PLACES Academy

Using Storytelling in the Classroom

Tops – full length

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Tops – no ending

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SDG 3 + 4 – age group 11-14

#social inclusion and exclusion #self-esteem #learning process #fear of failure #mental health

Do you know that “noisy silence” that can descend when the teacher has asked a question out in the open? When there isn’t even the sound of fabric against fabric as a sign of pupils raising their hands? Tops raised her hand. There were signs of relief from all the others. Yes! Way to go, Tops! But her answer is wrong …

And both her classmates, who had just been cheering her on, and the teacher laughed at her. Tops was by herself all recess and got her shoes wet in a big puddle of water. Once again, the other kids laughed at her. Tops went home sad, only to experience her mother laughing at her as well. Tops swore that she would never leave her room again!

But from the window in her room, Tops witnessed how a young child learned to walk by trying, falling, and keeping on trying.

She began investigating how both nature and businesses adapt to the fact that it takes many attempts to achieve a breakthrough—and that one learns from mistakes, as well as from acknowledging them.

Tops returned to school and suggested to their teacher that the class should celebrate mistakes with an Olympics of mistakes.

If you want to further explore this story with your pupils, we think that for example the PLACES Playful activity card “The Olympics of Mistakes” works particularly well.

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Guidelines for storytelling