This presentation was created by Larisa Showalter and Sarah Clark of Windward School for the Southern Regional Meeting of CAIS (California Association of Independent Schools) in March 2012. The workshop focused on how to allow students to cultivate their individual voices and to create projects that will have personal meaning while maintaining goals and skills.

1. This I Believe
Cultivating Students' Individual Voices through
Digital Storytelling and Historical Research
a workshop for CAIS, March 2012 by Larisa Showalter and Sarah Clark, Windward School, Los Angeles

2. Academic Creative and
VS.
Voice Personal Voice
CC photo from ibuch CC photo from Nia [so let's go!]

3. Reflect on your experience as a student:
1) What is an 2) What is an
assignment you assignment you
remember caring remember being
about or that had dreadful?
personal meaning? What did
you wish
your
teacher had
done
differently?
CC photo from ibuch CC photo from Claudine Antonette Francisco

4. Traditional Essay: Andrew Carnegie
CC photo from U.S. Embassy the Hague

5. 1960s and 1970s Project
Skills:
research using multiple
sources, analysis,
notetaking, and
footnoting.
Why students liked it:
choice of topic, image;
audience was entire
school community
http://vimeo.com/37904504

6. Letter Exchange Project
https://sites.google.com/a/windwardschool.org/voices-from-the-past/

7. Letter Exchange Project
Skills:
citation, multi-paragraph
writing, supporting POV
with evidence.
Why students liked it:
allowed creativity,
developing the voice of a
character, and they got to
read and respond to the
letters of their partners

8. This I Believe
Skills:
using evidence to
construct an argument
Why students liked it:
students got to speak in
their own voice, it was
spoken word, and they
used a narrative with
images.
http://wiki.windwardschool.org/groups/thisibelieve/

9. 5 Essential Questions:
CC photo from Opensourceway

10. 1) What is the goal of this project?
CC photo from Opensourceway

11. 2) What skills does this project
develop?
CC photo from Mediocre2010

12. 3) Who is the audience for this
work?
CC photo from Opensourceway

13. 4) What will motivate students to
engage in this work?
CC photo from Opensourceway

14. 5) What kind of / how much freedom
will students have in this project?
CC photo from Opensourceway

15. Finding the Balance
CC photo from Opensourceway

16. Before the Tuning
If you have brought a project or have one in mind-
● What are your goals for this project? Why are you
dissatisfied with the project?
If you are not a classroom teacher or do not have a project in
mind--
● In the role of a consultant or a trusted peer, what
questions do you want to add to the “Essential Questions”
listed above in order to help someone who does have a
project?

17. Tuning Protocol
● Presenter- briefly describe your project, explain the goals, discuss
your dissatisfaction with it. (3 minutes)
● Trusted Peers- ask only clarifying questions about the project (3-5
minutes)
○ Clarifying questions serve only to make sure you understand
the project; they are brief, factual and non-judgmental (E.g.
How long does this project take? When do you tell the
students to start collecting data?)
● Trusted Peers- ask essential or probing questions to provoke
deeper thought and further discussion. (5-10 minutes)
● Presenter- think aloud about what you’ve learned and what
questions remain. (3 minutes)
● Repeat above for next presenter.

18. Next Steps and Reflection
1. What did you learn?
2. What might be your next steps?

19. Thank you!
Download or view handout for this presentation: http://ow.ly/9siKB
Find out more about Windward School:
ctl.windwardschool.org
www.windwardschool.org