The Time Is Right – For EcoResponsible Resources

Every day we seem to hear more bad news about the state of the environment, to accompany the good news about how modern technology can be used to help create a more sustainable environment.

There is no question that computers and interactive use of the internet will be fundamental aspects of future education. These tools have revolutionized the way we think; facts are more easily obtained than at any time in history, and creative enhancing software allows individuals to record music, edit video and create digital art that can be seen by millions at the click of the ‘upload’ button.

The ‘old school’ standard of the quickly obsolete paper and plastic educational resource is quickly giving way to digital information that can be easily updated, kept current and delivered online with significantly less impact to the environment.

Storyvalues is proud to be at the forefront of this new, very positive trend by providing effective online programs that allow school districts to become more ‘eco-responsible’.

Here’s to a sustainable future!

-Matthew Giffin

The Shift Into Imagination

Everyone has desperate memories of time spent in a classroom that just seemed to crawl by. Minutes feel like hours; words just seem to stand there like half-conscious sheep, milling around pointlessly, waiting to be counted. You simply cannot see how any of the information could ever pertain to life on this planet. Imagination takes over… Away you drift…

What is often missing in these instances is context for the information being presented. Just as a handful of flour, a sugarcube and a drink of milk do not make a cupcake, dryly presented facts are usually not enough to engage our whole minds. We need the information to resonate on an emotional level as well. Simply put, if the audience is not engaged then communication will not happen to it’s full extent.

Of course, factual information is not the rare commodity it once was. The internet now allows access to a vast world of information for billions of people all over the world. This is revolutionary, and it has huge implications for the future.

In a world teeming with accessible information, context and the ability to deliver information with emotional impact – the essence of storytelling – becomes all the more important.

Thus, the use of educational storytelling is not only a great way to engage today’s students; it provides them with a model for narrative thinking, use of metaphor and descriptive language – all linked to creativity -  that will be what they need as adults to thrive in the 21st century.

School Library Journal Review

Three Storyvalues programs - Character Education Comprehensive, Foundations of Multiculturalism and Common Ground Bullying Prevention - have been reviewed in the current edition of School Library Journal; one of the world’s largest and most highly respected review sources for educational books, media and resources.

The two remaining programs - Elements of Our Environment and Family Storyvalues – were not yet available at the time of the review, as they are now.

The excellent review features a detailed explanation of each program as well as descriptions of how Storyvalues can benefit modern educators.  Here are some excepts:

“Storyvalues offers a distinctive program that allows educators to integrate multicultural folktales into the curriculum through the use of storytelling. By providing a wide-range of folktales from around the world, students and teachers are able to explore various concepts through auditory experiences and then further exploration using the related instructional content”.

“Language arts and reading teachers will appreciate the opportunity to extend these folktales into their lesson plans, while librarians can easily integrate these resources into information literacy instruction, as well as library lessons, such as how to locate specific folktales within the media center”.

“Because each package includes a bibliography of related print resources, teachers and librarians can share the list of titles with students in order to extend a particular concept by comparing similar tales or those within the same geographic region”.

Thanks to the School Library Journal for providing such a detailed, positive synopsis of our programs!

- Matthew Giffin & Cheryl Thornton

Hope For The Future… Right Now

Society: A group of humans distinguished by mutual interests, shared relationships and shared institutions, unified by a common culture.

Every day, students show up for school from disparate backgrounds and cultures, with a range of personal experiences as varied as the clouds in the sky. They arrive to a common location, to share in an experience of education and community.

As adults, our job is to teach them what they need to learn so they can grow up to be successful, intelligent, reasonably content contributing members of society. And so we set about the task, in our various roles, day in and day out, to the best of our ability.

Yet… something seems to be missing from the equation. Why do so many kids feel left out, unheard and unseen, within the school environment and society in general? And more to the point, what can be done about it?

A community is not simply the gathering of human bodies in a confined space. A community happens when individuals feel a kinship with one another based on mutual respect, empathy and compassion. School is one of the primary ways we experience and form ideas about community.

If we can build school communities that actively celebrate cultural and individual diversity we will create a template for a more inclusive society. A more inclusive society means a stronger community; a stronger community means more support for the individuals within that community.

A supported individual has a greater chance of being a successful, intelligent, reasonably content contributing members of society…

The seeds for positive social change, thus planted in the formative years, can quickly blossom into positive social progress. Being inclusive, everyone benefits.

Therein lies hope for the future. We are never more than one generation away from significant positive change. With all the global and societal challenges we currently face, with more coming down the pike, I find it helpful to keep this in mind.

Just as every person has their story to tell, every culture has stories, art, music, dance, food and positive values to share. Diversity is something we all have in common. Therefore, let us find ways to celebrate those diverse qualities. In so doing, we will rediscover the very qualities that makes for successful individuals, and a more inclusive and supportive community.

- Matthew Giffin

A Bridge Between Imagination and Intellect

The other day, storyteller Cheryl Thornton and I played one of Storyvalues‘ recorded stories to a kindergarten class in Peel district, outside Toronto. The seven-minute long recording of ‘All the Colours’ features narration by Cheryl and original music performed on African instruments. It’s a poignant, allegorical story that imaginatively shows how all people truly are created as equal.

All things considered, the little five year olds were presented with a rather sophisticated listening experience. No cartoon voices or music, just a compelling well-told folktale with evocative, unfamiliar music. How would they react? It was 2:30 on a Friday afternoon. Would they lose interest and grow bored?

Everyone remained quiet and settled as the story played. At the end we asked the class to relate what part of the story was their favourite.

20 little hands shot up. Amazingly, each student was eager to and able to relate a specific part of the story that appealed to him or her. Some even commented that they liked the African music that went along with the story. One little girl, - ‘the girl who never speaks’ – even contributed to the discussion. It was clear from their comments that the story resonated with the kids on a personal level, as well as on a group level.

Later, stuck in traffic on the way back to Toronto, Cheryl and I had ample time to reflect upon the experience. We certainly saw how effective stories can be in reaching children. More specifically, however, we saw how the information contained within the recording was so throughly and quickly assimilated.

In seven short minutes, this classroom learned about equity, diversity, african music, culture… and themselves, through an artistic medium that bridged the gap between imagination and intellect.  The students were actively listening to the words and music, working out the details in their own way, forming their own connections and sharing their own conclusions.

This shows how good information design can be used in an educational setting, and how effectively stories can be in teaching children essential life lessons.

-Matthew Giffin

Welcome!

Welcome to the Storyvalues blog; I am the co-developer and creative director of Storyvalues, a new online multicultural storytelling resource. www.storyvalues.com

Storyvalues uses traditional multicultural folktales as a foundation for character education and positive social and emotional development. Approved and recommended by Curriculum Services Canada (CSC review -www.curriculum.org/csc/resources/storyvalues.shtml), Storyvalues offers unique support for character education, equity and diversity strategies, ELL and bullying prevention.

Please check this blog regularly for active discussions about education, stories, multiculturalism, art and music, as they relate to positive messaging for the modern classroom… And thanks for stopping by!

- Matthew Giffin