Story chasers: Using storytelling in the classroom to incentivise collective creativity

Abstract

 In this article, we explore the implementation of storytelling techniques in the classroom and analyze the processes of collaborative story creation. This is done within the framework of educational and innovation research project Story Chasers. Story Chasers was funded by the Barcelona City Council and was developed in two editions (between 2017 and 2019) in primary and secondary schools in Barcelona, as well as in other non-formal educational contexts. Based on a board game created specifically for the project, a series of workshops to experiment with the exchange of narrative worlds between the participants were implemented. The game is the starting point of a co-creation methodology with the aim of fostering the co-construction of fictional stories based on premises that stimulate reflection on challenges such as the climate emergency, the fight against discrimination based on ethnicity, functional diversity or gender. The dynamics of Story Chasers allow for the observation of a series of strategies, in which the students combine the premises with their own personal experiences, their cultural background and their social environment. This way, the generation of empathy and possible responses to challenges posed to the students are fostered. Through this experience, we conclude that storytelling and fiction are a valuable creative methodology and an effective tool to address social challenges in a plural way and to promote collective and collaborative creation processes in the classroom.