Program Design

Laverne Marri-Perez commented on Group 3 - Experiential Learning, 10/18

Marti Suddarth commented on Group 2 - Transformational Learning, 10/20

Mandy Lowe commented on Group 3 - Experiential Learning, 10/21

Kim Clist commented on Group 1 (Stephanie Coleman/Amnah Alabdulkarim) and Group 2. 10/23

Kylie Hartman commented on Group 1 (Habib, Kalwat, Kenney,  Perry): Self Directed Learning and Group 2: Transformational Learning, 10/22

Group Member	Role & Responsibilities for Program Design
Member 1: Kim Clist	Program Design Assignment Co-Leader, Write Rationale Section including investigation of practical program
Member 2: Mandy Lowe	Program Design Assignment Co-Leader, Write Introduction, Compile final paper from all member’s sections, Post to Blog
Member 3: Marti Suddarth	Write Program Design Section
Member 4: Laverne Marri-Perez	Complete Tables Section
Member 5: Kylie Hartman	Write Group Reflection Section

Group 5 Program Design: Narrative Learning - Tell Your Story

Ball State University

Introduction

Narrative learning is an important method in adult learning. Stories are all around us, and we use them in a variety of ways. From narrating our own stories, to listening to the stories of others, we often take in and pass along knowledge through storytelling. Storytelling can teach the listener, as well as provide a way for the teller to learn through the actual narrating. There are many skills that can be learned through the narrating of a story. When retelling a story, individuals are challenged to find their own voice and to effectively translate their experience into an understandable and relatable lesson for others.

Tell Your Story is a program for adults who are learning the English language. The learners will practice grammar, vocabulary, and narrative conventions through the telling of a childhood story or folktale. The learner will translate a chosen story from his own native language to the group of students through oral storytelling, and have the option to also post his story to a class website. Learners will be challenged to develop their self-identity through their stories, and also to learn and understand the identities of the other learners in the class. Throughout the course, learners will be exposed to different cultures and norms, and learn how their own narratives differ and compare.  This course could be offered as adult continuing education. Outreach for students could be done through literacy programs offered to English Language Learners or adults connected to citizenship or international community programs.

Program Rationale

Based on the themes found in our research of books, articles, websites and practical applications, as a form of communication and learning, narrative is: temporal in nature, dialogic, and it reinforces or introduces cultural norms.  According to Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner, stories are how people make sense of the world around them (2007, p. 208). As such, narrative learning is a powerful tool to encourage understanding and cognitive development.

Our program is designed to provide an opportunity for an adult English Language Learner to practice American English vocabulary and grammar through narrative. A story from the learner’s native language will be translated into the English language by the learner. This program is in alignment with the learning models used by the Literacy Network of Dane County. The Literacy Network has many similarities to our program, Tell Your Story, and we chose to investigate its strengths when creating our curriculum. From one-on-one ESL tutoring to family and community literacy to civic education, the Literacy Network of Dane County interacts with adults from around the world and increases their capacity to communicate and engage in Dane County Wisconsin. Each learner has their own goals; be it to obtain a job, to communicate with a child’s teacher, to become part of a community, or even to become a US citizen. The educators and volunteers at Literacy Network help learners achieve these goals by improving their language skills and cultural capacities. This is done through various forms of narrative practice, written and oral. According to the Literacy Network and the resources we reviewed, narrative gives a learner context and a framework for time.

Stories employ “a shared cultural store of motifs, events, stock characters, and expectations,” (Michelson, 2012, p. 200), conveyed through understood “grammars of telling,” (Evans, 2013, p. 19). It is through stories that English language learners can begin to connect to the new cultural and societal norms they are experiencing. At the Literacy Network of Dane County, this is done by telling of events and experiences, relating hopes, dreams, needs, and frustrations. The learner, by attempting to communicate these things to their teachers or tutors, are employing narrative in their new language. The teachers and tutors guide the learner in finding the appropriate words and grammar to communicate accurately, effectively, and efficiently. Homework is assigned in the form of more narrative – communicating to give meaning in English to what they know in their native language. “Narratives are not purely individual productions – they are powerfully shaped by social, cultural, and historical conventions as well as by the relationship between the storyteller and the interlocutor (whether an interviewer, a researcher, a friend, or an imaginary reader,” (Pavlenko, 2002, p. 214). For the narrator and audience to make meaning, they both need to be versed in a common set of knowledge. These theories and practical applications are the basis of support for our program. By having learners engage with a story that is familiar in the native language, that engages cultural and societal norms they are familiar with, and asking them to translate it into English, not only are words, events, and time translated, but also there is an opportunity for the learner to reflect on cultural differences. In a study of adult ability to learn new words, Batterink and Neville (2011) noted that children learn words at a remarkable pace and that “the majority of these words are learned incidentally through context,”  (p. 3181). Their study showed that the ability to learn words in context extends into adulthood. The findings of this study reinforce the applicability of our program design.

