October 2010 – The Next Generation of Science Textbooks?
Will the next generation of science textbooks use stories to teach? Will they be successful?
Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Cross-College Biology Education (ICBE) Teri Balser is co-author of a new and experimental introductory environmental studies textbook designed to marry narrative and story with infographics and pedagogical devices and features. The project represents a partnership between Scientific American and WH Freeman, and a collaboration between science writers and science faculty. Join us for a sneak preview of the project and a discussion about the future of textbooks, and how we might incorporate learning through story in the sciences.
Join the Learning Through Story discussion on Tuesday, October 12, Noon – 1:00, Teacher Education building, room 220.
Resources:
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/SouAfrVc
Learning Through Story 
davidmchugh said
Notes from the discussion:
How do we teach science? (what associations do you have?)
What it’s like:
• Process – scientific method
• Memorization
• Fact
• Order
• Experiments
• Removed from day to day life (decontextualized)
• Data
• Labs
• Stories
• History
• Theory
• Research
What we wish it was like:
• Relevant
• Understandable
• Curiosity
• Playful
• “Synthegrative”
• Interactive
• Connected
• Animated
• Applied
• Conceptual
• Engaging
• Fun
• Collaborative
• Reframing failure
• Dissonant
• Creative
Why was the second list so much easier to come up with?
• We think more about the what-ifs; it’s more fun to think about what we wish it was like
• There’s more of an emotional connection than the cognitive process of analyzing the other type
Do students learn less if they enjoy themselves?
o “If they have fun learning you can’t stop them from learning” – Teri
• Remove fear, replace it with positive emotions and curiosity
• “Hook it to something emotional” – Grabs attention
How can stories help students learn?
o Form connections.
o Story has a structure – we can hang the pieces of knowledge on it. This integrates it and brings the individual pieces together.
o We use them to build community. Seeing yourself in the various roles has intrinsic purposes in connecting us to the materials in different ways.
Is it worth making a distinction between a story that teaches and a story that motivates them to learn?
o Different purposes
o Different types of stories for different types of learning
o Motivation to learn is part of learning
o Tie in personal relevance – Otherwise you can’t retain it, won’t use it
o Exemplar learning – we pay more attention to conversations/story, than to mere facts, even if all else is equal.
What are the characteristics of story that makes it useful? Why?
o Relevance – makes them care
o Structure/framework – integrates info into existing structures or creates framework
o Role of anthropomorphism?
o Involves change. Need for success/failure
o Narrative arc/trajectory – directionality. Can pick out what’s important.
• Build mystery/intrigue to capture attention
• The Central Question – helps you find places for related info without it being overwhelming
o Invokes images/use of senses – adds dimension to the material
o Creates empathy with the material
o Fosters critical thinking – how will the story resolve?
o Stories make it easier to ask questions
o Bridges affective/analytical in order to information
o Repetition
o It’s a format that our brains are wired/evolved to understand
o Provides pacing
Disadvantages?
o Stories often contain fiction – when mixing stories with science, students have to be able to distinguish between the two.
o Metaphors can be carried too far, easily
• Feedback an important part of the process – need to make sure they’re making the right connections
• Interaction important
• By participating they also learn more, create meaning
o Might not be equally received based on people’s background – students from a different culture may not catch references
o Doesn’t work well for certain things (visual learning)
o Time consuming
o May oversimplify the material
The problem isn’t obtaining the facts – the world abounds with them. It’s knowing what to do with them. How to integrate them.
Final Thoughts/Questions
o Could we base textbooks on a narrative arc?
o Comparative utility of textbooks as teaching tools vs. as reference?
o Use of conflicting narratives – provide a story arc from which you have to provide resolution. Have to reconcile differing views. This fosters critical thinking.