Your Stories Matter
Documentation to support agency, inquiry, and advocacy
The stories we tell about education, teaching, and learning have the power to expand or contract our imagination for the value of children, childhood, teachers, and caregivers.
Who should tell our story? How should we tell our story?
We feel better when we are free to pay attention to what we believe in, and what we value most. This is true for all of us - but it is especially true as teachers. When we take control of our attention, we have the power to shape experience and grow what we want to see (and do) more of.
Teachers have vital perspective to share, but they are rarely asked. Together, we can decide we don’t need to wait to be invited! At The Studio for Playful Inquiry, we are committed to supporting teachers to find and tell the stories that expand our civic, social, and moral imagination.
Join us in May to focus on telling the story of your practice the way you want it told. In this collaborative workshop, we’ll support you to
reflect on your work with children,
identify what matters most to you right now, and
construct the story you want to tell about it.
How will we do this?
Find grounding in a set of focused presentations to provoke fresh ideas
Respond through open discussion and inquiry with Matt, Susan, and colleagues
Craft your story in the way that works best for you
Share your story and progress with colleagues around the world who will provide encouragement and engagement, and who are eager to share their work with you
Develop questions that frame your next steps in new and ongoing inquiries
What will you leave with?
Greater courage to share and confidence that the world needs your story
Increased skill in your approach to documentation and research
A strengthened image of children, teachers, families, and learning
Added depth to the connections between your practice and your values
Documentation to keep or share
“You pick the thing. You go as local as possible about that thing.”
Anat Shankar-Osorio
Schedule
The course will be held over four 90 minute sessions. Each session will begin with a short introduction (to be recorded) followed by supported work time individually and with others. Participants may choose to attend any or all sessions live (we hope everyone will attend at least two) and can choose to review the recorded portions when live attendance isn’t possible. In addition, there will be ongoing resources and support for asynchronous discussion at The Studio for Playful Inquiry’s site. If you are unfamiliar with The Studio, click here for more information. The cost of our annual Transform plan includes access to all courses so we encourage you to join if you think you’d like to dive all the way in!
Session 1 and 2: Valuing Your Story
May 13 4-5:30 pm PDT and May 18 9-10:30 am PDT (Click the link to convert to your local time.)
In the first half of the course, we’ll help you reflect on your recent experiences and identify a story (or small collection of stories) that you’d like to develop and share. Through prompts and protocols, we’ll dig into the what, why, and how that makes the story meaningful. Each session will include time to work in community on your project.
Session 3 and 4: Valuing Your Story Amidst Others
May 20 4-5:30 pm PDT and May 25 9-10:30 PDT (Click the link to convert to your local time.)
In the second half of the course, we’ll practice strategies for sharing our stories with others and consider the ways in which you imagine taking your story public. Using sharing protocols, we’ll practice and strengthen the courage we need to make our stories known.
Registration options:
Please choose the rate that best fits your budget. If none of them works - or if you’d like to register a group with a single payment - reach out and we’ll help you find the right fit.
“The deficit political and cultural discourses that surround teachers and educational contexts today serve the interests of those in power, who feel legitimated to produce ever-increasing instruments of surveillance and accountability.”
— Stephania Giamminuti, The Role of the Pedagogista in Reggio Emilia