Participants for January 25th LiveBlog:
Dan Maas:
Dan is the Chief Information Officer for Littleton Public Schools as well as a parent of a LPS student.
Lori Soifer:
Lori is a School Board Trustee from Birmingham, MI.
Lucie Stanish:
Lucie is the Treasurer of the Littleton Public Schools' School Board.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
120 comments:
In getting ready for class with you tomorrow, I spent some time reading your blog posts to date. I am so impressed and proud of you. You're thinking is often profound, you are presenting yourselves well and you are demonstrating great scholarship. I can't wait for class tomorrow!
-D
It can. By knowing the full story, doctors can diagnos the problem faster then just an examination as well as being able to get better results.
How do your teachers use story in your classes? Does it help when story is used? Are there some subjects that story isn't useful?
A doctor that listen to your story can also make you feel better about what your doctor is going to do, like he really cares, instead of being indifferent.
In response to Natasha’s question: I would say that story is important in the medical world. Patients understand their body’s normal functions; doctors can’t comprehend this information. Story will sometimes be the only path to recovery; doctors can only prescribe medication through personal accounts.
I think story can be used in any classroom because I helps to relate to what you are learning, as well as being a very effective memory tool.
I think marketers would use story to get more sales because if people can relate to a product than it has more of a connection to more than just one of the senses.
Story can bring us deeper into a relationship with a person. You feel like you know more of their personal life and know they can trust you. If you tell them a story it also makes them feel good because they know you can trust them and are able to talk to them.
To answer Stephanie's question I think that storie and presentation of a pruduct are becoming more important to the buyers. It makes the product more interesting and appealing to individuals because you can realate to the stories and it makes the product more interesting.
I think that if I know a story of a buisness, I think I am way more likely to buy their product because I can connect with the buisness. Connections are more human and if you have connection with someone then they are a more interesting person. Stories about a product or buisness can bring about that attracting connection.
In the fast pace world we live in, how intentional will we have to be about creating stories, sharing them and taking the time to really listen and understand?
I think that teachers should use story in classes because it can make the topic of learning way more interesting. It also helps reinforce the points being made. I think it will help students learn better because they can relate to the stories and see how these things we learn apply to real life. I don't think that story is that useful in math though because it is mostly numbers and I don't see how story would relate.
Madisont - I agree, story is so important in connecting with people, whether it's a friend, a teacher, a doctor or a client or business associate. You're going to share different kinds of stories with different people, but all the stories are part of you.
Story gives a point of relation to the lives of the creator/consumor. Unless you live your lives reading technical diagrams, no one wants to read how they make (insert product name here). By learning about the creator or cause of (insert product name here), it lures purchases since they are connected to the producers.
Story makes it personal... personal means buy-in
I fully agree with Sabrina since I am also in her history class and when the teacher tells a story about his life or his opinions, it makes history come alive. The students can better relate to the information and the facts without just writing them down or being told the facts. We can also remember the facts better because we have a story to help trigger our memory.
I agree with Alex, if you know the story you can connect, and it is that connection that will cause you to use that buisness, because you feel like you can understand eachother.
I agree Dan.
Buy-in on an emotional level
I agree with Dan Mass. He referenced Lincoln and how learning his story could potentially help retain information more effectively as opposed to the sheer memorization of facts. It’s true for me, how about for everyone else?
Our lives are all about story. I mean what is it called when we go up to a friend and tell them what happened in class today? Its a story. If someone comes up and tell us who did that thing or who asked him to the dance, its a story- story is just cleverly diguised, more often as gossip
I think story is an effective memory tool and method of applying concepts in some classes but not in others. For example, I believe story is extremely important in history because it helps students to identify with the material. Essentially, history is the story of humanity, and story is thus very significant in this class. However, I do not believe story is at all valuable in a class such as math. In math classes I have been in, if the teacher is telling stories, this means less learning and teaching.
Yes Dennis. I think the connector for me is the emotion piece- that is what gives the information context
Stories definatley help sell products becuase consumers can relate to the object. Relating to design, story allows us to buy more than the product; we're becomming part of the story. Stories make the things we buy special, and they give them deeper meaning.
