Abstract:

The learning of mathematics subjects is usually driven by a theoretical-practical methodology in which theoretical points are exemplified using different exercises. When an example of applicability to the real world, or to a particular discipline is given, usually a description depicting a problem is given. In most of the cases, the exercise still looks to the reader as an artificial invention for illustrating the concept, usually not gathering the attention of the students.

Here, I use the storytelling methodology, not to directly transmit a message through the story, but for creating the environment and the emotional background in which the students are feeling the emotions of the characters creating a bond with them.
Four chapters conforming a full story were specifically written. All of them shared a common story of the characters, and in each of them, the protagonist had to face different both day-to-day, or at least plausible situations, and for solving them she needs to use different Operational Research algorithms.

The project was carried out at the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, at the faculty of social and legal sciences in Toledo. A total of 16 students from the optional Operational Research in Business subject from the Business Management studies program actively participated following the course including the four stories.

The time for the reading of each chapter to the students was around 5 minutes, and it was done not in a systematic way but distributing one chapter in each topic of the subject. Usually at the end of the chapter there was situation that needed to be solved using the knowledge gathered with the course.

During the application of this methodology, it was evident that this methodology contributed to increase the attention of the students after a long previous period of more classical lecture, and by the feedback given by the students, it was well received.

Results about the effects of this activity into the students will be soon gathered by using a survey.

Keywords:

Storytelling, student attention, emotional education.