Learning Plan

Description of Field Experience and General Information

Student Name: Sheree Hartung

Position Title: Storyteller

Duties/Responsibilities: After a few weeks of training, I will be entering into elementary schools in Lethbridge and telling stories to children of all ages. The preparation involved before telling the stories is the biggest responsibility for this job. Finding age-appropriate and material-appropriate stories for kids from preschool to grade 6, memorizing each story, making it my own, and telling each with enthusiasm and dedication are among the responsibilities of a storyteller.

Location: Lethbridge, Alberta

Duration: Spring Semester 2014 (January-April)

Pre-Experience Preparation and Qualifications

Courses:

1. Education 2500: I have taken Education 2500 through the University of Lethbridge. I was placed in a grade two classroom, created, developed, and taught various lesson plans, and learned a lot about what it means to be a good teacher! I so enjoy working with children!
2. Children’s Literature and Theorizing Children’s Literature: These courses focused on the history of children’s literature, and we studied the original purpose of children’s literature, which was to be didactic and morally centered. We then studied how literature has changed, the current purposes of it now, what is currently popular, and so on. It was interesting to revisit some of my favorite childhood series, like Little House on the Prairie, and reflect as an adult what messages that was portraying.
3. Transmedia Storytelling: While this wasn’t directed toward children’s literature, we focused on digital storytelling that is becoming more popular in our culture today. This includes non-traditional books (non-linear, non-chronological) where the reader has to flip to different pages, or read upside-down at some points, and so on. We also looked at stories where the reader can choose the path of the narrative, like a computer game. We studied narratives that are present within popular media, and how narratives can be used to sell products or promote different experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how stories don’t necessarily have to be traditional to be effective!
4. Health Science – Youth and Additions: I’m currently taking this online course, and we’re learning about the different stages of development of children, the importance of relationships, how children/youth deal with issues in their personal lives, how to recognize and treat such issues, and so on. Although I’m currently in the course and haven’t finished, it will be useful because it is helping me to understand that our society socially constructs specific ideas about children and youth that aren’t always necessarily true. 

Previous Employment and Volunteer Experience:

1. Sheree Hartung Photography: Last year, I started my own photography business. Running a business on my own has taught me the following things: organization, stress management, customer service, perseverance, dedication, patience, motivation, and how to be thorough. There is so much behind-the-scenes work that goes into running this, which has taught me to appreciate people who organize events/business/courses all the more!
2. Boys and Girls Club: I currently volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club in Lethbridge working with at-risk and high-risk teens at a free drop-in program. Working here can be challenging at times, but so very rewarding! I’ve learned a lot about the programs and services our community offers to those in need, as well as learned a lot about current issues teen and youth are facing.
3. Mike Mountain Horse Elementary: After taking Education 2500 through U of L, I decided to return to my practicum classroom as a volunteer. Now, I help out every week running learning centers, different stations, helping kids that are behind on their work, marking, and more. Volunteering here has completely affirmed my goal to become a teacher!
4. Seeds Of Hope in Zambia, Africa: I’ve been on two trips to Zambia, where I worked as a preschool teacher’s assistant creating lessons plans. This is where my passion for teaching first developed, so it will always hold a very dear place in my heart!

Description of Goals and Objectives

Learning Objective #1:  Comfort as a First-Time and One-Time Classroom Adult

• What will I learn? Although I already feel comfortable around children, this will be a different experience because it will be a one-time visit in a classroom, as opposed to my current and previous classroom experience where the children get to know me. I think learning how to control a classroom on a first-time and one-time basis will really prepare me for being a substitute teacher.
• How will I learn it? I will learn how to be more comfortable as a first-time and one-time classroom adult by simply doing it! I will need to be prepared, confident, and organized to feel successful and get better.

Learning Objective #2: Creativity and Individualization

• What will I learn? Through this process, I am going to learn how to become creative and how to individualize stories to suit not only myself, but the age group I’m telling to.
• How will I learn it? I’ll learn how to do this by practicing repeatedly! For example, advancing the language of a story could make it appropriate for an older age group. This creativity, and individualizing stories, will mean that I can make the stories in my repertoire better, as opposed to having more and telling them with less enthusiasm. In this case, I think that quality means more than quantity.

Learning Objective #3: Memorization

• What will I learn? I think that memorizing multiple stories will be a challenge for me, so this is definitely an important learning objective.
• How will I learn it? Thus far, I’ve read the story out loud multiple times, made changes while still reading it from the book, then read it without the book and with bullet points written down…and then finally with nothing! Like my two previous learning objectives – practice seems to be the key. I practiced in front of a mirror and in front of my husband, which seemed to be beneficial.

Project Proposal and Bibliography

The Proposal: Because of my photography website/blog, I’m very comfortable building and tailoring a website. I’ve used website methods for various other courses. For example, I used a website to build my online portfolio during Education 2500, and a couple of weeks ago I built a Learning Product for my Youth and Addictions course on a website as well. Because of the creative control a website allows, I am going to use a blog-like site to showcase my APST portfolio. This format allows for a variety of forums (comments/PDFs/links/pictures/videos) that will maximize my creativity.

Statement of Resources

Name: Stacey Gaudette

• Position and Location: Applied Studies Coordinator, located at the University of Lethbridge

Name: Jenny Cofell and Elisabeth Hegerat, located at the Lethbridge Public Library

• Position and Location: Lethbridge Public Library

Name: University of Lethbridge’s Curriculum Laboratory Staff

• Position and Location: Curriculum Laboratory staff, located at the University of Lethbridge