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Monday, February 17, 2020

Let Your Students Be Storytellers #MakerEd #EdChat

Anybody that knows me, knows that I love to tell a story. I also love hearing a good story. There is something so beautiful about the exchange of stories between groups of people. People think that stories are only verbally shared between people and that is not true. Look around you right now and you might not notice it, but you are surrounded by stories. Everything ever made has a story. It is a very cool way to look at the world. 

When young makers come into the makerspace, I want them to not only think about what is going to be made, but what story is the piece going to tell. Making, whether it is painting, coding, knitting, etc, is part storytelling. It is why there are such large and supportive communities dedicated to making various things. I have become part of the Turning and Beginners Woodworking communities on Reddit and it has really made me appreciate the amazing work being done by others and the stories that are shared. 

As we look at the different ways we want to engage our students in learning, storytelling is a wonderful approach. Give the students a chance to create something amazing and have them tell you the story of the learning that happened through the piece. That is what we want to see in the classroom. That is the type of education we need in the classroom. We have gone decades focused on creating consumers. It is time to support our students as the storytellers they naturally are and let them create amazing things. 



Project Based Learning really changed everything about my classroom. It is one of the best approaches to instruction that I have ever used in the classroom. If you want to learn more about Project Based Learning and implementing it in your school or classroom, feel free to reach out to me or you can check out my book, Beyond the Poster Board


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