know once upon a time it was a dark and
stormy night but it was all a dream at
the end no it is a truth universally
acknowledged that a single man in
possession of a good fortune must be in
want of a wife or perhaps slightly less
famously it is a truth universally
recognized that a zombie in possession
of brains must be in want of more brains
a world without stories no silver screen
no flat-screen telly no box sets no
Netflix no binge watch till I can't move
it's almost impossible to imagine isn't
it and that's because we are all taught
how to understand interpret appreciates
and tell stories
aka English literature put your hand up
if you had an English teacher at school
okay keep your hand up if they inspired
you wave your hand in the air if he
never told them humble English teacher
unsung hero in her memoir wants in a
house on fire Andrea Ashworth writes of
two teachers one through whom she became
enchanted by the memorable bits of
literature that buoyed her while
circumstances were sinking and another
who radiated a crucial sense of
possibility and cast a benign probably
life-saving spell on her life that
life-saving spell is far from unique
this talk is a call to action to all
those studying English teaching English
thinking about teaching it or who know
of anyone who might be interested in
this most beautiful and important of
subjects in recent times I have seen the
core subjects that I've dedicated my
life to become endangered students
aren't taking English students at GCSE
are finding it boring the finding
stories bore
English in schools has been described as
a joyless
slog and that's just by the teachers
students are not selecting it at a level
not choosing to study it at university
we need to do something
stories are central to what make us
human they are crucial for the skills of
connection communication and compassion
in a nutshell stories help us understand
ourselves and each other when I was
growing up in a small town I didn't know
anything about the world but I read I
watched I listened to stories about the
lives of others and they gave me a tiny
glimmer of understanding a glimpse a
minut crack of empathy opening in my
mind to let the light in on differences
so they couldn't sit in the darkness of
ignorance and stories aren't just what's
written down in words maps can tell a
story drawings - drama dance movement
meditation can all tell stories we all
have at least one important story inside
of us that really should be told just a
retold is an alternative way to teach
English this is an ident that was drawn
by Simon Brennan one of the tutors on
the module Simon has tried to capture
the spirit of inclusivity through the
people as well as bringing together
Chester old and new with the buildings
Chester retold literally brings students
and members of the Chester community
together to create links and better
understanding between these two groups
bell hooks says it is those teachers who
transgress traditional boundaries who
have the most potential to inspire and
Chester retold crosses boundaries in
every sense what happens in its
classroom who is welcome there and where
that classroom is even situated remember
anywhere can be a classroom anything a
lesson
this picture was taken last year in the
mirrors outside storey house you can
just about make out me in the middle and
those around me are all my students on
the course
Chester retool teaches English teaches
stories using compassion
it offers English undergraduates at the
University of Chester the opportunity to
learn about storytelling alongside
participants from the community of
gesture over the past two years my
undergraduates have learned from and
beside community students from fallen
angels dance theater a charity helping
people recover from addiction and mental
health problems through movement and
dance and they have also engaged with
live Cheshire who worked to include
young people with physical and or
learning disabilities some of whom were
in the earlier photo taken outside
storey house I took this picture at live
Cheshire's base at new scene Chester it
reads life isn't about waiting for the
storm to be over it's about learning to
dance in the rain a statement to live by
and a statement that also encapsulate s'
the mood of optimism on the course as
well as the possibility of doing
something creative with negativity the
Chester retold model boosts engagement
through placing the facilitation of
belonging acceptance and inclusion at
its core and its techniques are also
really quirky achieving engagement
through inclusion this is the beginning
of our walk around the city walls I took
pictures of the students and the people
that we met along the way it was a very
mindful activity and we were encouraged
to experience it through all of our
different senses especially if we'd done
the walk many times before the walk led
to a discussion about homelessness and
then later a story about it too via this
map
we drew where we walked figuratively and
noted what we saw felt or sensed at
different points along the way this is
an example of how a map can tell a story
and there were other edge of the seat
activities - including a flashmob set to
Johnny be good in the story house for a
because Chester retold is very much a
course about learning by doing learning
