Teaching Assistants' Training Program

Description

Storytelling is a universal language that does more than merely relay facts. Sharing stories serves as a valuable tool for building community, supporting critical thinking, and facilitating equitable access. Whether by integrating narrative into lectures and tutorials, or by inviting students to share stories, storytelling-based activities invite an intentional yet reflexive engagement with the material. Across disciplines, storytelling can inspire disruptive and non-traditional knowledge production and dissemination. In this workshop, we explore hands-on techniques for employing narrative in the classroom in a way that supports critical reflection on one’s positionality in the world, while also aligning with Universal Design for Learning’s (UDL) mandate to maximize participation and access. How can sharing stories enable teaching to become more relational, emotional, and ethical? This workshop will bridge together research on storytelling as a pedagogical tool with recent work on UDL and anti-oppressive pedagogies. In doing so, it aims to invite participants to reflect on how to incorporate storytelling and narrative-focused questioning into lectures, tutorials, and interactions.