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EDUCATION Students learn by telling personal truths Digital storytelling program polishes diamonds in the socioeconomic rough Comment By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 23, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 23, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Jenny Steiner doesn’t like the stereotype, but the truth is that the boy was a jock. “Kind of defensive,” she said, “kind of too cool for school on the front.” But like many children navigating the choppy waters of adolescence, the seventh-grader at Ruch Community School had another, more sincere, dimensional self just a scratch or two below that carefully crafted “front,” and months after that fall class concluded Steiner still relishes the discovery. “Once we showed that he cared, he was amazing,” said Steiner, a senior in Southern Oregon University’s education department who worked as a student teacher at Ruch, a kindergarten through eighth grade school in Jacksonville. “He actually became a team leader. His (digital voiceover project) was actually focused on parkour (training developed from military obstacle course training), and he wanted to have a very strong ending of not having a meaningful ending. That was his focus, that sometimes sad things happen for no reason. “I think he expected us to turn him down and when we didn’t, he flourished in that program. He even was showing the students parkour moves and he was helping other people. It was quite a transformation.” That was only one of many transformations Steiner said took place during the eight-week Truth be Told digital storytelling workshop. Developed by Organizing New Teaching Approaches in School Communities program director and SOU teaching consultant Abram Katz, the program partners colleges with low-income schools to bring “quality education services to the students who need them the most.” Steiner, who will graduate from SOU’s school of education in June, worked as a student teacher in two Truth be Told workshops this school year, at Ruch and at Talent Middle School, and Katz is hoping to bring one to Walker Elementary next fall. He’s set up a GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/ontasc) with a target of $16,000 to pay for the Walker project, which would lead two fourth-grade classes through Truth Be Told’s digital storytelling class, during which each student produces their own audio or video voiceover short story. Working twice a week with SOU education majors credited with practicum hours, students write and edit the stories from their life experiences and digitally present those stories. The subject matter for projects of past Truth be Told workshops cover a wide range, from light fare such as video game preference to heavy. In one audio clip titled “My Dream,” a girl opens up about a vision that’s so honest, it’s jarring. “It was dark,” she says. “I could feel the beating of rain against my face, along with my tears. I could feel something cold and wet in my hand. What was it, though? I did not even bother looking down, but I knew what it was. It was a gun. I finally looked down at the gun, but there’s more. I had scars on my arm, a blade on the ground next to me. Why did I do this? Why am I doing this?” In another, titled “Bullied,” a boy confronts his own demons. “I weigh 195 pounds, which is a lot for my age,” he says. “Oh yeah, I get bullied for it almost every day and every week, but hey, it’s better than last year, when I got bullied 24/7.” He goes on to detail the steps he’s taken to lose the extra weight — eating healthy, spending a summer exercising, and so on — and concludes on a defiant note, staring down his tormentors. “People don’t respect bullies,” he says. “Not that I know of. And if you think that will get you anywhere in life then you are wrong. Times 20, that’s how wrong you are. So stop.” Many more examples of Truth be Told projects are available at www.ontasc.com . Katz, who graduated from Ashland High School in 1995, designed Truth be Told with four objectives in mind which he laid out on the GoFundMe page: to provide a self-empowering experience through creative writing and art; to engage students with one another in a positive, cooperative way that raises self-esteem; to create a structured container where students feel safe to express their emotions and address real-life issues; and to build trust and lay a foundation for active listening, self-worth and dignity. In many ways, the most crucial step in the whole process, he explains, is the first one. After Katz and his cadre of SOU undergrads take a group of students under their wing, they must first build trust. Until that happens, the children will not feel comfortable enough to write with the kind of honesty and vulnerability that make a Truth be Told project sing. “We really want to create these safe opportunities for them to express themselves,” Katz said. “Everyone says at the end of the digital storytelling program, 'I realized it was OK to express my truth in a community and now I have more friends and I actually like writing.' ” To get there, students spend the first two weeks of the program working on “community-building” and self-awareness exercises, as well as writing. They start writing their rough drafts in Week 3 and edit, revise and listen to peer feedback in weeks five through six. Over the last two weeks the students complete their final drafts, produce their audio recordings and take part in a “student showcase.” Besides being a catalyst for self expression, Katz said, the program meets state standards in writing, reading and technology. An eight-page analysis of Truth be Told’s 2015 Ruch workshop by the Oregon Writing Project seemed to confirm its academic value, as both the students’ “skill and confidence in writing” and their “confidence in expression through visual art” spiked after completing the course. Joe Zavala is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @Joe_Zavala99. By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 23, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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