Storypath offers both a structure for organizing the social studies curriculum and an instructional strategy for teaching. The strategy is grounded in a belief that students learn best when they are active participants in their own learning, and places student s own efforts to understand at the center of the educational enterprise. Together, the structure and the teaching strategy ensure that students feel strongly motivated and have meaningful and memorable learning experiences. Originally developed in Scotland during the 1960s, Storypath draws support from decades of experience with teachers and students.
Students have a reservoir of knowledge that is often untapped in classroom settings.
When students build on that knowledge through such activities as questioning, investigating, and researching, new understandings are acquired. The story form has the potential to integrate content from many disciplines and provide a context for students to reflect on experiences and find meaning in the world. When students construct their own knowledge and understanding of their world, their learning is more meaningful and memorable. For thousands of years, myths, folk tales, and other narratives have helped us create order and find meaning in events. Storypath's use of story structure helps students understand concepts that they find disorganized and distant in the traditional social studies curriculum.