I agree with Madison in the sense that sometimes story is the only available method to convey information.
The way a story is presented is very important. One example of this is how in our stuyding of macbeth we watched a couple different movies. All of the films were based off of the same story but each was very different.
I agree with what you all are saying. I recently switched doctors and my new doctor is infinatly more compassionate than my old doctor was. She listens to my story, my problems, and asks me about my personal life to get my mind off of the fears I might have about the doctor's office. Also, I think doctors are more effective when they show they care. The patients will be more willing to respond to them and comply with their requests. Sorry this is late!
But jaque, what if in math you learn the story of why some math thing works, wouldn't that story help you remember that math concept?
I think that stories are just as important when you are an adult as when you are a child. I know that personally some stories that I read when I was little helped to teach me important traits, such as never give up. However, as adults the stories are more careful and used more to relate to other people. WEhen a person is a little child, the stories are just careless fairy tales written to make the child happy or teach them a valuable lifelong lesson, not to learn facts.
I agree with Dan, you have to sell a story using the right emotions and motions, otherwise its unconvincing and the story seem unimportant.
Presentation is almost as important as the story itself, it tells you what to think about the story.
I agree with madison's comment. Stories connect people with events they will never experience, gossip being a good example.
I agree with Dennis that learning a story can really help you remember certain context. This is because they have an emotional impact. If I am learning about a subject and I learn it through a story I will remember it because of the emotions I have felt.
I don't know about any one else but I read before going to sleep each night, even though no one is reading to me, I still read a story before sleep.
To answer Dan's question, story is our life and collages will ask us what we have done, who we are...they will ask us our story.
No matter what age you are, you always have a story either told to you or you somehow make a story by the actions you take over the day. Having stories included in your job help make a smooth transaction between the two or more persons. Story helps our future leaders, or co-leaders understand where we came from, what attitude we have, and how we are as a person overall.
Madison,
I would have to disagree with you, our lives are not all about story; they simply consist of and are stories in essence. Story is a means of expressing our emotions and experiences; in itself, it is definitely not what life is “all about.”
I really agree with Sabrina. Stories can be interpreted in many ways and you do need to use your right-brain to understand the meaning behind the story.
College is so crucial nowadays to get a good job all people worry about is getting the facts to that college, and showing that college that they can do math, science, etc. If we included story in a college application, wouldn't that make you even more applicable to choose? Because it shows that you are interesting, you have things you want to share with others, and hearing your story actually helps you learn more than just facts...
To answer Matt's question, I think story is not necessary in math. In elementary and some middle schools, they are trying to make math into a "story" or "game" with cute little tricks to help you remember. This is not reality!! The schools that have recently injected this new wave math into their curriculums have dropping test scores around the state! Kids don't understand higher math when taught that math is a story. Story is a good idea but we must be very discressionary of when to use it effectively.
I think that having stories in a college entry essay is extremely important because the colleges reading them show that you have a heart and compassion. You are a real person, not just an application and essay.
I agree with Matta - having a story related with math can really make the facts, formulas and figures make sense. You can memorize how to solve a problem, but you'll probably learn it better and remember it better if you learn the "why" behind the formula. And it's important to see how your math relates with real life problems and how it might be helpful in future life.
So how much time are we going to have to devote to creating stories/narratives that engage/persuade/influence others as opposed to just sharing information/facts?
I think that stories are important throughout your life. When you are little, stories are important because they teach you to use your imagination and they help you learn. As you get older stories help you learn and help others learn about you by hearing your stories.
Jacque,
Not particularly all about story but in essence in story. Our life is story, and it allows your life to be a story, not be about story. Thank you for the correction.
Hillary I'm not talking about little tricks in math, I'm talking about the story of the math itself, like why does the pythagorean theorum work? That is the story of that part of math.
The CFO of Littleton Public Schools is in charge of all finances in our district: $138 million per year. His exact words when he trains people is "a budget is the story of your department."
