The main objective of the TALE project is to encourage people to learn by
telling them stories about successful learning. TALE transfers the philosophy
and methodology of "story telling cafés" to the Web. On a web platform people
can tell stories how they achieved goals using things they learned
(at school or in other formal or informal learning situations).
Other users can read these stories and are encouraged by them to own learning activities.
In story telling cafés people come together, telling each other and listening to
stories about various topics and themes. Storytelling clubs and cafés are a widespread
phenomenon in the U.K. In the rest of Europe they are rather unknown up to now.
There are some websites about storytelling providing information on oral storytelling,
storytellers and storytelling events, such as storytelling festivals. The TALE project in
addition to that plans to set up a web-based service, where everyone can put his/her stories
about learning and everyone can read these stories. The TALE platform will be designed as a
web-based story café, with an important difference to physical cafés: You can tell and read
stories whenever and wherever you want! Both oral told stories and written stories can be included.
As well the stories can be read or listened to according to the preference of the individual user.
In contrast to learning from other sources like specialized books learning from stories means
learning image by image, rather than word by word. Stories can be much more easy remembered
and retold. Learning from stories also means learning by models and examples.
Theoretical Background
The TALE project is based on psychological theories of motivation and learning by models.
In addition to other theories of learning like operational conditioning that work by trial, error,
reinforcement and punishment, the approach of learning with models explains how complex and difficult
tasks, for example driving a car, can be learned. When looking at 'learning' as a general process with
all its different facets, a theory which is able to explain a complex task is needed. For learning
with a model it is important that the learner feels the model as realistic and as similar to him/herself.
During the learning process of the model some problems should occur before the aim is achieved. The model
should be especially interesting and encouraging for the learner. Additionally examples should refer to
single persons (not to institutions) similar to the learner.
There is also a strong link from theory of learning with models to psychological approaches of motivation.
Psychological findings say that general assessments (e.g. "graduation is good to get a job"): possess no
important influence to personal motivation of the learner because general evaluations are not strongly
connected to personal motivation and these generalisations do not have a high potential of activation
of personal valences. But these valences (the personal evaluation, that rates something as "important"
or "valuable" are highly relevant for the personal learning motivation. To increase the attractiveness
of learning (and the motivation) it is necessary to stimulate the personal valences. This can be done
by presenting (learning) examples where personal valences and aims have been fulfilled.
How TALE will enable learning by stories
TALE project aims at developing a European web platform, where learning examples and stories
of single persons and their learning process can be told, whereas these stories should in best
case show a success after some problems. Therefore as many stories as possible that have some
relation to learning will be collected, structured, categorized, rated and evaluated by learners.
For use in the different European countries a translation service for the stories will be installed.
The philosophy of TALE is the idea of freedom. As less regulations as possible one the one hand
and guarantee of anonymity and copyright one the other hand will be a main project task.
No external quality control of stories is foreseen but a user-controlled comment and rating system.
The user group is just everybody.
The TALE project structure
