Lynn Meade Delivers Keynote at National Conference on Teaching and Learning

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Lynn Meade, teaching associate professor in Fulbright College Student Success, served as a keynote speaker at the Lilly Conference on Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning in Traverse City, Michigan, this October. Lilly Conferences serve as a dynamic national forum for sharing the scholarship of teaching and learning—with the goal of better teaching that leads to deeper student learning.

Aligned with the 2025 conference theme, Advancing Teaching and Learning, Meade's keynote, "Storytelling—Leveraging Your Superpower," explored how narrative can be a transformative force in the classroom. "Stories are psychologically privileged," she explained, "because they're stored differently in the brain. They stick."

According to Meade, all teachers should tell the story of who they are and why their class matters, a story about their content and a story about how they have struggled but managed to overcome. These stories help connect us and our content to our students and to the world beyond the classroom.

Meade challenged educators to reflect not only on the stories they tell in their teaching, but also on the narratives they hold about their students—reminding them that these internal stories shape classroom culture, expectations and ultimately, student success.

According to Meade, "Storytelling isn't just a technique; it's a superpower every educator already possesses and should take the time to fine tune because it can transform their teaching."

Meade currently teaches Fulbright Student Success courses and facilitates the Fulbright Learning Community for Faculty Development. With over 100 presentations on teaching and learning, three open educational resource textbooks and two decades of teaching experience across 22 different courses, Meade's selection reflects her reputation as a leader in innovative, student-centered teaching and in student success focused faculty development.