I believe the reason for story’s effective nature in the sense of retaining information id just the simple fact that story is different. All logical facts abide by the same trend. There's nothing significant that differentiates facts form facts. But oppositely, stories are each visibly different. Each addresses a separated concept, unlike facts which can be assigned to many different things.
Good point Jacque!! Story is great for entertainment, but life is built out of something else completely. So to use story in life in a way that will make you successful is like what the designers at VitaminWater have done: write a story on the back of each bottle. The story helps sales, but the product is what is sold.
Matta- Yeah, or how can I use this after I get out of school.
I agree with Sabrina. I really need to talk with people in person to show my emotions while I am telling a story because just the other day, a friend misinterpreted a story that I had msged them about. It just happens and you need to have the emotional connection in order to truly understand anothers story.
Lori I don't think we are going to need much time to creat any stories about the facts and information, because usually the story is already there and it only takes a little effort to find one.
I agree with Mr. Maas I think that if you can tell a compelling story to an interviewer they are more likely to have a personal connection with you and then you have a higher potential to be hired. When you tell a story you are forming a relationship.
When it comes to story I think that it is important to make it personal. It is a way to get to know other people. I also agree with Tasha that it is better to talk using words instead of through writing. Personally I would rather talk to someone face-to-face. It helps me to better understand what they mean and I can better know their point-or-view.
Interesting point Matta.
I would add that we use mathematical operations to explain and understand problems/issues.
To me, the story part is found in how we apply the math.
@Matta
Yes, instead of creating the story, leanr the story that is truly there. Do you ever walk along a busy sidewalk and look at total strangers wondering what their story might be like?
I like the point made about the politions telling their stories. So true! Without a sense of humility, a candidate has no chance of winning over the public.
Hillary, I'm not sure that the story is just for entertainment, to help sales, I think those stories are why vitamin water is sold. It really isn't very healthy, chock full of sugar, and only a few even taste good, but that story on the back makes people form a connection with that brand, which is why they buy it, even if they don't realize it.
Madisont has a great point - that's easier to communicate person to person. But many times you'll have to communicate in writing, so you can see how writing skills, word choice, etc can be critical. And especially with email, because anyone can forward your email on! My advice is to really think about what you write and make sure it reflects what you really want to say.
What makes for great story? I think something that resonates with other people. If the story aligns with your own personal experiences, don't you embrace it all the more?
If you think about it, lies are stories too, how do you know what stories you hear or live by are true. Some people could come up with a story to sell their product, some one could make up a story to make a friend or to get elected. If life if based on stories is life always true
Yeah, just like the fischbowl inner ring discussed, in an age of abundance, what divides the successful from opposites? It's all story, difference, and non linear capabilities that can't be automated or outsourced.
@Ray
Yes, I believe that lies that work always have some truth to them. If the recipient of the story can find a nugget of truth, then the entire story is believed. The power of truth is that it is so powerful that even just a shred of it can convince absolutely...
HillaryR-
Exactly! The story is used as a means of achieving something higher. In itself, it’s just a mechanism for achieving something (e.g. expressing your feelings, selling a product), not a deep enhancement of life. Story can tell you about humanity; it is not what living is about.
To answer Stephanie's question about the presidential candidates stories, I think that it depends on the person and how they relate to the story. If they relate to a sad story emotionally then I think they would be more likely to vote for that person.
Mr. Fisch
I agree with what you said about how stories have an effect on the out comes of certain contest like the presidential election. One other example that I can think of is beauty pageants. Some of my friends enjoy these and it is true that you won't win or even get into the contest if you don't have a good story to tell.
Ray your comment is very interesting to me. If a lie is a good story is it more believable?
I can see how we all want to believe that there is some sense in telling a story when learning mathematics. But let's be realistic! Brilliant mathematitions have worked for thousands of years to figure out the pythagorean theorem works. I still don't understand it's story, nor do I know anything about it. But I can use it effectively and understand when to use it. Maybe teaching math would be simper and more efficient to just teach the kids the facts and not the fluff. That gets confusing from my point of view.
