Case story in an intensive, experience-based learning approach that encourages active inquiry into participants’ own practice and the practice of others. Because this approach asks participants to write a case story based on an experience significant to them and share that story with others, it is important to get participants ready to share. The process begins with a freewrite in response to a prompt. This gets participants thinking and writing. Participants then share their freewrite in groups of three. And engage in a conversation in response to each piece of writing. This begins the process of building trust in each other and comfort with the process.
Participants are then asked to take 30-45 minutes to write a one-page case story. They are asked to write about a real event which presents a problem or decision that needs to be made. Participants then read their stories in groups of three. After reading the story, they then tell it in their own words. Listeners are allowed to ask clarifying questions but not share personal examples. The group then spends time reflecting on the process, not the story. Finally each group reports on their discussion and the whole group has a chance to reflect on the experience.
Application: I rarely get the opportunity to have the time required to complete the case story approach. The most likely opportunity would be as a pre-conference session at a conference or workshop. I would love to have the chance to work with collective action network leaders and community managers in the future. I could see using the case story method to explore their practice. I believe this audience would be able to adapt to the method more quickly than many others, since their work weaving networks and nurturing relationships has required then to engage in deep self-reflection and storytelling.
I’m a strong proponent of the collaborative learning that the case story method encourages. Inviting network leaders and community managers to examine and share their case stories could result in understanding of themselves as practitioners and, possibly, insights into new ways of addressing common problems in the field.
Assessment: Focus Group Interview (Tülüce, 2016)
Maslin-Ostrowski and Ackerman stress that any assessment of the case story process should not be aimed at ranking of participants but on improvement of the process (204). Any assessment within the structure of the learning experience seems ill-fit to that goal. Because participants have experienced and long, intensive process already, it would be unwise to ask them for the additional mental energy required for a reflective assessment.
Instead, I would use focus group interviews. Tülüce used these interviews in his study of the use of the case story method in teacher education. I would need to get a skilled interviewer to conduct the interviews as I think having me, the facilitator, conducting the interviews would skew the data. I would also need to have space away from other participants to conduct the interviews in. Changing the space will help participants change their mindset for the interviews. I also think the focus groups should have a makeup different that the groups used in the case story experience, so groupthink does not set in.
References
Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia and Ackerman, Richard H. (2004). Case Story. In Michael W. Galbraith (Eds.), Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction (3rd Ed.) (193-207). Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company.
Tülüce, Hande Serdar (2016). Using the Case Story Method in Teacher Education Practicum: Affordances and Constraints. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, August 2016, 16(4), (1275-1295). Retrieved on February 27, 2018 from https://www.estp.com.tr/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2016_0155.pdf