Memetized Learning: How Humor-Infused Stories Can Engage Geography Students in the Digital Age

Kudzayi Savious Tarisayi

Abstract


Scholars have long recognized the power of traditional storytelling for engaging students and enhancing the learning experience. This study explores how integrating memes into storytelling, creating "memetized stories", can be an innovative strategy to teach geography concepts. Utilizing constructivism as a theoretical lens, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 geography teachers who integrate memetized stories into their teaching. The findings reveal that memetized stories can be utilized in student projects, presentations, and to teach environmental issues, cultural sensitivity, and critical thinking skills. Integrating memetized stories into these pedagogical activities promotes active student participation, collaborative learning, and increased engagement and interest in the subject matter. However, teachers must ensure that memetized stories are used appropriately and sensitively. When done well, memetized stories provide a visual and humorous means for students to learn geography concepts through interaction with visual media, aligning with multimodal learning approaches. This study provides valuable insights into the potential benefits and drawbacks of incorporating memetized stories into the geography curriculum. Overall, the findings suggest that memetized stories can be an innovative and engaging strategy for teaching geography to millennial students in the digital age.

Keywords


Geography classroom; Memes; Storytelling

Full Text:

PDF

References


Ataci, T. (2023). Memetizing genocides and post-genocide peacebuilding: ambivalent implications of memes for youth participation and imaginaries in Rwanda. Information, Communication and Society, 26(16), 3157-3178.

Barglowski, K. (2018). Where, what and whom to study? Principles, guidelines and empirical examples of case selection and sampling in migration research. Qualitative Research in European Migration Studies, 9, 151-168.

Lei, S., Cohen, J. and Russler, K. (2010). Humor on learning in the college classroom: evaluating benefits and drawbacks from instructors’ perspectives. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 37(4). 326-331.

Lolos, A. M., Etrata, A. A., Gonzales, K. C. I., Lipura, M. B., and Abusam, H. P. (2022). Decoding the metaphor of humor: Understanding why Filipino cybernauts cannot stop clicking on internet memes. ASEAN Journal of Community Service and Education, 1(2), 117-120.

Miller, S., and Pennycuff, L. (2008). The power of story: Using storytelling to improve literacy learning. Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives in Education, 1(1), 36-43.

Mogashoa, T. (2014). Applicability of constructivist theory in qualitative educational research. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 4(7), 51- 59.

Petty, J. (2021). Using arts-based digital storytelling in neonatal care to enhance nursing students' empathy. Nurse Child Young People, 33(4), 13-18.

Shomova, S. (2020). Meme literacy in Russia: Perceptions of internet memes by a student audience and issues of critical thinking. Central European Journal of Communication, 13(26), 266-283.

Smeda, N., Dakich, E., and Sharda, N. (2014). The effectiveness of digital storytelling in the classrooms: a comprehensive study. Smart Learning Environments, 1, 1-21.

Yuliani, S., and Hartanto, D. (2021). Designing digital storytelling in English online learning. International Journal of Educational Management and Innovation, 2(3), 309-321.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/ijert.v4i2.60751

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

View My Stats
Indonesian Journal of Educational Research and Technology (IJERT) is published by Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI)