The Promises of Experiential Learning Vivian Neal Educational - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Promises of Experiential Learning Vivian Neal Educational Developer Simon Fraser University Canada

Session Overview  What is experiential learning?  What models of experiential learning are we talking about?  What do we know about how people learn?  What are the implications for teaching strategies?

Exercise  Think about an experience you had from which you had profound learning.  What specifically did you learn?  What made it impactful and stick with you today?  When did you know you had learned what you did?  Was there a generalizable lesson learned from this experience and of so, where else have you used the general lesson?  Share?

Is this a new thing?  Experiential learning is as old as humans have been learning from each other – eg. imitation, and trial and error.  Craft, guild and trade learning have always focused on apprenticeship.  While didactic learning has also been around, experiential learning has always been a component.  Philosophers such as Descartes and Locke referenced the importance of experience for learning, and later more contemporary theorists such as Dewey embraced experience as a central feature of learning.

What is Experiential Learning?  Experiential Learning: a change in a learner’s knowledge, skills, understanding or beliefs as a result of an experience. Eg. backpacking through Europe with friends and picking up an additional language or changing your perspectives on what is important in life.  In the university setting it involves the purposeful engagement of students in direct experience and focused reflection to enhance knowledge, development of skills, and/or clarify values.

Individual Activity Using your computer or phone, Log on: www.menti.com Use the code: 17 36 43 and attempt the two questions.

How do people learn from experience? Some contemporary theories and models describing Experiential Learning:  Kolb  Schön  Lave and Wenger  Mezirow

Kolb’s Model (1984)  describes a four-stage model that the learner continuously moves through, in an iterative manner. Typically a learner starts with a concrete experience , followed by formulating a set of observations and reflections about that experience, after which the learner begins to form abstract generalizations which they later test in new situations (which would then create a new set of concrete experiences and so on).

Schön’s Reflection In and On Practice (1983)  the learner engages iteratively with the problem situation often resulting in the re-framing of their original conception of the problem, and changes in subsequent strategies and actions.  Schön conceives of this as “reflection in action” and talks about learners engaging in “reflective conversations” with the practice situation.

Lave and Wenger’s Situated Learning (1991)  the learner and their learning cannot be separated from the world in which the learning occurs – all learning is situated and often stuck in the context within which it is learned.  knowledge always undergoes construction and transformation in use , and this occurs uniquely within a community of practice within which the learner. Knowledge is then a social construct.  legitimate peripheral participation is the learning process where students or newcomers slowly move toward complete participation in a community of practice as they progressively master the required skills and knowledge of that community.

Mezirow (1991): Transformative Learning  transformative learning is “a process in which we become critically reflective of our own assumptions , arrive at an insight, and are able to justify our new perspective through discourse”.  Transformative Learning theory encourages learners to engage in personal and social change by removing themselves from previously held assumptions and belief systems  Three core elements are identified: Experience , Critical Reflection and Dialogue .

Transformative Learning (cont’d)  It is this type of learning that international education proponents speak about and which learners reflect upon as having been most powerful.  It is firmly grounded in constructivism -- learners interpret their experiences in their own way and how we see the world is a result of our perceptions of our experiences. Transformative learning is the process of examining, questioning and revising those perceptions(Taylor and Cranton, 2012).

Snapshots of Experiential Learning  Nicky Didicher – English Literature  Community-Based Project Learning (2.5 min)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWNmdBJ351Q  Glyn Williams – Earth Sciences  Role Play, Field Trip (2 min)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28mzYMgWw3g&t=4s

Exercise: Think, pair, share  Based on the experiential activities described in the videos and the learning theories discussed, sketch out a plan for an experiential learning activity in your classroom.  3 min sketch out an experiential activity (Think)  5 min share your idea with a partner (Pair)  Share with others - one example from each site (Share) • Subject, programme, number of students, description of activity

What are the commonalities across these models that describe how people learn?  Learning is an iterative process: the learner experiences, makes meaning, generalizes, then tests (transfers) their generalizations/understandings in new contexts. This is often repeated several times (practiced) as the problem and meaning/solutions get refined.  For learners to create/ascribe meaning requires reflection , often through conversation, use of metaphor etc. both during and after the experience.  Sometimes this reflection and meaning making disturbs the learners core assumptions and beliefs , leading to experiences that could be described as transformational.  Most often learning is a social process that needs to be framed and supported by the educator.

Design implications for experiential learning  Throughout the experiential learning process, the learner is actively engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, identifying problems, testing solutions, assuming responsibility, being creative, and constructing meaning.  Learners are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully and/or physically . This involvement helps make the learning task authentic.  The results of the learning are personal and form the basis for future learning . Educators must strive to be aware of their biases, judgments and pre-conceptions, and how these influence the learner.

Design implications for experiential education programs (cont’d)  The educator and learner may experience success, failure, mistakes, adventure, risk-taking and uncertainty, because the experiences (and their natural outcomes) cannot totally be predicted .  The design of the learning experience incorporates the educator recognizing different possible outcomes and understands how to turn them into spontaneous opportunities for learning .  Opportunities are nurtured for learners and educators to explore and examine their own values.

Evaluation Methods for Experiential Learning  Traditional assessment tools (tests, essays, exams) may be used for the informational elements of the curriculum.  Different tools are needed to assess learning from experiences and reflections.  Self-evaluations – verbal and written  Group presentations  Narratives, eg. journaling  Case study analysis  Surveys to elicit perceptions  Checklists of evidence of behaviour or cognitive change  Concept mapping – depicts graphical synthesis of concepts

References  Dewey, J. (1938). Experience & Education. New York, NY: Kappa Delta Pi.  Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentrice-Hall.  Lave, J., Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learing: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.  Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning . San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.  Moon, J.A. (2004). A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning: Theory and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer.  Schön, D.A. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Toward a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the Professions . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Thank You  Thank you for your interest and participation. For more information regarding this presentation please contact: Vivian Neal vneal@sfu.ca