Slides to support a presentation on the importance of narrative and storytelling in education. Building Learning Communities Conference, Boston, MA, July 2013. In a word or two you remember the whole story: glass slipper, sour grapes, cold porridge. You remember more than the facts (a step mother and two step sisters, an absent father, a godmother) you remember the relationships and deeper connections between the characters (nasty step mom and sisters, warm but lonely friendships with the animals in the house, a dream of a better life). The challenge for teachers and students is not to find problems but to find stories. Powerful narratives, in a word or two, bring to mind a wealth of ideas and relationships; more than just facts. How can we find the stories that make our teaching sticky? How do we help kids find, and more importantly tell, the stories that make their learning sticky? We’ll look at some strong examples and send you on your way with a toolkit of ideas and practices to make teaching and learning sticky in your class.

1. storyfinding Darren Kuropatwa
about.me/dkuropatwa
Building Learning Communities Conference,
Bostom, MA July 2012

2. Once upon a time ...

3. cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo by eskimoblood:
http://flickr.com/photos/eskimoblood/23471417/
we are the stories we tell

4. +story =
– story =

5. How does the mundane become a story worth telling?

7. Dave Olson / kris krüg / http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

8. One World

9. One World

10. the importance of narrative

11. Hermann Göring

12. Hermann Göring
Vermeer’s Christ and the Adulteress

13. Hermann Göring
HanVan Meegeren Vermeer’s Christ and the Adulteress

14. Hermann Göring
HanVan Meegeren Vermeer’s Christ and the Adulteress

15. HanVan Meegeren Christ and the Adulteress
Hermann Göring

16. HanVan Meegeren Christ and the Adulteress
Hermann Göring

17. the importance of narrative
4' 33" by John Cage / Steve Rhodes / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

18. John Cage - 4'33" (BBC)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY7UK-6aaNA

19. the importance of narrative

20. Once upon a time ...

21. There was a girl.

22. And there was this boy who loved her ...

23. … but it was complicated.

24. Troy [HD 1080p Blu-ray Official Trailer]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enJYNuWBJ9g

25. There’s a war ...

26. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Asian Sarah:
http://flickr.com/photos/stwaberries/2302986125/

27. cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo by Orange42:
http://flickr.com/photos/fake_eyes/342753239/

28. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by UBC Library:
http://flickr.com/photos/ubclibrary/2702161578/

29. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by UBC Library:
http://flickr.com/photos/ubclibrary/2702161578/
engagement

30. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by UBC Library:
http://flickr.com/photos/ubclibrary/2702161578/
engagement

32. … for the best of reasons; love.

33. cc licensed ( BY SD ) flickr photo by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³:
http://flickr.com/photos/gi/1828177743/
1Be interested
in your subject.

34. cc licensed ( BY NC ) flickr photo by abbyladybug:
http://flickr.com/photos/abbyladybug/2152179077/
Ñçê=
íÉ~ÅÜÉêë

35. cclicensed(BYNCND)flickrphotobyNongbriFamilyPix:
http://flickr.com/photos/aznongbri/3349618967/
2
Know your
subject.

36. in our
heads
it’s between us
knowledge isn’t
cclicensed(BYNCND)flickrphotobyNongbriFamilyPix:
http://flickr.com/photos/aznongbri/3349618967/

37. Eliot teaching by flickr user yewenyi
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yewenyi/381552561/
I don’t have
that kind of
time to waste.

38. 3
cclicensed(BYNCND)flickrphotoby*Nom&Malc:
http://flickr.com/photos/naomi_pincher/2715582636/
Know about the
ways of learning
the best way to
learn anything is to
discover it by yourself

39. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Brian Hathcock:
http://flickr.com/photos/ception/425277308/
4putyourself
in
theirplace

40. cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo by Perecca:
http://flickr.com/photos/irvaas/2492506956/
5
do not give them
only information

41. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by val.pearl:
http://flickr.com/photos/valpearl/5103209989/
9
Do
not give
away your
whole
secret at
once

42. Remember there’s a war going on ...

43. for the best of reasons; love ...

44. and ...

