Ah, stories. How we love them! To find out why, let’s look at how our brain processes them. The two introductory videos, by Paul Zak and Karen Eber, show us the neuroscience of narrative, but in case you do not have time to watch them, read Mohammad Khari’s review in his introductory article. Curtis Kelly teamed up with Stephen M. Ryan to tell us why stories are so brain-compatible and so powerful in the classroom. Reed Berkowitz takes us deeper and shows how one of the most powerful networks in our brain, the Default Mode Network, not only consumes stories, but creates them, in order to make us who we are.

So, there is the neuroscience and psychology, but then, how do we use stories in class? Storyteller Deepa Kiran guides us through storytelling as an act of listening, and Rishma Hansil gives us ideas on the design and use of stories from a UX designer’s point of view. Then too, Amanda Gillis Furutaka shows us some enjoyable ways to get students to reread stories in order to consolidate language. In the Plus, David Scott Bowyer reviews a book full of language teacher stories.

Of course, a Think Tank on storytelling needs some good stories in it, too, and we have packed in more than ten. Enjoy!