Radiolab on storytelling as part of science education

[krelnik]

I recently discovered the WNYC/NPR's Radiolab via its podcast. (It has been mentioned here before in the "favorite podcasts" thread). It's a neat show with a unique style and a very scientific bent, though they seem conflicted as to whether they are actually a science show.

They're on a summer hiatus right now, but to make up for that the other day they posted the Caltech commencement address by Robert Krulwich, one of the hosts of the show. The title of the address was "Tell Me A Story" and it was basically about how scientists often do a poor job of communicating with the public, and how important it is to improve. He says the key is to tell stories, because people respond to that. (As you can guess from the fact that I built an entire website full of stories of people hurt by woo, I agree with him).

You can download the address as an MP3, I highly recommend it. It is about 27 minutes long.

If you want to subscribe to the podcast, you can do so via RSS here or via iTunes here.

 

[krelnik]

The new season of Radiolab is about to start soon, and this week they rebroadcast an episode about the Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast, which was 70 years ago this year.

You might yawn and think, "Oh I know that story." But in usual Radiolab fashion, they turn up some very interesting details. For instance, did you know the broadcast was redone in Spanish in Quito, Ecuador years later, and resulted in six deaths? Did you know that the reason Welles decided to tell the story that way had alot to do with the state of the radio industry in 1938 and the way the incipient war in Europe was being reported?

I found it fascinating.

Direct MP3 download here.

 

[athon]

There are pros and cons of addressing science in this way, and it all depends on the outcome scientists wish to strive for. As somebody who is a science communicator, I know all too well the line one needs to walk in 'telling a story' while communicating science effectively.

They're certainly correct in that people respond to stories. It's part of our social nature to respond to personal narratives over more objective accounts of nature (hence our mythopoeic heritage). However stories work because of the personal connection and the relationship formed between the narrator's experiences and your own. That's really what is at work here - people need to be able to relate personal experiences. Often science proposes experiences which are difficult for the average person to relate to, which is why communications need an angle. This typically drives the less savvy journalist or educator to embellish, sensationalise or flat out fabricate in an effort to convey what they deem to be the important message. Hence we find ourselves in unfortunate position of science being communicated, albeit poorly.

There is an art, I believe, to communicating science faithfully while still making it accessible for most people. Story telling can play a part in it, but one needs to take care on how this is done.

Athon