Educators know the importance of addressing challenging behaviors in the moment and providing positive guidance to help students understand expected behaviors. Social stories have long been a powerful tool for breaking down situations and modeling appropriate responses in a way that resonates with children. However, creating these stories can be time-consuming, often causing educators to miss the teachable moment.
When a student exhibits a behavior that needs to be addressed, the window to provide effective guidance is small. By the time you open a word processor or slide software and search for relevant images and text, the opportunity may have passed. This is where quick, individualized social stories can be game-changers.
Social stories are most impactful when they are tailored to the individual child's interests, abilities and the specific situation. A generic story about sharing toys may not resonate as deeply as one featuring the child's favorite character and the specific object that triggered the behavior. Personalized stories create an inherent sense of connection and investment.
This is where new AI story generation tools like Ella can be true enablers for teachers. With just a few inputs about the child, the situation, and desired behaviors, Ella can instantly generate a full social story with text and images. The stories are individualized with the child's name, interest topics, illustrated characters that look like them, and tailored to their comprehension level.
Instead of spending valuable time searching for resources and editing content, you can generate a fresh story in under a minute that directs teaching in a positive, strengths-based manner where the child sees themselves. Ella allows you to capitalize on teachable moments as they occur. As educators embrace these innovations, they can better meet students where they are and guide them toward success.
