PROJECT DEMONSTRATION

Casey commented on Groups 1 & 2

Cheryl Honkomp, Kathryn Jones, Casey Schultz

Abstract

            For our project, we decided to incorporate Narrative Learning Theory. Our first step was to individually complete literature reviews. We used internet databases and our textbook to gather research on Narrative Learning Theory to decide what the common themes across the research were. We discovered that, when incorporating narrative learning, it is important for participants to hear stories as well as tell them. We also found that narratives can be shared both in written and an oral format and it is important to be sure to include both in a classroom environment in order to get the full effect.

            Our next step was to individually conduct evaluations of programs that utilized Narrative Learning Theory. We ended with a wide spectrum of programs, some that were evaluated based on personal experience, and others that were found by doing further research on the topic. We took from those programs what we thought to be the key concepts and decided from there what we would like to incorporate in our project and what we felt we could improve on from those programs.

            Once we had finished our research, we had to decide on a program. We originally thought to do a program for college freshman, but then evolved that into a program for students returning to college after a time away from school. We felt that a program of this type would be more beneficial because it is not something that we had heard of before, but that we thought would be beneficial. Our inspiration came from a course that many high school students take called “Orientation to Life and Careers” that helps high school students prepare for life after high school. We decided to title our course, “Reflections on Life and Careers.” The course was designed to be an introductory graduate course that prepares adult students to re-enter classroom discussions. Through the class, they will be encouraged to compile a portfolio filled with ready-made narratives based on personal experiences as well as those of their classmates that they will easily be able to share in classroom discussions.

            Our programs were evaluated by educators that each group member knew personally and we found that, for the most part, our program design is fairly stable. There were a few minor suggestions given that could be easily incorporated into a final syllabus, should this course be taught in real life.

            The final step was to create a Prezi presentation that brings together the whole process behind developing our project. It includes our findings on Narrative Learning Theory, evaluator comments, and the outline for our class, “Reflections on Life and Careers.”

Our final presentation can be viewed at:
http://prezi.com/rxwb7ss5r5xk/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy