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Experiential Education

Page history last edited by Stephanie Knox 13 years, 7 months ago

Experiential Education

 

Tell me and I will forget.  Show me and I may remember.  Involve me and I will understand.  ~Chinese Proverb

 

What is Experiential Education?

Experiential education is a broad term that encompasses the learning approaches that will be addressed in this section as well as many othres such as constructivism and outdoor education.  The proverb above is key to experiential education since it promotes active involvement in learning, in contrast to other less participatory methods.  Experiential education is based on intentionally engaging learnings in direct experience, which is followed by reflection. The goal of experiential education is to gain knowledge and skills as well as to give students the forum to clarify their personal values.  Experiential education does not need to take place within the classroom or even within a traditional school structure.  Coaches, camp counselors, therapists and corporate team builders can all be experiential educators.   Experiential education is strongly based on the philosophies of John Dewey, Maria Montessori and Paulo Freire.  Experiential education can take on different forms such as holstic, participatory and cooperative learning, which will be explored in greater detail below.

 

The Principles of Experiential Education

  • Experiencies should be carefully chosen as they need to support reflection, critical analysis and synthesis.

  • The experience must require learner initative and accountability.  Therefore, the learner is active in posing questions, investigating, experimenting and in general in shaping the learning experience.

  • Learners must be engaged not simply intellectually but also socially, emotionally, spiritually and/or physically.  

  • Relationships are key to experiential education (the relationship to one's self, to others and to the world).

  • Learning is a personal process and provides the basis for future experiences.  

  • The outcomes of the educational experience can never be completely predicted and therefore learners can learn just as much from mistakes as they can from success. 

  • Spontaneous opportunities for learning are just as important as pre-planned activities.  

  • The educator must work to set up appropriate experiences and problems, create boundaries and ensure safety.  The educator must also be wary of his/her personal biases that impact the learner.    

(Note: This is a long list of principles since experiential education is such a broad term.  Each educaor places different emphasis on each principle.)

 

How to Apply Experiential Education

We will now look at three types of Experiential education: Holistic EducationParticipatory Education, and Cooperative Learning.

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