Storytelling for STEM Subjects

Using the art of storytelling to teach STEM subjects.

“Maybe stories are just data with soul”

– from TED Talk “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown

Storytelling can be an effective method for engaging students with STEM subject areas – and this has been shown to be the case for girls especially (1, 3, 4). According to an article by Catalyst.org, Women in STEM (1), a gender gap in STEM persists across the world. This is a problem because the same systems of bias that push women and people of color out of STEM careers, also influence the products and services created by STEM organizations.

Some female students do not further pursue the STEM subjects, and enrolment in math, computer science and engineering programs can become lop-sided, as a result. This creates many issues, such as the creation of AI and other technologies that do not include women’s perspectives in the algorithms. The use of storytelling is therefore important for developing technologies such as AI products because it engages female students at a higher rate with computer science and engineering-related subjects. This way, females stay in the field and later contribute their perspectives and ideas to AI technology development. Females also tend to care about the environment, and might consider this when developing new technologies (2).

The references below explain some approaches & resources to support you in developing your own stories in the classroom. According to a blog article by Scientific American (3), stories and art can be used to help teach math and science subjects. You might also consider how Indigenous perspectives and first people’s principles of learning are supported through a storytelling approach .

Storytelling to Teach Math & Science:

1. Math teachers can analyze the intricacies of M.C. Escher’s artwork with their students or read “Behind the Beautiful Forevers” by Katherine Boo in order to take into account different perspectives. (3)
2. Science teachers can read aloud the poetic observations of Dr. David George Haskell, and biology teachers can share the story of the HeLa cells. In other words, they can incorporate some interesting and odd facts into their science teachings that are very memorable. (3)
3. The National Council Teachers of Math website has some excellent resources to support storytelling in math. Use the search box at the top right to search for storytelling and to find a plethora of articles on this subject including: Trigonometry Comes Alive through Digital Storytelling and Storytelling + Origami = Storigami Mathematics. The nctm.org website also includes articles involving strategies and benefits of math discussion (refer to refs 9, 10).

Computing Science and Storytelling:

For computer science related subjects, it can be especially encouraging to hear that there have been many great female computer scientists all throughout history, who have contributed much to this subject area. This 2015 article by The Guardian (4), is mostly focused on Ada Lovelace, known by many as the first computer programmer, and presents interesting ideas to incorporate STEM (2015 article). You may wish to include some of the fun ideas below into your cross-curricular storytelling!

1. Create a historical timeline or a collection of curious facts
2. Demonstrate some science tricks
3. Solve some mysteries
4. Create a DIY model

A 2019 article by Edutopia explains how the teachers used a story about dragons to help engage their students with science content. In this case, the content was about anatomy and characteristics, such as bone structure. According to the article, “lessons like these help students make connections between what they’re learning and their prior knowledge.”

Some tools for coding for storytelling:

There are various options for students engaging in coding stories with many being accessible for even younger students due to the ‘drag and drop’ nature of some block coding languages. There are even many unplugged or more kinesthetic opportunities to practice computational thinking as they make their stories! A few tools that might help you get started:

1. Scratch is a simple drag and drop programming language that allows even young learners to create animations, stories and games.
2. Twine can be used to create interactive digital stories and support the development of literacies including computational thinking skills. Likely best for upper intermediate and high school.
3. Ozobots are little robots that students can code to tell stories that can be physically ‘acted out’ or ‘enacted’ by the robot on a drawn story map or other surface in the classroom.
4. Unplugged coding activities support a range of activities including storytelling.

For more information on why it is important to incorporate storytelling into computer science subjects, please refer to the BC curriculum. In particular, you can look to the Applied Design Skills & Technologies (ADST) and computer science curriculum.

1. Critically analyze how competing social, ethical, and sustainability considerations impact designed solutions to meet global needs for preferred futures
2. Evaluate impacts, including unintended negative consequences, of choices made about technology use
3. Analyze the role technologies play in societal change
4. Examine how cultural beliefs, values, and ethical positions affect the development and use of technologies

Storytelling: Indigenous Perspectives & First People’s Principles of Learning

Incorporating story in teaching & learning, provides students with opportunities to engage in the first people’s principles of learning (FNESC has a wonderful poster) and can support a deeper connection to place, content and varied perspectives. Inviting elders into the classroom to share story or accessing authentic voice via digital stories published online is one approach.

More recently, digital storytelling is being employed to help preserve cultural knowledge and language.

Incorporating storytelling into classroom studies is an important part of the current BC curriculum across subject areas. Within the computer science curriculum, for example, there are standards related to being culturally aware, and recognizing the impact that technology can have. Storytelling can also help create a greater awareness of other cultures, the environment, and gender-based issues.

 

Guest Post: Jacqueline Boivin, Project Assistant 2021; Edits, Y. Dawydiak, Learning Design Manager, TEO

References:

1. https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-stem/
2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/06/eco-gender-gap-why-saving-planet-seen-womens-work
3. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/budding-scientist/to-attract-more-girls-to-stem-bring-storytelling-to-science/
4. https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/oct/05/six-creative-ways-inspire-girls-science-lessons
5. https://www.edutopia.org/article/dragons-and-fairy-tales-science-class
6. https://www.banffcentre.ca/indigenous-arts
7. https://fullcircle.ca/full-circle/about-us/vision/
8. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst
9. https://www.nctm.org/Research-and-Advocacy/Research-Brief-and-Clips/Strategies-for-Discussion/
10. https://pubs.nctm.org/view/journals/tcm/14/4/article-p206.xml
11. https://scarfedigitalsandbox.teach.educ.ubc.ca/drag-and-drop-programming-scratch/
12. https://scarfedigitalsandbox.teach.educ.ubc.ca/computational-participation-creating-interactive-digital-stories-with-twine/
13. Simone Hausknecht, Shannon Freeman, Jenny Martin, Carrie Nash & Kelly Skinner (2021) Sharing Indigenous Knowledge through intergenerational digital storytelling: Design of a workshop engaging Elders and youth, Educational Gerontology, 47:7, 285-296, DOI: 10.1080/03601277.2021.1927484