During the week of July, from the 12th to the 19th, two German teachers from an elementary school in Munich took part in the training course “Storytelling as a bridge between the virtual and the sensory” aimed at enhancing and integrating both virtual and sensory learning experiences into their teaching, fostering creativity, engagement, and meaningful learning among students.
On the first day, the teachers had the opportunity to explore the origins of storytelling and the concept of multisensory storytelling. In particular, they participated in practical activities and experimented with different lesson plans focused on gesture, visual, and olfactory storytelling. These hands-on experiences demonstrated how engaging multiple senses can enrich the learning process and make stories more immersive and memorable.
On the second day, the participants gained a deeper understanding of how storytelling can serve as a powerful tool for transformative learning by connecting knowledge, emotions, memory, and personal understanding. This meaning-making approach is characteristic of many Indigenous communities, where storytelling is used to transmit environmental knowledge, survival skills, cultural values, and a strong sense of belonging to a place.
Building on this perspective, the teachers participated in the workshop “From Place to Story – Creating a Digital Story Map,” in which they were invited to create a digital story map about a meaningful place in their local context using ArcGIS. Through this activity, the participants explored how digital mapping and storytelling can be combined to promote reflection, strengthen connections between people and places, and create engaging educational experiences.
On the third day, the participants explored additional storytelling activities and tools that can be easily integrated into classroom practice. Among these, there were Story Dice and the “Grow the Story” activity, both of which encourage creativity, collaboration, and imagination. These methods help learners develop narrative skills, expand their vocabulary, enhance critical thinking, and build confidence in expressing their ideas.
At the end of the day, a traditional fable was read and analysed, and they collaborated to create a new one from scratch. They then transformed their original story into a digital product using Canva, exploring how digital tools can enhance storytelling while fostering creativity, communication, and digital competence.
The training course provided the participants with a rich combination of theoretical knowledge and practical teaching strategies, highlighting storytelling as a powerful pedagogical approach that connects sensory experiences with digital technologies. Throughout the course, the teachers developed new creative, digital, and collaborative competences while experimenting with innovative tools and methodologies that can be readily applied in primary education.
Author: Giusy Froio (JUMP staff)
