This week we had the opportunity to participate in an EdCamp! I’d never heard of EdCamps before this class, and I was really interested to see what they looked like! Instead of a typical conference where presenters give lectures, EdCamps are more participant-centred. For our EdCamp, we had a list of possible themes, and then chose between the top four topics. While we were allowed to move between groups, my group stayed the same throughout the discussion.
In my group, we talked about the use of storytelling in the classroom. As a future English Language Arts teacher, I’m obviously interested in this topic! I also wondered how colleagues with different teachable areas would approach this theme. During our discussion, we agreed that storytelling could be incorporated into all disciplines. Taking the opportunity to tell a story can make a personal connection with the students, as well as motivate them to be more engaged in class.
Giving students the opportunity to tell a story can also empower them! One link I shared with my group was for the Victoria Storytellers’ Guild. They not only provide storytellers who will speak to classes, but provide resources on how to tell a story. This could be helpful for encouraging storytelling in the classroom among students!