This I BelieveCultivating Students' Individual Voices throughDigital Storytelling and Historical Research

a workshop for CAIS, March 2012 by Larisa Showalter and Sarah Clark, Windward School, Los Angeles

Academic Voice

Creative and Personal VoiceVS.

CC photo from ibuch CC photo from Nia [so let's go!]

Reflect on your experience as a student:

1) What is an assignment you remember caring about or that had personal meaning?

2) What is an assignment you remember being dreadful?

What did you wish your teacher had done differently?

CC photo from ibuch CC photo from Claudine Antonette Francisco

Traditional Essay: Andrew Carnegie

CC photo from U.S. Embassy the Hague

1960s and 1970s Project

Skills: research using multiple sources, analysis, notetaking, and footnoting. Why students liked it: choice of topic, image; audience was entire school communityhttp://vimeo.com/37904504

Letter Exchange Project

https://sites.google.com/a/windwardschool.org/voices-from-the-past/

Letter Exchange Project

Skills: citation, multi-paragraph writing, supporting POV with evidence. Why students liked it: allowed creativity, developing the voice of a character, and they got to read and respond to the letters of their partners

This I Believe

Skills: using evidence to construct an argument Why students liked it: students got to speak in their own voice, it was spoken word, and they used a narrative with images.

http://wiki.windwardschool.org/groups/thisibelieve/

5 Essential Questions:

CC photo from Opensourceway

1) What is the goal of this project?

CC photo from Opensourceway

2) What skills does this project develop?

CC photo from Mediocre2010

3) Who is the audience for this work?

CC photo from Opensourceway

4) What will motivate students to engage in this work?

CC photo from Opensourceway

5) What kind of / how much freedom will students have in this project?

CC photo from Opensourceway

Finding the Balance

CC photo from Opensourceway

Before the Tuning

If you have brought a project or have one in mind-● What are your goals for this project? Why are you

dissatisfied with the project? If you are not a classroom teacher or do not have a project in mind--

● In the role of a consultant or a trusted peer, what questions do you want to add to the “Essential Questions” listed above in order to help someone who does have a project?

Tuning Protocol

● Presenter- briefly describe your project, explain the goals, discuss your dissatisfaction with it. (3 minutes)

● Trusted Peers- ask only clarifying questions about the project (3-5 minutes)○ Clarifying questions serve only to make sure you understand

the project; they are brief, factual and non-judgmental (E.g. How long does this project take? When do you tell the students to start collecting data?)

● Trusted Peers- ask essential or probing questions to provoke deeper thought and further discussion. (5-10 minutes)

● Presenter- think aloud about what you’ve learned and what questions remain. (3 minutes)

● Repeat above for next presenter.

Next Steps and Reflection

1. What did you learn? 2. What might be your next steps?

Thank you!

Download or view handout for this presentation: http://ow.ly/9siKB Find out more about Windward School:ctl.windwardschool.orgwww.windwardschool.org