Using Stories from Traditional Oral Culture in ESL Teaching

Clifford Hill

This presentation uses research on language comprehension to provide a rationale for classroom activities based on stories from the traditional culture of EFL students. According to schema theory, these stories are easier for students to understand. To illustrate how a classical model of comprehension (factual, inferential, experiential) can be used to develop activities, a Hausa version of a story that is widespread in Muslim cultures is used.