Judy Johnson-Abo Nassar

Take a Side Street Along the Journey

The greatest treasures can be found there.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/stories/large/
2011/07/21/graffiti1311277644.jpg

Today, I sat through a class of presentations all centred around Invitational and Holistic Learning Theories. Each one was so uniquely different that, rather than being bored by the rehashing of each theory, I found insights into the people behind the presentations and nuggets of gold to carry with me on my journey.

One of the presentations presented the importance of story and the need for teachers and administrators to take the time to learn about a student's story. I drove home reminiscing on a drama class I took 20 years ago. It was called the art of storytelling. We learnt about the craft of storytelling and shared personal and creative stories. I remember commenting about how exhausted I felt after 3 hours of just listening. It wasn't that the time went slowly; on the contrary the time flew by. It was the emotional investment of the storytellers and the listeners. Each story was worth listening to and each listener poured as much of their heart into the listening as the storyteller did into the telling.

I also made a connection to a blog that I came in contact with about a year ago. I had not thought about it until today, yet when I first encountered it, I was determined to follow it faithfully. The blog was introduced to me during an innovative assessment course at Brock University. Professor Susan Drake presented the blog Pair a Dimes by David Truss as quality educational blogging.

Truss writes about the stories of a history professor that touched his learning and his life and describes 6 ingredients that are central to the art of storytelling. I will quote the 6 ingredients later.

I would like to offer a connection to the learning journey I am on. If story is important to connecting with others, and if we all have a story to tell, why do we, as educators, often stifle our story behind, beneath, and within curriculum. Why can't our (students and teachers) stories be a means to explore and uncover the meanings within the curriculum? I think that the art of crafting a good story can be applied to the crafting of a culture of invitation and a holistic pedagogy.

Let us begin with the 6 Key Ingredients to the Art of Storytelling by David Truss.

Purpose or Meaning; Cantor; Weaving; Relevance; Serendipity; Authenticity

Then, let's take a look at what they mean to storytelling and to Invitational and Holistic learning.

Key Ingredient	Storytelling (quoted from http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/6-key-ingredients-to-the-art-of-storytelling/)	Invitational & Holistic
Purpose Meaning	Be it to share laughter, joy, or to deliver a lesson, the journey needs an ending that satisfies a simple question: Why was this story told?	Be it to get to know a little more about a student, to share a smile, ease a hurt or teach a lesson, the conversation or question needs as ending that satisfies the simple question: Why was this story shared?
Cantor	This varies considerably, with some storytellers streaming ideas like periodless poems, while others can captivatingly hold a pause much longer than would normally be comfortable in a conversation. There isn’t so much a ‘right’ cantor as much as a practised art of delivery.	This varies considerably with each situation and each student as well as with each teacher and purpose. Silence can be powerful. There isn’t so much a ‘right’ cantor as much as a practised art of respectful interaction.
Weaving	‘Seamlessly’ connecting what would otherwise be unconnected ideas. Touching upon subtle points or thoughts that seem unnecessary right up until they are relevant. Foreshadowing is a well used form of this, but not the only form. Like a weaver would return to the use of a previous pattern or colour, or in my attempt right now to return to the very metaphor I used to describe this section.	A teachable moment! It is an art to recognise that moment, embrace it, use it, refer back to it, and yes, weave it into the fabric of relationships, the classroom, the lesson, and even the curriculum.
Relevance	Sometimes ‘the devil is in the details’, and going into minute details or overly descriptive information adds value to the story. Other times the details are just a distraction. Does the story need a detailed setting, or can the setting be minimalist? Also, digression into the side-story is meaningfully weaved into the stitching of the story’s purpose.	Sometimes the details keep us from experiencing the whole canvas, but sometimes they are needed to lay the foundation of the building. Digression can be the means to unearthing the true motivation, interests, worries, and fears of our students and ourselves.
Serendipity	[H]appenstance connections, chance meetings, accidental or incidental luck. This can produce the ‘problem’ or the reason for the story, or it can help with the solution. I read somewhere that in creating a story, it is ok to let chance get the protagonist into trouble, but chance as a way out of trouble is cheating. That may be true for a murder mystery, or an action film, but I don’t think that applies in telling true stories.	I believe that we need a vision within our teaching and a purposeful implementation of pedagogy towards creating that vision. But . . . We must also be purposeful in looking for the happenstance along the way: the unexpected spark of an idea, the joy on a child’s face, the touching of a heart, the standing in the silence of awe, the sharing of ourselves, the teachings from a student must all be looked for and savoured for their spontaneity.
Authenticity	Delivery of a story, (enthusiasm, tone, emphasis, pitch, expression, humour, etc.), can excite an audience or turn an audience off. I’ve heard incredible stories that lost credibility and authenticity not because of what was said, but rather how it was said. I’ve also sat riveted to the words of a simple story well told.	We must teach from our hearts, and we must allow our students to learn with theirs. If we aren’t authentic within out teaching, how can we expected learners to be authentic in their learning?

I leave you with an image of one of the most surprising places I have ever visited. The side streets not only lead you to interesting doorways with welcoming faces behind, but they can lead you further up the side of the mountain or deeper within the walls of the canyon. In either direction, each corner unmasks a treasure of sight and sound that you simply want to share.

Ma'allula, Syria