Covid-19 has changed the landscape of education across the world. Now more than ever institutions are making a shift from traditional structures of education. By shifting from traditional to a competency-based framework (CBE), Youth Connection Charter School (YCCS) has made strides in education by putting student voice and choice as a mainstay of it’s instructional framework. CBE provides teachers and students with the flexibility necessary to engage students where they are academically while scaffolding the acquisition of transferable skills; simultaneously using content as the vessel by which students demonstrate their level of competency or mastery.
During these days of Covid-19 uncertainty, students have been isolated from each other and their educational support system. For many, school is a safe and stable space; it’s absence has caused trauma and increased anxiety. Providing students with a means to express their voice can provide both academic and social emotional support. Below you will find resources on the theme “The Power of Personal Narrative.” These teacher resources and lessons provide information on discovering one’s personal, social, and racial identity. It is our hope that teachers will use these resources to develop units that provide an outlet for students and encourages them to express their angst and fears, as well as their hopes and dreams. Our students demonstrate resilience everyday; by giving them the tools to narrate their own lives we empower them to strive to make a difference in theirs and the lives of others around them.
Lessons & Teacher Resources
Say it Forward – Voice of Witness
The First Six Weeks Create a Counter Narrative
Celebrating Resilience – Reframing The Narrative Around Our Students: Clint Smith At Tedxmanhattan
5 Steps for Counter Storytelling Using Storify
Sample of Empowering Voice
Dear White Counselor: The Counter Narrative (part 1)
The Counter narrative (part 2)
Problem with What’s Taught in School (Spoken Word)
Hope Dealer (teacher voice)