Transformative Storytelling as Critical Praxis for Educational Leaders

• In Event: Critical Leadership Praxis Is Not a Luxury

Abstract

Objectives

We illustrate how educational leaders can utilize storytelling in their daily practice as a form of critical pedagogy that both disrupts existing power structures within/beyond formal learning environments, as well as humanizes students and educators beyond performance data.

Overview of Framework

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a framework for understanding the pervasiveness of institutionalized racism and it emphasizes the power of storytelling as a method for highlighting and challenging dehumanizing perspectives, practices and policies (Ladson-Billings, 1998).

One of the reasons that storytelling can be so profound in educational contexts is that the telling of stories can shift the culture of professional learning from one emphasizing decontextualized “best practices” to one developing a living curriculum based on mutual understanding between leaders, teachers, and students. By creating a space for educators to tell their own stories, PD can be a place where teachers can uncover and investigate their wonderings, insights and confusions about their practice and their school community. It is from this place where critical reflection, professional growth, and ultimately action, can occur.

Storytelling techniques can include asking colleagues to critically reflect on and share pieces of their educational autobiographies and facilitating dialogue around experiences of racial stress and socialization, for instance. And in addition to exchanging stories, make sure not to stop at the listening. As the leader, it is imperative to encourage people to move into thinking about next steps. What changes can/need to be made based on the stories that emerged in order to create more equitable teaching and learning environments? How did the storytelling process help you to identify the inequities and to imagine alternate possibilities?

Significance

Considered “data with a soul” by Dr. Brené Brown (2010), stories can strengthen the connections within a network of individuals while they collaborate to create educational experiences that are culturally-sustaining (Paris & Alim, 2017), liberatory (hooks, 1994) and, ultimately, more equitable. Stories are powerful because they provide individuals a window into the lived experiences of students and their families as well as other educators and educational leaders; at the same time, stories can serve as mirrors for educators, students, and educational leaders to critically examine their own practices, perspectives and experiences. For educational leaders, in particular, storytelling as praxis offers an opportunity to build meaningful, authentic working relationships with their colleagues, faculty, staff, students, and the broader community in order to create more equitable teaching and learning environments.

References

Brown, B. (2010). The power of vulnerability. TED Talk.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1998). Just what is critical race theory and what's it doing in a nice field like education? International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 11(1), 7-24.
Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (Eds.). (2017). Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world. New York: Teachers College Press.

Authors

• Laura Colket, St. George's University

• Janay M Garrett, Yale University

• Mia Shaw, University of Pennsylvania