Case Teaching as Storytelling
By Irvin Scott
As we go into this Teaching and Learning week, it’s hard for me not to acknowledge the reality that this year — 2019 — represents my 30th year as a professional educator. I began my education career as an English teacher at J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Thirty years later, after working as a nonprofit director, a principal, a central office administrator, and foundation executive, I am back in the classroom where it all started; and I am loving it.
Anyone who knows me, and knows how I roll, knows that I love talking about the role of story in education leadership. I feel as though every educator has a story. And it’s through sharing and listening to these stories that we build connections, which enable us to learn together and get better faster. I love stories, and for me, so much of how I teach is embedded in the idea of storytelling. I think that’s why I love using case study teaching in my instruction here at Harvard. For me, case study teaching enables three things that I see directly connected to storytelling.
First, it enables characters, settings, conflicts, and solutions to come alive, and thereby increases the level of student engagement. Learning can and must come alive in classrooms. When I taught English in room 202 at McCaskey High School, I would go great lengths to bring the learning alive for students. For example, using Toni Morrison’s Beloved, I conducted a trial where we put Sethe, the protagonist, on trial for the crime of passion that she committed. Case study teaching lends itself to a similar type of engaging instruction. There are characters and settings. There are conflicts and dilemmas. And, ultimately there are opportunities for students to propose solutions and strategies. What better way to learn and be engaged at the same time?
A second reason I enjoy case study teaching is that I feel like I am always trying to get better. For me, it’s a little like playing golf. I have always loved competitions. I played football, ran track, and played basketball. All these sports are competitive sports where you compete against other individuals. But I fell in love with golf — I think — because I am competing against myself. I want to get better for me! Case study teaching is a little like that. I want to get better because I know I can. I also know that if I do, students will be even more engaged, and have richer learning experiences, which then can translate into better practice on their part — once they return to the field. One of the ways that I get better is by looking at my colleagues who are great case teachers, like Jim Honan and Monica Higgins. For me they are like watching Tom Lehman (PGA) and Lexi Thompson (LPGA).
Finally, case study teaching invites us to apply our learning in real life experiences. I can’t tell you the number of times that a student has come to me and said something to the effect, “I just had an experience in my internship that reminded me of what happened in the case that we studied in class.” In the end, this is what I am most interested in as a teacher. I am interested in students being able translate their learning in class to actual leadership experiences on the ground, with real students, real staff, and faculty. Furthermore, I am hoping that they can take what they have learned in class and create new solutions and strategies that apply to their individual contexts.
Again, I am 30 years away from my first lesson to high school students in Lancaster, PA. And while the content is no longer great works of literature, there are great opportunities for leadership in schools and systems all over the world. It is my hope that through my use of case study teaching, I can prepare aspiring leaders to bring new knowledge, deeper expertise, and authentic passion to these future leadership roles.
Irvin Scott is a Senior Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
