Storyline is an innovative approach to curriculum integration. The essential elements of a Storyline are setting, characters and events or incidents. The unfolding of the story each day in the classroom provides a structure and logical connection to the curriculum. The difference between thematic teaching using a topic web and Storyline is the presentation of key questions which moves the story along. In a topic web the activities are random, whereas the investigations which take place during a Storyline are in a logical sequence which is dependent upon the preceding episode.
Description of the Storyline method
Storyline is based on the theory that all learning is guided by one's prior knowledge and experience (the conceptual model) and that learners construct their own meaning through action and experience. With this, students are able to be actively involved in their learning as tasks arise within the "story" which the students see as significant and meaningful.
The critical elements of a storyline are:
- Setting the scene in a particular time and place--Students create a "frieze" or 3D representation of the setting in their classroom.
- People or animals or both--Each student creates a character which he or she then becomes throughout the "storyline." This provides students with a chance to be someone else of a different age, race, culture, personality, time period, etc.
- A way of life to investigate--Daily life is explored as well as rules and expectations of that particular day and age.
- Real problems to be solved--The teacher and students create incidents which could possibly come up in the given setting. Students then must work together or individually (in character) to solve these challenges.
- Celebration or Culminating Activity--Each storyline ends in a way which students are able to share their knowledge with others. Often this is through a presentation for parents, a field trip or community outreach.
- Reflection and Assessment--Students are always given opportunities to reflect and assess their learning in a variety of ways.
For example, with an Oregon Trail topic, the students become pioneers leaving home in the East to settle in the West. The journey requires students to investigate why people migrate, what supplies are needed, what rules they must follow along the trail, what are the possible hardships and challenges. Carefully planned episodes engage students in actual practice and application of basic skills within the context of the storyline. The story motivates students to extend those skills and refine them for "real life" challenges.
The development of the storyline is guided by the following features:
- The story is progressive and sequential.
- The teacher sets out key questions within each episode that the students must address.
- Each episode has limitless potential as every student investigates and contributes depending on their personal experiences and innovation.
- Each student will reach different levels within each key question and will return to the storyline for the next question.
How is Storyline used in Scotland?
The Storyline Method (called Topic Studies in Scotland) has served as a means of moving discipline-based education toward meaningful integration. Twenty five years ago, Scotland began to take a serious look at the integration of content subjects. Three educators, Sallie Harkness, Steve Bell and Fred Rendell were asked by the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum to develop an approach that would specifically meet the needs of high risk students but would also be appropriate for students throughout Scotland. Over time the Storyline method has been improved and is now being used by many not only in Scotland but also in Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Hong Kong and the US.
How was Storyline brought to the US?
Storyline was brought to the United States by the late Kathy Fifield. As a Fulbright scholar, Kathy went to England in 1985 for a teacher exchange. It was during her year in the United Kingdom that she was able to see Storyline in action. So intrigued by the method, Kathy returned to the states, began to use what she had learned and determined to go back to Scotland to become immersed in this method. In 1988 she spent the year learning under Sallie Harkness and Steve Bell. Upon her return to Portland, Oregon this time, Kathy began to share her new knowledge and enthusiasm with other teachers through Storyline Designs. Two years ago Kathy suddenly died of cancer but her legacy continues as Storyline Designs continues to share the Scottish Storyline Method to educators. At the present time, training has been provided and Storyline is being used in Southern California and the Northwest. Teachers have traveled from as far away as Tennessee and Michigan to take the training. Because of Storyline's unique approach, it has been successful in inner city school settings, ethnically diverse settings, and in schools with a large number of ESL students. In California, a transitional school teaching only new immigrants to the US is implementing Storyline because of its richness in language experiences. The results have been outstanding.
Vision and anticipated benefits for Storyline at Buckingham Elementary
We have been using the Scottish Storyline method in our own classrooms now for over four years. We have had the privilege of visiting Scotland and meeting the originators of this innovative approach to integrating curriculum. Because of our commitment to the method, as well as our passion to see it continue to grow in its use throughout our country, we have both become Storyline Trainers (presently there are nine in the US). From time to time over the past two years of working together, we have tried to imagine what it would be like to work with the same students over a six year period in a small school setting using the Storyline method. We have decided to put our ideas into motion. Recently we presented our dream to our district elementary administrators and were encouraged to pursue it.
Research shows that students participating in an interdisciplinary approach have fewer discipline problems, improve their attendance, increase homework completion and have better attitudes toward school and lifelong learning. Storyline provides a structure that meaningfully integrates curriculum. It also provides a balance that we wish to achieve in our proposed program. Strong skills in reading, writing and math will be developed in the morning and practiced through our Storyline topic in the afternoon.
Beginning next fall, our program will be housed within our present site, Buckingham Elementary, and will include two teachers teaching a span of four years (grades 1-2 and 3-4). Our ultimate goal is for our program to consist of up to 85 students with three teachers assigned to three blended classes (K-1, 2-3 and 4-5). Our ideal would be to provide students with flexible and fluid groupings that would occur throughout the day. We believe that by working with a small group of teachers with similar core beliefs and philosophy we will more successfully provide continuity of skills and content, as well as consistent expectations and opportunities for our students. It is our desire to create a warm and stimulating learning community that extends beyond our classroom walls. This community cold be provided within our existing elementary school but may also grow into a magnet school, should a site become available.
