(Auto-)biographical storytelling is the ideal vehicle for English language teaching (ELT) because learners identify with individuals across cultures and media formats. Stories support language learning in a sustainable manner and contribute to intercultural understanding and cognitive development. This essay collection homes in on the intricacies and affordances of storytelling in ELT and encourages teachers and learners to engage with life stories across various forms of modal representations.

Michael C. Prusse is Professor of English language teacher education at the Zurich University of Teacher Education, where he heads the Department of Master Programmes in Subject-Specific Education. His research focuses on language in professional contexts, pedagogical content knowledge, and on teaching literature in the ELT classroom. He has a particular interest in childrens and young adult narratives in various media formats. Nikola Mayer is a professor for Teaching English as a Foreign Language (secondary level) at the University of Education Zurich / Switzerland. She has worked at several institutions focusing both on primary and secondary EFL education. Her present research interests lie in the field of reading graphic novels, enhancing visual literacy, multimodal literacy and multiliteracies; embedding young adult literature in the EFL classroom and on implementing reflective elements into EFL teacher education.