The News Courier October 27, 2018 Hands sweaty, shifting back and forth between nervous feet, Jessa Usery, a sixth-grader at Elkmont High School, looked out from the stage at the Athens Storytelling Festival into a sea of young faces. She drew a deep breath, leaned into the microphone and began to spin a tale that…
KQED News October 3, 2016 School 21, a public school in London has made “oracy” a primary focus of everything they do. From the earliest grades on up teachers support students to find their voice, express differing opinions politely, and challenge one another’s thinking. These are skills called for in the Common Core. Another key element of…
Storytelling Residencies Enhance Literacy Connecticut non-profit places storytellers in schools to offer interactive instruction methods that are increasingly critical for today’s young learners. By Ann Shapiro and Susie Scheyder Educators are often frustrated with the unhealthy focus on screens that constantly demand our students’ attention, while arguably shrinking their ability to pay it meaningfully elsewhere.…
By Kevin Cordi Let the play resume Have you considered how valuable play is in working with stories? After doing a workshop in Maryland on play and stories, they wanted to continue the good work they started. I wrote these steps so they could consider their work. I share these with you. The best work…
By Kevin Cordi What does ownership mean? Does it mean to truly relinquish responsibility? As an adult it is important to remember that allowing a child to “own” their work is not forgetting the importance of coaching or directing the work. Instead, it is a way to collectively work together with the child to achieve…
Houston, TX August 2, 2018 The ACLU and Texas Southern University (TSU) are joining together to tackle criminal justice reform by fostering storytellers — a first of its kind storytelling bureau in the U.S.A. The program will train students who have been impacted by the criminal justice system how to tell their stories in public forums such as the state…