@ray You are right lies are stories, but I don't think that they are the same. A lie, something that you are meant to believe but is not true, does not resonate as well as a true story, you can't connect as well when you are being told a lie.
We've all been told/read that we need vitamins to maintain a healthy body. So on one hand, we have a "fact". But why do we actually by the water without looking at what's in it? Emotion. Our knowledge preset combined with emotion is pretty powerful. The maker of the vitamin water created a story based on "fact" but propelled by emotion.
ooh, let me clarify "lies that work" I meant lies that are believed [;-)
Great discussion in the inner circle - how your story can change based on who you're talking to. Maybe not changing the facts, but leaving some details out. Sometimes it's more of a matter of what information will be useful for the person you're talking to?
I agree with what Moritz is saying about how not only the story impacts your future, but also how it is delivered in different circumstances. When a sad story, for example, is told with little emotion, it hardly affects the audience, and nobody will sway their desicions based on that kind of story. Sotries need to be delivered with compassion to produce results.
Ray has an interesting point. We someimes change our stories based on what we think the listeners want to hear. This causes reality to beome distored when people have different perceptions of people based on different stories they've told.
More in depth of what the inner circle is talking abou; story and empathy go hand in hand. When a person tells a story and its sad, the listener feels bad for the storyteller. If the storyteller tells a tale of happiness, and puts a spring in the listener's step. However; I have a question about this. Do you think that some people, such as the politicians, weave tales to get people's empathy and to get more votes? So do you think that stories could be used to manipulate others instead of help relate?
I think that the story is what connects a person to something, whether it is the story on the back of a bottle or the legacy that a person leaves behind. Without that connection, we don’t really care about what something is selling. The story is the significance for a product that provides the utility
Another example of how story is decisive in the direction a situation will take is in a job application. If an applicant does not have a reasonable résumé, they will not earn that job.
I agree with lucie and the inner circle, you need to change your story for your audience to better get you story across. You need to make it so that your audience will be able to connect to it better, so you need to remove/add details so that your audience can connect.
A quotes from Dan Pink's speech at the CASE Conference last summer:
"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a metaphor is worth a thousand pictures."
Is metaphor a kind of story-telling?
Nice point Dan maas! People will believe what they want to believe. Take fortune telling for example, people want to believe these wonderful stories are going to happen, so if they find a fragment of truth they will assume the entire fortune is solid truth. Ah, the power of suggestion...
Hilary,
Not everyone likes math or bothers to memorize formulas, I have forgotten half the formulas I learn. Stories help people to remember how and why math is necessary.
In response to Sydney's comment about keeping the object that the story is behind, I think that you don't have to keep the object that the story is behind, but it's the memories that last forever.
@Lucie
You just won a political election. Did you have to tell your story to be successful? What story did you tell?
Matt A-
I uphold that story is fairly useless in math. It is not important to math how some mathematician came up with the Pythagorean Theorum; that is history. In math, all you need to know is that a2+b2=c2 and how to manipulate a problem using this formula. It would actually be more difficult for the brain to remember a long, tedious story which is inapplicable to the process of manipulating the formula than it is to remember those eight symbols.
HillaryR - about the stories related to math - in your math classes, can you see how the subject matter can be used in real life? Most people will use some parts of their Algebra or Geometry classes in life all the time. Trig or Calculus are critical parts of certain careers like engineering, etc. So don't you think that math teachers should be relating your math concepts to real life situations? Or right now is it just easier to learn math for it's own sake?
I agree with helen; though some of the hardest concepts need just facts, some are easer learned with a story.
To Shannon,
Yes!! Stories are so effective that of course they will be used to manipulate people's feelings. Come to think of it, the entire purpose of telling your story seems to be manipulation.
A metaphor is definintly a story. A metaphor creats a story in itself, the way the things are compared, why they are similar and how they relate. Like a story they creat understanding, and allow people to connect to the meaning. In that way a metaphor is story in every way.
