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2. Stories to Scaffold Learning and Creative Awareness
- It is one thing to know that people are not passive recipients of life forces. But... it is another thing to identify initiatives that might provide a point of entry to the sort of rich story development that brings with it more positive identity conclusions and new options for action in the world. Michael White (2011)
Key Concepts: Scaffolding; Stories; Finding One's Creative Voice
It is said that humans are a story-telling animal. At the very least, we are often moved by stories, especially our own. Yet, many stories are shaped by conventional structures or sequences, such as the self-making or destiny of the central subject or hero. Consider though, that stories may not only move us, but also serve as a scaffold for our learning and creativity. Scaffolding refers to the supports that make it possible to grasp what was previously out of reach -- the contributions of others that help us to learn, see new paths, and avoid simply continuing along previous lines. Are there scaffolds that can help us to better recognize and use our own creative "voice" to tell our own stories? Building from that, can our creative voice itself become a source of scaffolding that fosters support in ourselves and in others to learn and find creativity?
If the broad topic described here of appreciating the connection between 1)
storytelling/stories, 2)
scaffolding, and the 3)
creative voice as we seek learning and creative awareness is interesting enough for you to find meaningful angles into your own work, move forward with this in mind as you develop your Written/Creative Product for Theme 2. No matter what form your product takes, imagine that your audience can find within it the starting points needed to help them get refreshed and inspired for their own discussions and pursuits related to each of the three key concepts. If you want more material to help you keep thinking about some of the specifics and possible ways that these concepts work together, continue reading the sections below. As with Theme 1, use the
Theme 2 discussion page to share thoughts that come up or respond to others.
Additional Background and Sources
Exploring the links between the three key concepts pushes us to understand further what each of them means individually, and then we may start to see relationships emerge.
Story-telling
According to the Soviet theorist of folktales, Propp, story-telling adopts familiar structures, in which,
- the story... often begins in a state of equilibrium..., where we find the hero leading a relatively safe and untroubled existence [but] somehow different... Whether by choice or compulsion, the hero is eventually dislodged from [their] home... This turning point is often depicted as the beginning of a journey or adventure...Having departed, the hero moves in a new realm where [they] must survive a series of tests... imposed either by the environment... or by qualities of [their] own character... [T]he tests are specifically designed... to bring out the human in the hero. As in folktales and myths, this transformation depends on a beneficent power or "donor." The appearance of the donor... is thus crucial to the outcome of the story.... [T]he hero initially suffers from some deficiency, usually physical, and it is often in nonphysical form that the donor appears... Still [they are] not finished, for, to prove [their] humanity, the hero must be tested again... Yet there is a final irony, as in many myths. Again and again we hear how a hero, having accomplished great deeds, succumbs to pride or hubris and is destroyed (Landau 1984; see also http://www.the-cma.com/images/openmagazine/201210/seven-steps.png).
Scaffolding
We have all seen tubular scaffolding used in construction or renovation. The "scaffolding" metaphor makes us think, therefore, of someone starting with a final structure in mind and providing the workers a reliable, safe arrangement of physical elements they can use to complete the structure. In education scaffolding has been used to refer to an analogous arrangement of elements (more conceptual and procedural than physical) that allow students to come to understand the relevant ideas and end up proficient in the practices. But scaffolding has other connotations that might be fruitful to explore. For example, if we think about the maintenance of our bones, a scaffold could connote a dynamic structure with components that are constantly replenished with new materials, doing so, moreover, in ways that maintain its integrity as a structure while adapting to changes in its contexts (like new stresses strengthening the bones) and, in turn, generating possibilities not seen or experienced before.
Learning and Creativity
Suppose we focus on the potential of everyone as capable of authentic learning, and in addition to that, learning that represents not only an increase of knowledge but also increases the dimensions of our own creativity. Through our learning, yes, we may be taking in what others transmit to us. At the same time, imagine a learning process that includes a journey of self-discovery, where we see not only new knowledge about the world but also gives us a glimpse into the creative potential that we have beyond what we were recognizing or ready for previously. In the context of learning, we also have to acknowledge the pragmatic concerns people have in pursuing their life projects. But can we still imagine benefiting from "connecting, probing, and reflecting" that stretches us beyond those particular concerns? If so, what can we learn from and contribute to other people inquiring and engaging in a creative spirit. In other words, in what ways can the outcome of our learning include the raising of creative awareness, and what scaffolds direct learning beyond serving the pragmatic concerns and into gaining this awareness? How might some of these scaffolds be defined by social or collaborative aspects of learning?
Additional questions for thought
- When do different people keep to themselves or interact in a private, trusted circle? How have people reached out to build constituencies and counter feelings of isolation? How are people influenced by the cultural story of the "self-made man"?
- When and how have they sought support in not continuing along previous lines—that is, in taking initiatives where they cannot rely simply on the skills, resources, networks of connected people that they have built up over time and, in to a large extent, have embodied?
- What are some of the general ways that "scaffolding" happens in life (mentoring, coaching, cultivating friendship and community...)?
- What stories in literature (including memoir and biography) and the arts emphasize scaffolding over the self-making or destiny of the central subject or hero?
- What structures or sequences of steps can be seen in those stories?
- Can lessons be drawn about how to foster or support creative learning--in oneself and in others--especially through story-telling?
Some examples of specific stories that might stimulate our thinking about scaffolding and learning:
Other sources:
- Gladwell, M. Outliers: The Story of Success
- Gottschall, J. The Storytelling Animal
- Landau, M. (1984). "Human Evolution as Narrative." American Scientist 72(May-June): 262-268.
- White, M. Maps of Narrative Practice
As with the Theme 1 topic, your own exploration will, of course, lead you to more recent or more appropriate sources for your own context and interests.
