based on the communicative, the interactive, the reflexive approaches, and the sociolinguistic and psychological theories whose roots are found in the historical-cultural approach. The assessment is based on the theoretical analysis and pedagogical practice carried out during the 2017-2020 stage, where the teaching of English through storytelling has been used in an experiential way. Methods of observation, interview, survey and group discussion were applied. Stories and tasks have been elaborated and implemented with modifications made to the original storytelling method, in order to adjust it to the learning context of Cuban university students. A coherent interpretation of the functionality, and the results of the method was achieved in terms of comprehension, interaction, reflection, collaboration, contextualization and meaning. Thus, the validity of the method for the development of the communicative competence in English is shown.