@jacque - As a former math teacher, I would have to disagree. Math is very rarely about numbers or formulas. And the very fact that most people think it is point to how poorly we've taught it.
When I lie it is usually because what is the truth is not as good to tell. For example what would sound better? "I skipped my swim practice and went to Starbucks." or "I swam and we had a hard lactate set?" I mean even if you had ditched, wouldn't that lie be the better story?
The story of math has to do with outcomes; how we apply mathematical operations to "real life" issues. We do the math, but what do we create as a result?
I would like to point out that the formulas I do remember in math are ones that I know the purpose of. Those formulas where my math teacher just said,"memorize this", I have promtly forgotten.
When someone has a personal story or memory that they favor over all of the rest why are they so connected with it? Good or bad, why do we choose which stories are more important and why?
Madison, I do think that sometimes lies can be a better story to tell.. but it doesn't have meaning behind it. Anyone can tell a story, but it's better if it's sincere.
@Jacque
Isn't math a language? While at the fundamental level of equations, there might not be story, but doesn't the application of the formula become a story? For example, by studying the math involved in the engineering of a structure, you might be able to determine why it fell down during an earth quake. Isn't the Big Bang theory in Physics the product (or the story) that resulted from the application of their mathematical formulas?
Jacque-
The story about the pythagorean theorm or any other formula in math, doesn't necessarily have to be once upon a time...The story could just be the explanation of why the formula works. I think that you are believing that story has to be like a fairy tale, not just an explantion. And explanations are what math is really all about.
Jacque I think you could tell a story about the Pythagorean theorem. YOu could tell a very short story using the a,b, and c as the characters. This might help you remember the formula. And as you get farther on in math there are much more complicated formulas, the use of stories to remember these might be verys helpful.
Jaque I feel that you are still misunderstanding me. When I mentioned the pythagorean theorum I was not talking about how archemidies discovered it, I was talking about how when first learning it many classes have a project. In this project they draw a right trianle on some graph paper and then take squares of the legs, cut them out and attempt to fit them into the square of the hypotnuse, and when they do they understand why a2+b2=c2, that is the story I was talking about.
Marissa
It is better to tell the truth because emotionally you can just tell that the story is true- it doesn't mean that when we have the chance to lie and think its better that we won't
Do you think that story is the need for empathy? Would you tell a story just for laughs or to get attention and to get something? Why would someone lie about the story on the back of that wine bottle that you buy? Is story more real or more emphasized for the less easily impressed?
Jacquie, you keep reiterating your stance on how math is not in any way related to story. Well, how about the poem for the order of operations? It was a story devised for the sole purpose of aiding in the retention of information. It works for me because it’s a story. This is how it goes: please excuse my dear aunt sally- it’s an acronym to remember the order, or in other terms, a story.
I aggree with what Hillary said about fortunes and how they are just stories that we want to believe. When I eat chiness food the first thing I do is crack open the fortune cookie. Its not the cookie that I am interested in it is the story it has to tell me. It is amazing how excitted I get and how much I believe in what a COOKIE is telling me to think.
Ok, this will be my final comment about math. Math is one of the few subjects that is tangible. Some peoples brains are made to understand math, while some are meant to understand art and emotion. Both are respectable ways of thinking- both are necessary. To say that math is not about numbers and formulas... I think that is idealistic. Math is about numbers and formulas and it is (or should be)objective. Reading, writing, history, and drama are some examples of where story is completely acceptable. However, math is a whole other animal. At the charter school I went to (Littleton Academy) we learned traditional, hard core mathematics. And it payed off. Last year our math scores ranked 1st in the STATE! This only shows that traditional, objective math is the way to go. :)
@jordans
I don’t think we do select which stories we favor and hold on tight to. I believe as our lives go on and our stories get longer we experience things that may recall a certain memory, therefore creating a well remembered favored story, that or the memory has allot of emotion and had something significant happen...
