Bringing The Conversation into the Geography Classroom: Public Storytelling as Authentic Learning

Public storytelling is increasingly important for geographers as higher education faces increased scrutiny, politicized attacks on truth-telling, and pressure to show broader relevance. This article argues for integrating more public-facing science communication into geographic education and introduces The Conversation as a classroom tool. A vehicle for university scholar-driven explanatory journalism, The Conversation publishes short, open-access articles that demonstrate the value of academic insights to real-world issues. Based on our experiences teaching with and contributing to the platform, we created two classroom exercises aligned with an authentic learning framework. First, curated articles from The Conversation serve as authentic class content, enabling students to evaluate how university scholars apply disciplinary ideas to contemporary problems; how knowledge is produced, translated, and evidenced for broader audiences; and whose perspectives are included (or missing) within stories. Second, the media outlet serves as an authentic practice space where students simulate writing in The Conversation style, from pitching and drafting to receiving feedback and revising an explainer article for general audiences. These classroom activities invite educators and students to address the rewards, challenges, and ethics of science communication, as well as the practical skills, cognitive and emotional labor, and power relations embedded in The Conversation’s expert-centered storytelling.