The second part of our dream involves improving our training program for teachers in our area and throughout the Northwest. We now provide Storyline training for teachers through Portland State University. Although the classes are well attended, we know the format could be improved. In a broad sense, we are not only trying to teach a new method but also share a philosophy and complex process of moving from teacher directed learning to a more student driven one. Because of this, we are always looking for ways to improve our in-servicing of new Storyline teachers. The feedback we receive now is extremely positive but a frequent request is for more support and ongoing instruction. We are actively seeking ways to improve our training in this area and believe our trip to Denmark would provide us with the opportunity we need to move closer to meeting the needs of our colleagues. By being a part of the Danish training of Storyline, we believe we will be able to provide better training of our own teachers. As we look at their model, we are confident we will be able to improve the sessions we provide in our Storyline class and can also begin to find ways to provide ongoing support to teachers as they begin to implement Storyline in their own classes.
As our dream takes its shape, we envision our school a part of the solution to providing teachers with the support and ongoing training needed. We would like our school to be a place where teachers could come to visit and see Storyline in action. We would like to invite teachers to come together to share ideas, successes and failures, as well as answer urgent questions that are so important to have answered when implementing a new method. It is critical for teachers to be able to get the support needed and this could be done during school hours as well as after.
Why Denmark as well as Scotland?
Storyline is used in many countries throughout the world. Two years ago we were able to visit a two schools in Glasgow and attend a one day workshop at the university. The purpose of this trip was to visit classrooms. When we returned to our own classes we began to implement new storylines with zeal. Although this was a valuable experience, seeing first hand a method that had successfully been in effect for over 25 years, we did not have the opportunity to experience their Storyline teacher training sessions. At the time of our visitations, we were not Storyline trainers and were looking at the method strictly from the eyes of classroom teachers. Now that we are trainers, our goals in visiting Denmark extend beyond this.
In planning to go to Denmark our focus is not primarily on school visitations, but in taking part in their teacher training program. Throughout the year, a number of school districts throughout the Copenhagen area in-service their primary teachers in the use of the Storyline method. It is our desire to take a closer look at their teacher training seminar. In doing so, we feel strongly that we will be able to improve and make needed adjustments to the training we are currently providing teachers in our own area. We have found that less than one half of the teachers trained to use Storyline are using this method on a regular basis. We would like to see the numbers increase but see a need for providing further training and Support to those just introduced to this new method. By participating in the Danish training, we believe we will be able to develop new ways to meet this need.
Another benefit we see in visiting Denmark is to investigate the "mother teacher" concept. Although this does not have any relation to the Scottish Storyline method, as we look at the possibility of beginning our program next fall, we would like to consider implementing this. We would like to hear from Danish teachers the value and pitfalls of such a program. As we will have students over a 6 year period, we are asking ourselves, Would a "mother-teacher" be beneficial to students and their families? What does it involve? Is this something we can put into place our first year? How will we divide up our students (multiage, by grade level, etc.)? Our trip to Denmark would be a perfect opportunity to see this first hand prior to making our decision for next fall.
More information on Storyline
This spring we have the opportunity to visit Denmark to learn about the Scottish Storyline method and its use and implementation in the Copenhagen schools, as well as participate in the training of teachers in using this method. Our contact person is Anelise Rasmussen, curriculum specialist in her district.
Another contact person we look forward to working with this summer is Sallie Harkness (one of Scotland's originators of the Storyline method). Together, with Sallie, we will evaluate and make needed modifications to improve the quality of our teacher training course.
Thus, American teachers interesting in more information about storyline may contact either us (Elaine Smith and Colleen Vallerga) or our contacts in Scotland and Denmark, or Jeff Creswell at Storyline Design:
Anelise Rasmussen
Gunnarsvej 3
2880 Bagsvaerd
Gladaxe Denmark |
Sallie Harkness
7 Torridon Gardens
Newton Mearns
Scotland, UK |
Jeff Creswell
Storyline Design
33 State St #246
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
+1 (503) 691 0553 |
Best Practices in Education grant
The Discovery Grant from Best Practices in Education will be used to pay a portion of our plane fare to and from Copenhagen, Denmark this spring.
It will also be used to pay us for a portion of our time for teacher training workshop planning and curriculum development. The grant will thus provide a boost to our current implementation plans for Storyline, which include: (a) Revise our current teaching curriculum for teacher training. Use of the new curriculum will begin in June 1997, (b) integrate the curriculum into our program beginning in Fall 1997, (c) prepare for a presentation at the Storyline Alumni Conference planned for July 1997 in Portland, Oregon, (d) educate parents about the use of the Storyline method.
Next Fall, Sallie Harkness will work with us in evaluating and finalizing our first year curriculum. She will also co-train with us as we work to implement our new teacher training methods. The program will be evaluated by parent surveys and evaluations filled out by teachers taking the Storyline class. The use of the practice in classrooms and the demand for more classes will also be monitored.
Elaine Smith and Colleen Vallerga, February, 1997. |
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