by doing is really powerful this is us
students and staff engaging with a
memory line inspired by the poet
lems to say it's a washing line with
lots of different memory prompts on it
learning by doing
begins with connection I'd like us to
try it now so bear with me if you are
able to stand I would like you to stand
up now if you're not able to stand
remain seated okay thank you
whether you are seated or standing I
would now like you to high-five the
person next to you go on we're all in it
together do it again maybe the person on
the other side now and again I would
like you to feel in your body keep
high-fiving come on okay excellent
excellent a star you can sit down now as
well as demonstrable mental health
benefits the course also achieves
excellent academic results an
outstanding student feedback for example
students have said it has been the most
enjoyable module at university so far
this module is a breath of fresh air in
terms of assessment I've learned that I
can take my experiences even negatives
and do something expressive and
beautiful and positive with them and
from the community students the best
thing was interacting with fabulous
young hearts and brains a renewed sense
of the enjoyment and fulfillment of
learning the people were probably the
best thing the students were bright and
lively
it was a joy the connection is real the
compassion genuine to demonstrate I'm
going to read a piece one of my students
Neve Ryan a talented poet wrote for a
community student from live Cheshire
it's called pink it was a fast
introduction she grinned and I said
hello
I asked if what she was drawing was a
peek a flower bubblegum a butterfly a
flamingo a bow a pen a hat a scarf a
jumper a teddy bear or a lollipop but
she just answered pink
I learnt very quickly that that was all
that mattered
Chester retold is without doubt the most
challenging and daring teaching I have
ever undertaken and I am NOT one to stay
in my comfort zone this is a scent
exercise taking place in a corridor
there is Rose Marie and orange blossom
and lavender and lilac and some students
were exploring these smells and the
memories that they triggered while
others were engaging with the memory
line in a room nearby this is another
example of how mindfulness was embedded
on the module partly as a result of the
challenges encountered Chester retold is
also the most valuable and important
teaching I've ever delivered and the
teaching of which I am most proud this
is the undergraduates working together
with participants from live on their own
sent stories in the story House
boardroom nevis here and her fellow
students in pink recognizing the extent
of the barriers faced by the young
people from live Cheshire in particular
was extremely challenging both
personally and professionally working
out how to include people with an
extremely wide range of needs in a
genuinely inclusive way has made me and
my colleagues think much more broadly
about people's bodies and minds it is
only by doing this work that exclusions
from higher education can really be
challenged it is only by working at the
very edge of what is possible in higher
education that higher education can
really
bro this is another community student
Mike Noakes who actually submitted
written work while on the module and
gained a high two one mark it is
entirely up to community students
whether or not they complete an
assignment but the option is always
there I feel much of Chester retold has
not been delivered to my students but Co
delivered by them for example this is a
storyboard we drew together a different
person drawing each square this is the
story we told a woman who wishes 1872
would hurry along discovers she can
time-travel and ends up in 1972 where
she meets the love of her life
appropriately we concluded love really
is timeless as Yeats has pointed out
education is merely the lighting of a
fire once that first spark is ignited in
a person there is no knowing where that
internal energy will and can take them
and your work as a teacher it's done
here we all are in the story house green
room where the actors relax and that on
the screen at the back is the stage
there is nothing more powerful that you
can give people than prompting them to
find inspiration motivation and drive in
themselves English can do that the
biggest lesson I have learned through
working with marginalised groups is that
the stigma is often much greater than
the perceived challenge meaning that it
is the stigma the thought that it cannot
work that actually prevents inclusion
rather than the difficulties themselves
we must stop falling student numbers
this talk is a call to action to all
those studying English teaching English
thinking about teaching it or who know
of anyone who might be interested in
this most beautiful and important of
subjects we can stop falling student
numbers one way is to reinvigorate
English by involving local communities
and shaping our teaching around
and reflection understanding and
compassion for others when these skills
are needed more than ever
Benjamin Franklin famously remarked tell
me and I forget teach me and I may
remember involve me and I learn as
English teachers in terms of our
curriculum our local communities and the
very survival of our subject we must now
involve to evolve
[Applause]