04/19/23

Telling the Story: Communicating Local History in Contemporary Culture Through First Person Narrative

Julie Kling

04/19/23

ChautauquaPlace of learning; keeping current on society’s ideas and social issues.Lakeside’s current mission.

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Linking past with present Awareness in Ohio : Ohio

Bicentennial 2003 Generally, alienation in society

How to make history relevant to today’s generation: contemporary culture?

NOT THE SAME, UNIQUENESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL

TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO GAMES, INTERACTIVE REALITY TELEVISION: SEE THE WORLD AS IT

REALLY IS TALK SHOWS: OTHERS WORSE THAN I AM,

CURIOUS, THRILLS VIOLENCE LIVE IN THE NOW: “MCDONALDIZATION OF

SOCIETY” FOCUS: PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE WORRIED ABOUT MY LIFE: PERSONAL

EXPERIENCE EXCITING AND SCARY AT THE SAME TIME!

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Would you tell me, please, said Alice; which

way I ought to walk from here? That depends a good deal on where you want

to get to, said the Cat. I don’t care where…said Alice. Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk,

said the Cat. ….so long as I get somewhere, Alice added as

an explanation. Oh, you’re sure to do that, said the Cat. If you

only walk long enough. (Lewis Carroll)

Is the past valued by individuals? If so, when?

Important for job/career: know field

Important to know who I am Important to transmit culture;

cultural diversity Important: when it somehow

touches me! Personal experience: use it to

our advantage!

Tell our story, allow others to tell theirs by: changing our assumptions and

expectations when needed, changing our approaches, being part of our community, and not being afraid to be creative and innovative.

Personal Experience Desire for interaction: reality TV Make history real No time machine; accurately

potray history, bring past to present.

Create ways of engaging visitors, students

When have you engaged students?

What does this mean? Change “To exist is to change. To exist

a long time is to change often.” (John Henry Cardinal Newman)

Two realities of change: “it must occur” and “uncertainties of its outcomes must be reduced”

Peter Drucker: Innovation and Entreprenuership

Way things are/way things ought to be

Need to perform tasks better in light of market demands, demographics, collective personality (new moods, personality), knowledge

“If at first you don’t succeed with an idea, do not try it again and again, change it!”

Change Assumptions Expectations Approach View of Change: Adaptability View Role in Community:

Integration View of New Ideas: Creativity,

Innovation

Change Assumptions Organizational/Institutional Goals

Old: “single-set of uniform goals” New: “multiple and sometimes

competing sets of goals” Power/Authority

Old: “power located at the top” New: “distributed throughout the

organization”

Change Assumptions Decision-making

Old: “logical problem-solving process” New: “a bargaining process to arrive at

solutions that satisfy a number” (variety of persons)

Education Old: teacher directed New: learner directed, learner as consumer

Expectation Effect Self-fulfilling prophecy effect

“If you predict it, it will come true.”

original expectation behavior communicates

expectation evidence that confirms

expectation

Expectation Effect Sustaining expectations effect How is a group viewed?

Change Expectations: Learning as Personal See learner as an individual.

1916: Dewey, democracy in schools; everyone has a voice

See each individual or situaiton as unique.

See positives of group. Education: good or bad; “you never

know what’s going to happen next!”

Factors that influence expectations Context: age, time of year,

subject matter, learning environment,

Interpreter or Educator’s personal characteristics

Students’ personal characteristics

Change Approach: Learning as Active, Part of Group

Problem: Student Passivity Institutions have made people

passive by way we treat them Some active/some passive. Group activities helpful to

accommodate all types, feel safer in groups.

Change approach: Incorporate Narrative/Storytelling

Good storytelling draws listeners in Remember stories “We are looking for ways our stories fit

together.”“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.”

Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees

Example: Writing courses

Advantages of Group Learning Activities Learning is more effective in groups. Visitors/learners learn from each other. Safety Groups see that they learn something Cooperation Narrative, personal sharing among group

members: my story is not the same as yours, but there are similarities!

Narrative, connect with past: ah, hah others struggle with similar problems.

(encourage reflection on likenesses and differences; history—why?)

Methods Dyads--working with partners Group cooperative

learning/Group Investigation Role-play Analyze/inquire about social

issue, personal experience

Example: Sociology/World Religion

Group Investigation Learners are given a problem Learners explore their reactions Learners formulate tasks for

study Independent/Group study: level

depends on time Learners analyze process

Role-play/hands-on activities Warm-up/get to know each

other Introduce problem Set the stage/give some

background Prepare observers Enact-”do it” Discuss and evaluate.

Social Inquiry/Personal experience With interest in “now”: important to connect

history with now and learners personal life. Share narrative from history/present historical

information Ask learners: have you had experience similar to

this? Similar emotions, questions, etc.

Ask learners: similar issues or questions in society today?

Bridge the gap between past and present.

Historical Facts+Personal Experience+Present Culture

Example from College Classroom

Example from Chautauqua

Example of challenges of narrative: Ottawa Native American Woman Natives and Newcomers Museum Theater (by Julie L. Kling, 5/20/04) Hello, I am _________________________ of the Ottawas. My

people “are great story tellers” (40). When the men come in from hunting, they share their “experiences of the hunting trip” as they eat bowls of hominy and venison (40). We women always have something cooking over the fire. Every visitor or caller is given a bowl of food. Visitors often receive “ a bowl of boiled corn” or roasted venison (40). Food and sharing stories go together.

One of our best storytellers was Wasaonoquet or Fair Sky (116). I could sit for hours and listen to him describe the history of our tribe and the great leaders of past generations. How great our history once was. How different things are today as we are scattered and live far away from the “grave and council fires” of our forefathers. (40-41).

Wasaonoquet was once our Chief, but after contact with some of the white traders and the whiskey they brought, he was forced to give up his office and become an ordinary member of the tribe (40). He “died soon after being removed west of the Mississippi from the effect of the Whisky” (41).

Changing Way We Adapt: Applies not only to individuals but to institutions! How do our colleges, universities communicate their history?

Successful must listen not only to learners also employees, volunteers,

Result: Commitment and Energy Employees, volunteers support

system; value institution “Me” first idea not only true for

students but for staff

“Dissonance Theory” Compares expectations of

employees/staff to actual experiences

How close do expectations meet actual experiences?

Consumer-oriented society The degree to which an

institution does/does not offer programs in line with community norms and expectations is related to difficulty or success in sustaining interest/support for institution.

Monitor Environment Internal: staff, faculty, students External: community, potential

students, technological advances

Integration: Institutions, part of society? Goal attainment: Alice doesn’t have a

sense of where she is going. Society: technology, change, individuals

often have no clear sense of where they are going, so focus so immediate concerns.

Look outward for answers: how do institutions respond when someone approaches?

Integration Listen to students, staff,

community, etc. Articulate clear, common vision Individual knows role in larger

plan, feels role is important.

View of New Ideas: Encourage creativity: process by

which new ideas are generated Encourage innovation: process by

which new ideas are transformed into tangible, useful things, ideas, reality

Creativity? Innovation?: not something into nothing; shapes something into practical services, programs, etc.

Cautions about change: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If it is going well,

don’t change it. Ask why things are going well before you

change it. Base future success on present

success. Watch for novelty. Sometimes think small. Start small.

Sometimes small changes lead to spectacular results.

Back to Alice May our institutions know which way they

are walking. May we be walking with purpose! May we help others on their journey to

learn history by changing our assumptions and expectations when needed, changing our approaches, being part of our community, and not being afraid to be creative and innovative.