Why Stories ?

Since the earliest days of human culture, we have relied on narrative to pass along our most vital and inspiring ideas. We all tell stories in our daily lives, and many teachers use compelling, real world examples in their teaching to make classes more engaging.

In this community, we want to make the case that stories should be thought of as essential to any learning experience, not just as a way to liven up a long lecture. Especially as the increased demand for online learning (and more recently, the forced move to "emergency remote instruction"), tangential storytelling moments within the classroom can be all too easily pushed aside.

So we want to ask the question, what would it look like to have narrative intricately woven into the fabric of your online teaching? Learning research in learning science and psychology support the idea that our minds are uniquely attuned to the elements of narrative, and that human beings have been used a narrative structure to construct our perception of our lives and the world around us.