45. a face launched 1000 ships

46. tagexedo.com

48. one picture

49. Thank you for everything we had.

51. A
tree is made of air
cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo by dkuropatwa:
http://flickr.com/photos/dkuropatwa/2923120259/
most of a trees’ mass is
from the carbon it breathes

52. one line stories

53. the girl is sad

54. the girl is sad
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by white ribbons:
http://flickr.com/photos/white_ribbons/5701965468/

55. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by white ribbons:
http://flickr.com/photos/white_ribbons/5701965468/

56. Once, all villagers decided
to pray for rain, on the day
of prayer all the People
gathered but only one boy
came with an umbrella...
THAT'S FAITH

57. Once, all villagers decided
to pray for rain, on the day
of prayer all the People
gathered but only one boy
came with an umbrella...
THAT'S FAITH
cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo by princedd: http://
flickr.com/photos/edp-pics/6450761035/

58. When you throw a baby
in the air, she laughs
because she knows you
will catch her...
THAT'S TRUSTTHAT'S TRUST

59. cc licensed ( BY NC ) flickr photo by nick see:
http://flickr.com/photos/nicksee/5152087020/
When you throw a baby
in the air, she laughs
because she knows you
will catch her...
THAT'S TRUST

60. your pictures

61. the greatest war against boredom
needs the greatest heros

62. that’s where you come in

63. we can be heros
cc licensed ( BY ND ) flickr photo by h.koppdelaney:
http://flickr.com/photos/h-k-d/3125726009/

64. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by JOHN CORVERA:
http://flickr.com/photos/jocorvera/2992753114/

65. “The human species thinks in metaphors and learns
through stories.” Mary Catherine Bateson
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by kharied:
http://flickr.com/photos/kharied/4156478671/

66. the story of
little Gauss

67. the story of
little Gauss
1 2 3 ... 98 99 100

68. 1 2 3 ... 98 99 100
100 99 98 ... 3 2 1
the story of
little Gauss

69. 1 2 3 ... 98 99 100
100 99 98 ... 3 2 1
the story of
little Gauss

70. 1 2 3 ... 98 99 100
100 99 98 ... 3 2 1
101 101 101 ... 101 101 101
the story of
little Gauss

71. 1 2 3 ... 98 99 100
100 99 98 ... 3 2 1
101 101 101 ... 101 101 101
the story of
little Gauss

72. 1 2 3 ... 98 99 100
100 99 98 ... 3 2 1
101 101 101 ... 101 101 101
100 x 101 =
the story of
little Gauss

73. 1 2 3 ... 98 99 100
100 99 98 ... 3 2 1
101 101 101 ... 101 101 101
100 x 101 = 10 100
the story of
little Gauss

74. 1 2 3 ... 98 99 100
100 99 98 ... 3 2 1
101 101 101 ... 101 101 101
100 x 101 = 10 100
2the story of
little Gauss

75. 1 2 3 ... 98 99 100
100 99 98 ... 3 2 1
101 101 101 ... 101 101 101
100 x 101 = 10 100
2
I need
half as
much
the story of
little Gauss

76. 1 2 3 ... 98 99 100
100 99 98 ... 3 2 1
101 101 101 ... 101 101 101
100 x 101 = 10 100
2
I need
half as
much
5050
the story of
little Gauss

77. Remember the war?

78. What’s the secret to victory?

79. The Trojan Horse

80. Trojan Horse clip from "Troy"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbiR6IMf5KQ

81. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by gillianchicago:
http://flickr.com/photos/gillianjc/124407256/
Storytelling
is aTrojan Horse
For Learning

82. finding your stories

83. On this day
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Ken Schwarz:
http://flickr.com/photos/the-maestros/352417169/

84. On this day
in math
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Ken Schwarz:
http://flickr.com/photos/the-maestros/352417169/

85. On this day
in history
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Ken Schwarz:
http://flickr.com/photos/the-maestros/352417169/

86. On this day
in science
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Ken Schwarz:
http://flickr.com/photos/the-maestros/352417169/

87. On this day
in literature
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Ken Schwarz:
http://flickr.com/photos/the-maestros/352417169/

88. On this day
in music
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Ken Schwarz:
http://flickr.com/photos/the-maestros/352417169/

89. On this day
in art
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Ken Schwarz:
http://flickr.com/photos/the-maestros/352417169/

90. On this day
beyond the news
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Ken Schwarz:
http://flickr.com/photos/the-maestros/352417169/

91. Let me tell you another story.

92. A true story.

93. About David ...

94. finding your students’ stories

96. What did you learn?

108. The Story of Eddie

117. 50

121. telling stories

122. 50ways.wikispaces.com

124. assignments.ds106.us

125. cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by gillianchicago:
http://flickr.com/photos/gillianjc/124407256/
Storytelling
is aTrojan Horse
For Learning

126. Tech BuddiesVideo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=212lvShWvus

127. go find your stories

128. make sure you share them

129. thanks