2 Story Guidelines

This section discusses some guidelines to consider if you are adopting a storytelling approach to your Business Math class.  Please note that the terms “story”, “storyline”, and “case study” are used synonymously.

Before You Start

Step 1

Before using a story with your class, it is important that:
  1. The instructor has clear objectives for using the story, and
  2. The students understand why a story is being used in the course and how it can be useful to their learning.

It is recommended that the objectives and reasoning is shared with students.  This can help with student buy-in and engagement as a story approach may be new way of learning math for students.

Step 2

Once you have decided on your objectives, the next step is to decide how you will incorporate the story in your class.  Some options to consider:
  • Case study day at end of each chapter
  • Case study as review for mid-term or end-of-term
  • Case study as formative assessment

Setting the Stage

The “Introduction to Lightning Wholesale” introduces the premise of the story.  This section introduces the company, its functions, its characters, and summarizes its challenges.  Remember to include only the information from the Introduction that is relevant to your course.  Add in any extra anecdotes to make it more interesting and fun.  It is important for students to have a proper introduction to the story so that they have an idea of the main elements.

Structure of Chapter Case Studies

Each chapter’s case study can be found in this resource.  The structure of each case study is as follows:

  • The Situation:  A description of Lighting Warehouse’s scenario as relevant to the chapter’s content.
  • Important Information:  Any assumptions or other caveats are described in this section.
  • The Data:  Additional data is provided to solve the problem.
  • Your Tasks:  Specific questions that need to be solved.
Remember to edit or remove any information that is not relevant to your specific course.

BOPPPS

When considering how and where within a lesson plan the Lightning Warehouse story can be incorporated, you may consider the “BOPPPS” Lesson Plan framework (Brillinger, 2022):
  • B – Bridge-In
  • O – Outcomes
  • P – Pre-Assessment
  • P – Participatory Learning
  • P – Post-Assessment
  • S – Summary
For full details on each, visit Conestoga College’s Creating a BOPPPPS Lesson Plan.

Tips from the Author

  • Share the Introduction To Lightning Wholesale
  • Introduce each chapter’s full case study, including the Your Tasks section, at the beginning of each chapter. This is helpful to introduce new keywords and/or concepts that will be discussed in the chapter.  In addition, some chapters will have an Important Information section.  You can review this with students as it is often a nice way of introducing some caveats or assumptions that students need to keep in mind as they move through the content.
  • If the case study is revisited as Bridge-In for each new lesson, students will have the story fresh in mind.  Some students may be thinking about the problem as new material is introduced.  By the time the end of chapter is reached, some students will be able to solve The Tasks independently.
  • The Post-Assessment stage is a great time to connect concepts to each other.

Tips from McNett (2016)

  • Focus on one or a few key characters, highlight their personal qualities and quirks.
  • Incorporate and mystery or suspense.
  • Make sure that you, as the instructor, have clear goals in using the Case Study.
  • Allow for adequate time for student discussion.
  • Provide students opportunity to fill-in the gaps .

References

Brillinger, K. (2022, January 27). Creating a BOPPPPS lesson plan. Faculty Learning Hub, Conestoga College Teaching and Learning. https://tlconestoga.ca/creating-a-bopppps-lesson-plan/

McNett, G. (2016). Using Stories to Facilitate Learning. College Teaching, 64(4), 184–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2016.1189389

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Business Math: A Step-by-Step Handbook Abridged Instructor Resources Copyright © 2022 by Jelena Loncar-Vines is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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