Learning Technique: Unveiling stories

• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)

Introduction

This is a learning technique where students try to unveil a story with a link to actuality, with your support and/or the help of their peers. This assignment reflects what’s happening in Europe now, but could also be used for other events and subjects. You can implement the open-ended question, or decide not to. The main goal of this learning technique is to learn to interpret stories in different ways. You could focus on the story perceived by your students while looking at this image, or on the bigger story behind it; in the above image it could be, for example: (the Ukrainian) refugees who seek asylum in The Netherlands.

Instructions

How do you implement it?

The most important part is to choose a meaningful image, with enough visual data to flare up interesting conversations. You could choose to implement each question as an open-ended question, but that is not a must. It’s up to you, depending on your knowledge of your students’ needs and preferences. 

If you do decide to use open questions, we advise you to use both the textual (text) and the visual components (image) of this feature. If you go to the settings of the image component you can indicate that you want to zoom into the picture while presenting your lesson. 

How does it work in the class?

Ask the following (open) questions while showing your student the image: What’s the story here?, What’s the story on a human level?, What’s the bigger, world-wide story?, What’s the new story?, What’s the untold story?

Generally, this learning technique is ideal for business subjects, and for mentor lessons.

You can decide to only use some if the questions indicated, depending on your objectives. You can also choose to change the order of the questions.

Unveiling stories

Learning Technique

What’s the story here?

What’s the story on a human level?

What’s the bigger, world-wide story?

What’s the new story?

What’s the untold story?

Aardappeloproer

1917

Enkele Amsterdamse vrouwen zagen dat er een schip vol aardappelen in een van de grachten lag. Ze gingen erop af en plunderden het schip: hun schorten vol aardappelen. De dag erna waren er meer plunderaars. Pas nadat zes mensen door het leger werden doodgeschoten, keerde de rust terug