Difference between revisions of "Experiential Learning"

Difference between revisions of "Experiential Learning"

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#Warm-up exercise (about 10min): it is crucial to establish the right kind of openness to experience. A simple and safe exercise is to ask participants, in pairs, to spend five minutes each telling each other about a rich and rewarding learning experience they have had, and how that felt.
 
#Warm-up exercise (about 10min): it is crucial to establish the right kind of openness to experience. A simple and safe exercise is to ask participants, in pairs, to spend five minutes each telling each other about a rich and rewarding learning experience they have had, and how that felt.
 
#Workshop 1 (about 1 hour): learning sequences and experiential learning
 
#Workshop 1 (about 1 hour): learning sequences and experiential learning
−
#:Introduce yourself within your group.
+
#:*Introduce yourself within your group.
−
#:Discuss the four stages of the experiential learning cycle (concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation) with the aim of clarifying what they mean and clearing up misunderstandings.
+
#:*Discuss the four stages of the experiential learning cycle (concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation) with the aim of clarifying what they mean and clearing up misunderstandings.
−
#:Take a section from a course, or a teaching or training session, for which you are responsible, and analyse the sequence of learning activities involved in terms of the stages of the experiential learning cycle.
+
#:*Take a section from a course, or a teaching or training session, for which you are responsible, and analyse the sequence of learning activities involved in terms of the stages of the experiential learning cycle.
−
#:Take it in turn to explain your analyses of your courses or sessions to your group. Try to keep to the terminology of experiential learning theory. Ask yourself whether the sequences you use follow the experiential learning cycle.
+
#:*Take it in turn to explain your analyses of your courses or sessions to your group. Try to keep to the terminology of experiential learning theory. Ask yourself whether the sequences you use follow the experiential learning cycle.
−
#:Raise issues which emerge with the whole group.
+
#:*Raise issues which emerge with the whole group.
 
#Break (about 30 min)
 
#Break (about 30 min)
 
#Workshop 2 (about 1 hour): experiential learning styles
 
#Workshop 2 (about 1 hour): experiential learning styles

Revision as of 11:09, 22 September 2009

Term2.png EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Process by which participants learn through personally experience and involvement. Experience is translated into concepts then used to guide choices in new situations, building new experiences. The theory of experiential learning has been developed by the psychologist David Kolb who sees immediate and concrete experiences as the basis for observation and reflection. [1]


The Kolb’s experiential learning theory has four learning styles:
Learning style Content Examples
Activists Concrete experiences Attending training workshops
Reflectors Reflective observation, reviewing, and thinking self-reflections, peer observation, and assessment
Theorists Converging, abstract conceptualization, and exploring Readings and personal development
Pragmatists Accommodating, planning, using lessons learned, and active experimentation Practical issues
Experiential learning enable each individual to learn according to the learning style which is more comfortable for him/her. While conventional learning is focused on the organization's needs and aim to transfer to participants some pre-determined skills, from outside and for an external purpose; in experiential learning the primary driver is to encourage people to develop as individuals, from the inside out and for internal growth. In experiential learning participants are supposed to feel positive emotions and, therefore, to have a positive attitude toward future learning.


Link icon.png Web Resources
Below you have a list of selected websites where you can find some interesting sample of Experiential Learning activities:
Link Content
www.businessballs.com Sample experiential learning activities, concepts and principles.


Toolkit.png Conducting an Experiential Learning Process

Step by Step

  1. Assess: facilitators have to know what they want the group to learn and take away from each activity.
  2. Plan: make sure you have all of the supplies you need and understand how the activity works. It is important to know how much time you will need and how you will end the activity.
  3. Prepare: assemble any materials you will need. Confer with your co-leaders to ensure the plan is understood.
  4. Lead: make sure everyone know the rules. Observe the groups and remember things they do and say. Make use of these observations in your debrief.
  5. Evaluate: look back on your performance as the facilitator and the group’s reaction to the activity (learn from them both).
  6. Debriefing: it occurs after the experiential learning activity and it is a time during which the experiential activities can be explained in their focus and intent.
  7. Processing: it is closely associated with debriefing and represents the final stage which involves assisting the participants to comprehend and internalize their experiences, and the lessons learned from them. The purpose of these sessions is to generate discussion that in some way enlightens each participant.

Example of one-day Experiential Learning workshop

The warm-up exercise can be crucial to establishing the right kind of openness to experience. A simple and safe exercise is to ask participants, in pairs, to spend five minutes each telling each other about a rich and rewarding learning experience they have had, and how that felt.

  1. Introduction (about 10min)
    • Explain the programme.
    • Hand out copies of the guide.
    • Appoint an announcer and timekeeper.
  2. Warm-up exercise (about 10min): it is crucial to establish the right kind of openness to experience. A simple and safe exercise is to ask participants, in pairs, to spend five minutes each telling each other about a rich and rewarding learning experience they have had, and how that felt.
  3. Workshop 1 (about 1 hour): learning sequences and experiential learning
    • Introduce yourself within your group.
    • Discuss the four stages of the experiential learning cycle (concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation) with the aim of clarifying what they mean and clearing up misunderstandings.
    • Take a section from a course, or a teaching or training session, for which you are responsible, and analyse the sequence of learning activities involved in terms of the stages of the experiential learning cycle.
    • Take it in turn to explain your analyses of your courses or sessions to your group. Try to keep to the terminology of experiential learning theory. Ask yourself whether the sequences you use follow the experiential learning cycle.
    • Raise issues which emerge with the whole group.
  4. Break (about 30 min)
  5. Workshop 2 (about 1 hour): experiential learning styles
  6. Break (about 10 min)
  7. Workshop 3 (about 1 hour): case studies in experiential learning
  8. Break (about 1 hour)
  9. Workshop 4 (about 1 hour): course design for experiential learning
  10. Debriefing and processing (about 1,5 hour)

Facilitator’s Role

  • Learner is central. The facilitator provides the learner with a service, but only the learner can make best use of his opportunities if he’s ready, willing and able to become personally involved in the learning process.
  • Accentuate the positives. Concentrate learning and reviews on the positives more than the negatives.
  • Ask questions only. If you observe a point that isn’t raised during a review it is legitimate to raise it, but only through questioning – don’t tell people what they should learn!
  • Believe in the learners. You have to believe that learners have the potential to make progress and be committed to the fact that your role is to provide opportunities for others to learn and progress. [2]




References

  1. ↑ www.businessballs.com(22 May 2009), www.odi.org.uk/alnap (30 June 2008), www.reliefweb.int (30 June 2008)
  2. ↑ Consalvo, C., Experiential Training Activities for Outside and In. 1993. HRD Press., www2.glos.ac.uk (9 September 2009), www.businessballs.com (9 September 2009)
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