Experiential Learning and Education

 Experiential Learning & Education

This week I shall be reviewing experiential learning and education. The philosopher John Dewey brought about the concept of experiential learning (Ord & Leather, 2011). It can be understood as a continuum of living from the past through the present, and into the future and that people make meaning from their experiences (Dewey, 1938/1997). I believe experiential learning is the process we undergo when we are immersed in experiences, review that experience and subsequently grow from that and use it to relate to other present experiences as aptly described by Dewey.

 “When we experience something we act upon it, we do something; then we suffer or undergo the consequences. We do something to the thing and then it does something to us in return: such is the peculiar combination. The connection between these two phases of experience measures the fruitfulness of experience. Mere activity does not constitute experience” (Dewey, 1916/2007, p.104).

For my own work, I adopt the work of (Kolb, 1984) whose work on the experiential education originates from Dewey (Ord & Leather, 2011). The process of the cycle is below in (Figure 1)

Figure 1 Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle

                                 

It describes four stages, firstly, concrete experiences are the action of having or partaking in an experience. Secondly, it is followed by a reflective or observation stage where one tries to learn from the experience. The penultimate stage, one learns from the experience and finally one applies this new knowledge to new experiences in the future. A vast amount of my work during the summer months involves week-long surfing camps with children. In order to adopt experiential education to these aspiring surfers, I implement the model of plan, do, and review by (Neill, 2004). This model is slightly more simplistic than Kolb’s so it allows the children to focus more on the experience of the activity rather than the theoretical side. At the start of the surf camp the surfers outline what they wish to achieve by creating their plans following this they are immersed in the experience and concluding each session we review what happened and possibilities for improvement for the next session and attempt to build on the experience from the day prior to this. It is important to note that it is not the outcome of the experience that matters, rather the journey that one takes while partaking in an experience (Kolb, 1984).

In conclusion, I will continue to build on my knowledge in this area and in particular focusing on avoiding the pitfall of going around the model as Brown (2004) warns, rather engage in discussion with the participants both before, during and after the experience in order to establish what it means to them. This informal education process would build the trust of participants towards the educator and allow for a more in-depth understanding of the experience to occur (Jeffs & Smith, 2005).  This I believe will be extremely beneficial to my ever-evolving philosophy and will enhance the experiences of my participants into the future.

Recommended reading:
I believe that Mike Browns " Let's go around the circle" would be beneficial to readers looking to expand their knowledge on this topic and in particular towards facilitating discussions with their participants to encourage more reflection on experiences.

Brown, M. (2004). “Let’s go round the circle:” How verbal facilitation can function as a means of direct instruction. Journal of Experiential Education. 27(2),161 – 175.

Dewey, J. (2007). Democracy and education. Teddington: Echo Library. (Original work published 1916).

Dewey, J. (1997). Experience and education. New York: Touchstone. (Original work published 1938).

Jeffs, T., & Smith, M.K. (2005). Informal education, conversation, democracy and learning (3rd ed.). Derby: Education Now

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning : experience as the source of learning and development.

Neill, J. (2004). Experiential learning cycles: overview of 9 experiential learning cycle models. Retrieved from http://wilderdom.com/experiential/elc/ExperientialLearningCycle.

Ord, J., & Leather, M. (2011). The Substance Beneath the Labels of Experiential Learning : The Importance of John Dewey for Outdoor Educators. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 15(2), 13–23.