Spark Classrooms
The Storied Way
A monthly-newsletter for the Storytelling Teacher!
Who is a Storytelling Teacher?
The trickiest thing about Story Pedagogy is that no one remembers any teacher who actually told stories to teach a concept.
We are hoping, the above illustration will encourage you to rethink about Storytelling, especially its usage in the Classroom.
Most teachers look at Stories as a means to teach Morals, Values, Language / Literacy. So when we ask them to tear apart the morals / values & look beyond language / literacy, there is no context for them!
There are no examples, lesson plans, story curricula, resources, books and stories to go back to!
Yes, there are teachers we remember who were natural storytellers, the ones who knew the exact thing to say to calm our nerves.
There were others who used relevant examples from the field to illustrate concepts. And those who started their classes with, “I went to the market and bought 2 oranges…”
In the past 9 years that we have been teaching storytelling to teachers, we have rarely found a teacher / student who was taught with real stories!
Imagine our challenge as we ask teachers to rethink teaching with stories!
For those who are in a rush to complete the syllabus, take tests, mark the papers and write report cards, storytelling in the classroom becomes a waste of time! The fight gets tougher when we suggest a high-school teacher to use a story to teach a subject like physics!
It also means that they have to undo what they have been doing for several years…!
There are several challenges, hindrances and limitations before we get anywhere close to what a storied classroom can be.
While the National Education Policy champions the use of Storytelling as a teaching tool, very little work has been done on the ground.
We have immense respect for teachers, and we believe they will be the real agents of change if they take it upon themselves to change classrooms.
So here we are, looking to create a community of educators who will Spark Classrooms, The Storied Way!
Your Story Bag presents, Summer Stories for Teachers, a highly customised & curated workshop series for School Teachers.
Our program is designed to help pre-primary, primary and middle school teachers practice the Art & Science of Storytelling.
Summer Stories for Teachers is just a start, a tiny seed that we hope will take root in the hearts and minds of teachers who will join our mission.
Yet, we are aware that there is a lot more that teachers need beyond a basic training:
1) More awareness and intent to wholly adopt Story Pedagogy
2) Curated stories that connect with academic concepts
3) Fresh research & development of new stories
4) Lesson plans that bridge the story with the teaching
5) Evaluation Metrics to judge the effectiveness of Story Pedagogy
The road ahead is a long one and we are just about seeing the early changes in school education.
Rituparna’s E-Learning Module for Central Board of Secondary Education was a start and here we are ready to take this journey ahead…
And if the opening illustration showcasing Who is a Storytelling Teacher? intrigued you, then join our upcoming summer workshops!
This is an extract from our Newsletter for Teachers, Spark Classrooms, The Storied Way
Spark Classroom, The Storied Way is a monthly-newsletter for School Teachers who are keen to explore Stories in the Classroom.
Join us on Tuesdays (across Social Media) for some interesting conversations around
Story Pedagogy, Stories in the Classroom & Storytelling Teachers.
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