SXSW Keynote: 3/5/18. Stories of Schooling and being Schooled

Keynote Address Monday, March 5 :
Stories of Schooling and being Schooled 

4 Teachers share Moth inspired stories from their Classrooms:

Key Elements of Moth Method: (Can be used in class setting)

• The story must be:
  • True (Authentic)
  • Delivered in 5-10 Minutes  (Must be edited and rehearsed)
  • Involve some element of change in speaker  (Has a personal “So What?”)
  • Must be Consistent with a Moth Session Theme   (e.g.  Schooling and being schooled”)

Four teachers shared stories.  Consistent themes:

• Being Authentic, Be your self
  • Be Human with your students
  • Sometimes Vulnerable
• Courage
• Speech Assignment Topic Criteria
  • Student selected topics must be discuss-able.
    • Will discuss, review and peer edit with classmates
  • Students must be willing to make speech to class audience
    • Must be willing to practice to make it audience-ready
  • Students must be willing to engage in follow up discussion after speech
    • Be human discussing the topic

Highlighted ideas from talks related to teaching:

• How do you get 20 2nd graders to behave while on a class trim on a NYC Subway?
  • Have them play a prank, by acting lights adults riding to work.
    • Student Quote: “So many meetings …”
• Student response to  elaborate, multi media   #fight the media.
  “Can’t we just write an essay.”     The best laid plans …
• Teacher used  36 NYT Relationship questions with student while playing competitive Connect 4 with a hard to engage students.  Barriers came down.
• School experiences are memorable.  Adult former student sees Grade 2 teacher on the street in NYC.  Vividly recalls how she “almost died” in an authentic Oregon Trail simulation.