Clark & Rossiter (2008) explain that “construction of a narrative is not purely a personal process; it is also social in nature. We live in what Sarbin (1993) calls ‘a story-shaped world’ (p. 63), surrounded by narratives of all kinds that embody our cultural values—popular movies and television shows, myths and folklore, religious histories and traditions, social scripts and mores, to note only a few—and that all of these provide ‘libraries of plots . . . [that] help us interpret our own and other people’s experience,’” (p. 59). Narrative learning as a tool is effective because of our natural inclination to story our lives, to create context for events and information based on the stories we already know. Rather than looking at adult learning as a linear progression, narrative learning allows for fluid growth and development, for changing paradigms, and reconstruction of what was previously understood. Like the curriculum of the Literacy Network of Dane County, our program is designed to give adult English Language Learners an opportunity to improve their vocabulary and grammar through practicing narrative. “We live in a narrative saturated world, which is to say that narratives are everywhere,” (Clark, 2010, p. 4). Our learners will achieve English language skills by engaging in an everyday practice, narrative in the form of storytelling.

Program Design

Tell Your Story

Goal

1. The adult English Language Learner will practice American English vocabulary, grammar, and narrative conventions by translating a childhood story or folktale from his native language into English.
2. The student will share his/her story with fellow English Language Learners by telling the story in class.
3. The student will have the option of sharing his/her story with children by posting it on the Tell Your Story website.

Assessment

The tale will make sense to read or listen to by a member of the target audience.  (i.e. a folktale is understood by a child or the childhood story is understood by one of us.)   The tale will utilize appropriate American English vocabulary and correct grammar.

Skills Needed

Vocabulary, grammar, American English

How We Will Teach

The program will be offered to adult English Language Learners who, through previous study, are ready to create stories for authentic audiences.   

Teacher will...

*... guide students as they select a childhood memory or folktale.

*... listen and offer support as participants translate their narratives into English.

*... help students record or type and illustrate their stories.

*... help students post their narratives to http://mesuddarth.wixsite.com/tellyourstory

*...provide scaffolding as participants respond to comments posted for their narratives.

Materials Required   

• Video camera or iPad
• Audio recording device
• Paper, pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons
• iPads/tablets with drawing apps
• Computer
• Website (http://mesuddarth.wixsite.com/tellyourstory)

Procedure

1. Invite adult English Language Learners to participate in the “Tell Your Story,” project.
2. During session #1:

a.                   The teacher will introduce herself and ask students to introduce themselves.

b.                  The teacher will tell the students a story from her childhood and lead students in a brief discussion of the story.

c.                   The teacher will tell the students the story of “The Three Little Pigs” and lead students in a brief discussion of the story.

d.                  The teacher will explain to students that each will select either a childhood memory or a folktale that they originally heard in his/her native language. The story will be translated into American English and shared with the class.

e.                   Students will divide into groups of 2-3 and brainstorm ideas for stories.

f.                    The teacher will reconvene the group and ask for feedback. Do students have ideas for stories?  Do they have other questions?

3.                  Between session #1 and #2, the teacher will conference with students individually. She will help them hone their ideas and select a story.  

4.                  During session #2:

a.                   The teacher will review the childhood story she told during session #1 and tell the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” in order to model storytelling.  

b.                  Students will divide into groups of 2-3 and share the stories they have been practicing.

c.                   Students will provide feedback to each other.

d.                  OPTIONAL: Students may work on illustrations for their stories using paper and pencils, crayons, markers, or on iPads/tablets with drawing apps.

5.                  During the week between sessions #2 and #3, the teacher will meet individually with students to listen to their stories, answer questions, and provide assistance and suggestions as needed.

6.                  Session #3 is a repeat of session #2, giving students additional practice. The teacher will tell the story of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” to model storytelling.

7.                  During the week between sessions #3 and #4, the teacher will meet individually with students to practice stories and to help students record them.  Students will have several options:

a.                   Video student telling, via video camera, iPad app, etc.

b.                  Audio recording

c.                   Video of student illustrations with audio voice-over provided by student

The teacher will help the student post his/her story on http://mesuddarth.wixsite.com/tellyourstory.

8.                  During session #4:

a.                   Each student will tell his/her story to the class.

b.                  Class members will give student feedback and/or class will participate in a question and answer time following each story.

c.                   After each student has presented, the teacher will teach the students to add comments to the stories posted on http://mesuddarth.wixsite.com/tellyourstory and how to respond to comments made.

d.                  The class will enjoy refreshments and social time.

9.                  After session #4, the teacher will meet with each student individually and ask for feedback.

Reflection

Coming together as a group to collaborate was a highlight of this project. We each used our own creative skills and styles to suggest different possibilities for the project. We communicated on the telephone via conference calls weekly, we emailed throughout the week, and posted in our group discussion board. This regular communication utilizing several formats kept us well connected and helped us to quickly suggest ideas and agree upon a direction that would be best for the program design as a whole. We then divided up the responsibilities. When each job was complete it was shared with the rest of the group for feedback.  

