After I wrote the post about telling a magical tale, I ran across an Edutopia article called, “Why Teachers Need to Be Great Storytellers.” The last part of Suzie Boss’ article really resonated with me because I had recently talked with a fellow ISTE attendant who had suggested nearly the same thing:
“Make Ignite talks part of your school’s storytelling tradition this school year. If you’re not familiar with Ignite, visit this site to learn more about the basic format. Each presenter has five minutes and 20 slides to tell a story in front of an audience. The Ignite slogan sums up the challenge: “Enlighten us, but make it quick.” Passion is essential. Humor doesn’t hurt. Good visuals are a must.”
Boss goes on to talk about how Ignite sessions could be used at faculty meetings or school-wide presentations, even in the classroom. My friend and I had talked about how beneficial it might be for our district to host a similar event once a month.
As educators, many of us have stories. We often don’t take the time to tell these stories because we must move on, confront our next challenge, or struggle to survive.
But think of the value of hearing these stories from others – of learning from our own peers about the amazing work that goes on in their classrooms and beyond. We might get inspired, feel more motivated, and even daring enough to try something new.
And what about our students using this to share their own passions – for Genius Hour, perhaps?
All it would take would be 5 minutes and 20 slides.
This could be powerful.
