Abstract
There is an Indian proverb which states: Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever. ESOL learners bring stories to the classroom in the form of life experiences from their own cultures, based on their beliefs, customs, and language identity. Storytelling traditions are vital in many discourse communities where the spoken word is relied on to communicate, as access to other forms of literacy are not possible or do not exist. Storytelling is therefore an essential communication tool which can be transferred to the language classroom to generate creativity and imagination in teaching and learning. This paper analyses storytelling as a teaching technique in the English as a Second Language (ESOL) classroom. It discusses the advantages of using storytelling as a pedagogic tool in learning and teaching to enhance learners’ language and literacy skills and to encourage learner engagement and learner interaction in the language classroom. It explores how storytelling activities can be used as a vehicle for improving understanding, motivating oral discussion and increasing and promoting interesting language usage in all four skill areas.