For the above reasons, we wanted to contribute to giving applied storytelling and narrative approaches (and inquiry) to education, and in particular to STEM education. We wanted teaching, knowledge apprehension, problem solving and cooperating in doing so to be more ‘entertaining, while at the same time we also wanted to boost the quality of teaching, self-study and cooperative learning. while at the same time we also wanted to boost the quality of teaching, self-study and cooperative learning. And ultimately better and more convincing project and work pieces where the joy of making them shines through.
Teaching with stories is not just about improving language development and reading comprehension. It also facilitates understanding of complex topics and promotes social competencies, stories provide structure, teach us how to plan, devise a strategy and ask for help/advice (mentors), how to solve problems – which means learning to collaborate. They teach us that obstacles can be overcome. Stories are the A(rts) added to STEM and therefore STEAM. We applied for this project to meet the need for a learning design that would integrate the STEM approach with art and storytelling, bring it to all segments of society, and help spread it to the grassroots through vocational high schools without the need for expensive equipment or comprehensive science and mathematics knowledge. Needs addressed: Many people do not realize that stories play an important role in societies and personal lives. Universities and employers complain about the limited understanding of students and employees. In addition to providing the added values mentioned above, hands-on storytelling also supports reading comprehension and structured thinking.