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Teaching Institute: Storytelling for Inclusive STEM Education


Join us for a fun, fast, and very hands-on introduction to storytelling as a tool for inclusive STEM education geared towards faculty and graduate students who teach undergraduate courses. This institute will take place across a total of six 90-minute sessions held over Zoom on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays starting at 12:00 PM EDT // 9:00 AM PDT from July 22nd to August 2nd. (That was a lot. Scroll down for a bulleted list of dates if that’s more your style.)

Institute instructor:

Leslie Berntsen: Leslie is The Story Collider’s inaugural Director of Education and Research. Previously, she was a teaching-focused faculty member whose approach to inclusive and socially impactful pedagogy was recognized with awards from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.

What to expect:

Over the course of two weeks, Story Collider producers will share our tried-and-true advice on the craft of storytelling, guide you through a series of hands-on exercises to help you find and refine your own personal story about science, and facilitate strategy-sharing discussions on applying your newfound skills in the service of inclusive teaching and mentoring.

We assign episodes from our podcast archives as required listening and spend our time learning how to become better story listeners as well as better storytellers. By the end of the institute, you will have developed your very own true, personal story about science and concrete strategies for integrating principles of storytelling into your fall courses and/or broader teaching philosophy.

90-minute sessions will start at 12:00 PM EDT // 9:00 AM PDT on the following days:

  • July 22nd: What is a story? Who tells stories?

  • July 24th: Why do stories matter for teaching? What can I tell stories about?

  • July 26th: How are stories organized? Where’s the science?

  • July 29th: How do I polish + perform a story?

  • July 31st: How (else) can I use storytelling in my teaching?

  • August 2nd: Post-Institute Story Slam!

How much does it cost?

Our standard rate is $300 and includes an invitation to join our Story Collider workshop alumni community, as well as a free ticket to a future live show. We highly encourage attendees to secure professional development funds from their employers or universities to cover the cost of institute registration.

Discounts of 50-75% are available to those who will be paying for their registration out-of-pocket or make less than the living wage for their area. A limited number of pro-bono seats will also be available via a lottery system.

Click through the registration form below for more details.

What if I need to cancel after I register?

We get it, things happen. If you need to cancel your course registration for any reason, just email us.

With at least three days (i.e., 72 hours) notice before the start of the first workshop session, we’ll be able to give you a full refund. With less than 72 hours notice, we won't be able to offer refunds, but we’ll gladly credit your registration fee to any future public workshop of your choice.

Earlier Event: February 12
Intro to Storytelling - February 2024
Later Event: August 7
Story Coaching 101