As part of my job with the NZC Online project, I am privileged to visit schools and help them tell their curriculum story through video. Over the past three years I have found that many things about this process intrigue me.
Telling stories
We love telling stories. We love having people to listen to our stories. The NZC Online team are always warmly welcomed into schools and teachers, leaders, students and parents all open up and freely share their stories with us. In the process of telling these stories it is evident that the storytellers are gaining something through the telling. I often see the stories building on each other and twisting and turning like a flowing river, branching off and building in strength.
Many voices
This is the key to the strength of the digital story telling process for me. As the various people within the school community listen to others tell their parts of the story, you can see harmony and dissonance. The act of telling and listening to other people’s experiences brings new perspective. Not all people experience the same phenomenon in the same way. By providing the opportunity to hear many voices tell the same story, there is the possibility of reflection and change.
Reflection
I have had principals remark to me on a couple of occasions when we have visited their schools, that the process of storytelling allowed them to reflect on where they had been, where they were now, and after we had left, they had a plan for where they wanted to go next. This arose from listening to different voices and being open to different perspectives.
Change
Schools generously share their curriculum stories through video. These videos help other schools to explore ideas for their own situations. However, the actual process of telling your school story can have powerful benefits for change and growth as well.
Visit the digital stories section of NZC Online
Jane Nicholls
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