One of the biggest lessons learned through the process of developing the program design was how important each individual piece and step was to the entire project. Everyone had to play an active part in order to make program design a success. One of the keys to our successful completion of this project was accountability. We were able to trust that each person would be accountable to completing their portion by the deadline we all agreed upon.  This was possibly because we communicated well as a group. This was likely the most important aspect of our successful group dynamic. Even though we are all located in different parts of the U.S., we still came together on a conference call every Tuesday night.  This allowed us to plan the week ahead, make sure everyone was aware of what still needed to be done or changed, and any upcoming deadlines. Without strong communication skills, this project would not have taken shape.

Table 1 - Modified Main Themes and Ideas from our individual literature reviews

The Main Themes and Ideas	Application of the main ideas in practice
1. Storytelling – the telling and hearing of stories	Personal details are extremely important. Setting the scene in a realistic, descriptive way conveys the emotion and feeling of the story.
2. Conceptualizing through process narratives	Conceptually, when we are learning something new, we are trying to understand the material to internalize the logic and how to relate the story to what we already know, i.e. it is important for students to imagine from a different perspective.
3. The meanings of narratives are heavily influenced by the background knowledge and experiences of the narrator, the audience, and also by the context.	Teachers must help learners to examine the narrator’s background knowledge, experiences, etc. to help them fully understand the meanings behind what is learned.  Likewise, teachers help narrators to consider the backgrounds, base knowledge, and preconceived ideas of their intended audiences so that knowledge can be effectively shared.
4. Storytelling Culture & Society	Learning through storytelling can reinforce known culture and societal norms or it can be an introduction to new cultures and norms. Autobiographical writing, meant for reflection, allows the writer to analyze their own story through a particular lens. For example, what is your life story as a learning? Evaluating personal storied experiences as applied to different theories makes the learning of those theories more than cognitive. In addition, sharing these stories in a group allows others an opportunity to see and understand the theories through someone else’s storied cultural and societal lens.

Table 2 - Summary of Program Design

Learners

Purpose: The purpose of the Tell Your Story program is to improve English language skills in a continuing adult education format, providing the student an opportunity to practice English grammar, vocabulary, and narrative conventions through the telling of a childhood story or folktale.

Objectives: The primary objective of the program is to mentor the adult English language student in developing their English language skills. The student will develop skills in self-identity and learn about their classmates cultures in a way that is fun and entertaining. In addition, the student may gain a better understanding of literary references from their native culture and how they intersect with references in US culture.

Rationales – Ideas from Literature: · Narratives serve to teach and reinforce group knowledge, values, as well as strengthen group loyalty. · There is a significant difference in understanding from knowing a cultural norm and knowing that norm through a story of experience from someone else. · The hearing of the story can be moving, engaging, and can evoke empathy for the narrator.

Rationales – Features form Practical Cases: 1. This program is aligned with the learning models of used by the Literacy Network of Dane County; 1:1 ESL tutoring, family and community literacy, and civic education. 2. According to Literacy Network Dane County, narrative gives a learner context and a framework for time. Communicating time in a grammatically accurate fashion is often the most difficult language skill. 3. It is through stories that English language learners can begin to connect to the new cultural and societal norms they experience. 4. Case study by Batterink & Neville note that the ability to learn words in context extends into adulthood.

Highlights and the Major Components: The major components of the program design are to provide non English speaking adults with an opportunity to appropriately utilize American English vocabulary and correct grammar. Learning English through ESL programs offers a fantastic opportunity to obtain an important skill for working, living, and learning in the U.S.

References

Batterink L., & Neville, H. (2011).  Implicit and explicit mechanisms of word learning 

        in a narrative context: An event-related potential study.  Journal of Cognitive 

        Neuroscience, 23(11). 3181-3196.

Clark, M. C. (2010). Narrative learning: Its contours and its possibilities. New Directions for

        Adult and Continuing Education, 2010(126), 3-11. doi:10.1002/ace.367

Clark, M. C., & Rossiter, M. (2008). Narrative learning in adulthood. New Directions for 

        Adult & Continuing Education, 2008(119), 61-70. doi:10.1002/ace.306

Evans, R. (2013).  Learning and knowing: Narratives, memory and biographical knowledge in

       interview interaction.   European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of 

       Adults, 4(1) pp. 17-31.

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in adulthood:

       A comprehensive guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Michelson, E. (2012).  If the self is a text, what genre is it? Structure and ideology in narratives 

      of adult learning.  Adult Education Quarterly, 63(3), 199–214.  

      doi: 10.1177/0741713612442785.

Pavlenko, A. (2002).  Narrative study: Whose story is it, anyway?  TESOL Quarterly, 36(2). 

      Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3588332