Dan Maas - Yes, you're right, I did use story when I was running for the school board. I did have written flyers that told my story - my experience and my background. But the easiest way for me to connect with people during the election process was to share my story by talking to various groups - I even visited several classes at LHS and AHS. It helped me create a personal connection with voters (and with future voters) plus they could ask me questions in person and make sure I wasn't a total wacko!! Even now after being elected, I think it's so important for me to visit schools and see what students are doing and what they think about school! I'm really loving being a part of this class today! I wish my high school classes would have been this interesting and engaging. I love that we can all be part of the discussion - even if we're not part of the inner circle!
I think we said earlier that adults don't get stories told to them at bedtime. But I have a very strong relationship with my wife and as I think about it, we always tell each other the story of our day as we go to sleep...And we we are apart, I really miss that.
Madison
Yes, I know that some people get caught up in lies all the time, but that doesn't mean it's right. I agree that people just want the best story to tell. But, sometimes you can tell that the story is not true and then you may become less confident in other people's stories as well. That's why it's so important for stories to be sincere.
Seth of course stories are emphasized because a storyteller wants to impress. If you have a friend and you want to impress them with a skill you have and you tell a story about it, would you make the story a little better than it actually is?
Ditto lucie.
from your school board counterpart in michigan.
Thanks to all.
Seth-
I certainly think that certain stories have certain purposes, such as to make people laugh or cry. So, empathy. I don't believe that stories should be embellished or even a flat out lie because people can't connect to a lie, its not really anything that the storyteller truly believes. And we as humans can't identify with a story that is a lie. It's all about the connection.
So, hillary, though we need the hardcore mathmatics, at the public schools most of us went to, people related and understood more to stories then jargon. And I score extremly high on standerdized math tests.
My father has a PHD in math and is a college math professor. He bothers to explain and make sure his students understand the way a math problem works and why ( like with Matt's example of the pythagorean thereom). His students pass, while half my math class flunked out because my math teacher doesn't believe in incorperating stories into teaching.
@Hillary, yes hillary your school did rank very high in the mathmatics division, but I think that your veiw of what story is, is too narrow. You have to realize that there are many forms of story, and that the reason a formula works is just as much of a story as the one on the back of the wine bottle, and I am sure at littleton academy you learned atleast a little bit about why the formulas work.
@ Lucie
I think that it is great that you used story to help you connect with the people who you were voting for you. When you were talking to different groups of people, how did your story change?
Lori - the bell just rang so we're done. Thanks so much - feedback to karlfisch@gmail.com
In response to Hillary: I don't understand how you can state that math is strictly uniform, memorizing and retaining aren't the only concepts involved in math. remember thinking out side the box in Mrs. Sperry's geometry class last year?
In my opinion a math question should never be answered with a paragraph (except for perhaps a geometrical proof). Many make the point that the story in math is how we apply it to life. In my Algebra II books there are viable word problems at the end of every chapter. These are not stories. They are not placed there to help us remember concepts or identify with the plight Bob trying to build a bridge. They help us understand the process of mathematics in the same way as a regular numerical problem, they just basically have labels attached to the numbers. Thus, we are learning to apply the problems to our lives- but we are doing this without stories.
Greeting from South Carolina! I have been following this amazing discussion and reading the book along with you. I am amazed at you spin on what you have read. For so long we have not looked at the stories that happen in the place called school. We can learn so much about how they function, what works, and the lives that are affected. Listening to all stakeholders we can come a common solution to make school better. In education as a teacher we have moved to studying the data and as we have discovered the data has a story to tell about what kind of job we have been doing as teachers and parents. Thanks for all your comments and I have enjoyed reading all your comments.
Bill
Thanks for letting me join your class discussion today! You have such amazing insights and I appreciate how respectful you were with each other's opinions, even when you disagreed. It was a great discussion and especially fun to be in the outer circle where we could all be typing out our thoughts at the same time, we didn't have to raise our hands or wait to be called on, and we could have multiple conversations going on at once! This experience definitely added a chapter to my personal story! You were great thinkers and I hope I get the chance to visit you again in the future. Thanks again!
Lucie Stanish
Post a Comment