StoryComp wants to use the potential of stories, the potential of storytelling for those areas of adult education in which learners are to be reached on a low-threshold, more emotional than rational level, such as in basic education and civic education. Even though these two areas of education are very different in terms of content, they have even more in common than the search for alternative approaches to their target groups: For both areas, there is also a considerable need for further training on the part of teachers in order to implement low-threshold, non-formal approaches.
Storytelling. A tool for adult education
The StoryComp project has developed and tested a concept that makes the method of storytelling applicable and usable for adult education. This concept includes not only the methodological foundation in a framework, but also its implementation in an online course, with which adult educators can acquire the method for their work, as well as in workshop guidelines, which will facilitate the organisation and implementation of storytelling workshops with colleagues to practice and deepen the skills.
… is the final product of the narrative evaluation, written by the project partners. Or to put it another way: It is a look behind the scenes and right into the development process of StoryComp – written piece by piece during the project.
If you have any questions, suggestions, comments, please do not hesitate to contact us: storycomp@wisamar.de
No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.
H.E. Luccock
Partners
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Volkshochschule Leipzig
(Germany)
www.vhs-leipzig.de
The (hi)story of the „Volkshochschule Leipzig“ begins in 1922, the year it was officially founded – just like hundreds of „Volkshochschulen“ (adult education centres) at the beginning of the Weimar Republic. Its actual idea even goes back to the German Empire at the end of the 19th century, when university courses in Leipzig began to be made accessible to people of the so-called working class. The „Volkshochschule Leipzig“ still sees itself in this tradition today. It is a place of learning and encounter for all citizens of Leipzig. Its offers combine education, communication and experience. The focus here is on the history and stories of the learners – learning from and with each other. In this spirit, we continue to write our history and look forward to new stories from our visitors. |
Wisamar Bildungsgesellschaft
(Germany)
www.wisamar.de
Stories and storytelling are as old as mankind. That makes our 10 years of working with storytelling in education seem really short, especially when you consider how natural it should be to use it. Stories connect, convey knowledge and values, and not to forget, they entertain – and all that at the same time. They are one of the most powerful forms of education. In our Storytelling Café we use stories for intercultural exchange, in adult education to introduce and teach complex content in an appealing way and besides, we used it to foster intergenerational dialogue. We developed and conduct training for trainers in the method, in workshops but also online, as in the awarded Sinbad-project. We are looking forward to continue our journey through the world of storytelling in the Storycomp project. |
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DIE WIENER VOLKSHOCHSCHULEN
(Austria)
www.vhs.at
Once there was a time in Austria where education wasn’t for everyone. Many people were excluded from education like women or poor people. Those were indeed dark times which lasted until the mid of the 20th century. Fortunately brighter days where lying ahead for adult education. So in Vienna for example every district received its own VHS. From the beginning the aim was to offer high quality education for everyone regardless of wealth, gender or religion.
We offer many different courses starting, language courses for example but also courses in the creative sector or the health sector. The VHS is also the largest provider for second chance education in Vienna. Preparation courses for lower secondary school leaving certificates, for Matura (A –Levels), university entrance examination or vocation based university entrance examination are offered. In addition to general courses there are vocationally oriented courses for economy and personality development, pre-school teachers, after-school care assistants and many more.
We are counting over a hundred years of education for everyone in the name of VHS but one thing hasn’t changed. We are still convinced that everyone has the right to get education, that education is a democratic property and that education is the core of humanity. |
PLATO
(Netherlands)
www.universiteitleiden.nl/plato
PLATO is a Centre for Educational Research and Development in regular education, adult education and corporate training. It consists of a group of experts in education and learning. PLATO belongs to the Leiden University in the Netherlands. Research and development of training programmes, training materials and other educational arrangements are included the range of projects of the centre.
Storytelling is part of the fields of interest of PLATO. As a partner PLATO participated in various EU projects in which story telling was the core theme (like the Sinbad project on storytelling led by Wisamar, Leipzig, Germany), or a vehicle for learning, for instance in various projects on learning in heritage contexts (heritage education, heritage interpretation, heritage community development). In the StoryComp project PLATO is responsible for the development of a shared and agreed upon theoretical framework for the project to base its approach and its outputs on. |
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CVO VOLT
(Belgium)
www.cvovolt.be
Where ever people come together, they bring their stories with them. Stories from far away or local legends, stories about monsters and queens or about common people. We recognize ourselves or we get carried away but stories never fail to move us. That’s why CVO Volt decided to use stories as a tool in language learning. We organized Storytelling Evenings in all the languages taught at school where learners and natives were struck with the power of the stories. We actively use stories to learn languages. In this project we hope to share our experiences and discover a lot … of new stories. |
Fabula Storytelling
(Sweden)
www.storytelling.se
Fabula Storytelling are a Swedish storytelling company right at the heart of the energetic development of storytelling in Scandinavia. Our performers tour all over the world with a vast repertoire of stories. Our educators train young and old, amateurs and professionals in this art, and our producers run international projects in the field of storytelling. Fabula Storytelling have a history of organizing storytellers, starting the Swedish society for Storytellers, (BNS), and taking part in creating the Federation for European Storytelling, FEST. Through the years we have cooperated in projects with international groups of storytellers throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Fabula work a lot with adults, training storytelling in “hands on” workshops. Fabula was a part in “Sheherazade – storytelling as a tool for adult education” an EU-project 2011-13.
It’s very interesting to be a part of StoryComp to developing storytelling and education with e- learning and visual materials on internet. |
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PISTES SOLIDAIRES
(France)
www.pistes-solidaires.fr
Once upon a time, in the South of France, facing the Pyrenees and close to the Atlantic Ocean, there was a little city called Pau.
Pau was known to be a royal city because it has seen the birth of two famous kings in history: King Henry IV of France and Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte known as King Karl XIV Johan of Sweden.
In the 21st century, Pistes Solidaires, a European NGO, decided to settle in Pau.
It is an association that develops its projects and actions according to UNESCO’s 4 pillars of education: learn to know, learn to be, learn to do, learn to live together and with the others.
Their goal is to make possible that each young person may benefit from the unique experience of international educational mobility. Education goes hand in hand with openness to the world and an understanding of local / global interdependencies.
Pistes-Solidaires bases its work on non-formal education methods, particularly those based on experiential learning. They create educational situations to develop social skills, to facilitate living together and to learn to be. Research and innovation are at the heart of this work area that’s why they believe that, through StoryComp project , Storytelling will be an original and innovative tool to work with adult educators and learners to encourage their competences development. |
LU Jesenice
(Slovenia)
lu-jesenice.net
We may agree that our birth is the beginning of a magnificent story. Each step of our life is added to our personal history. And stories are important…. they trigger a strong emotional response in people, shake them and encourage them. And they teach at the same time.
Adult educators career at Ljudska univerza Jesenice is also a story. The same as the path of our participants. The uniqueness of the andragogical process is created in all our activities by new, innovative methodology, new approaches for learning and dealing with content as well as established practice.
Learning through storytelling connects knowledge, people and experiences, whether participants learn foreign languages, historical facts, explore natural phenomena or simply feel the dimension of empathy.
We are aware of the importance of the method of learning through storytelling and we look forward to be a part of new adventure in StoryComp project. |
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