“Experiential Learning For DCP Students” The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly Dr. Elaine Ahumada Dean, College of Professional Studies

Four Important Questions  What does it mean to learn from experience?  What does it involve?  What is the role of an instructor?  Is it effective?

Experiential Learning for Adults means: Informal (planned & intentional) and incidental (meaning making) learning  Self-directed learning  Working knowledge  Practical intelligence  Situational learning For adults it means particular theories and practices based on reflection on concrete experience (Michelson, 1996). kinesthetic, conscious, and unconscious among subjects, texts and contexts

Theory of Experiential Learning  Constructivism (Piaget 1966; Von Glaserfeld 1984; Vygotsky 1978; Wells 1995) cognitive reflection upon concrete experience through:  holistic experiences  critical reflection  coaching /mentoring in the midst  assessing the experience

“Learning by Doing”  John Dewey (1938) Experience and Education :“Continuity” and “Interactions” are two main ingredients for success  Boud, Cohen, Walker (1993) “Engagement is key”  Reeve & Gallacher (1999)“Experience as a starting point for learning has the potential to erode traditional boundaries between knowledge and skills, vocational and academic learning and across disciplines”

What does it involve? David Kolb (1984) provides one of the most useful descriptive models of the situative adult learning process available ( inspired by the work of Kurt Lewin) 

Role of the Instructor Orientations/Perspectives  Psychoanalytic-unconscious dimensions  Situative – individual/community of practice  Critical/cultural- social transformation  Enactivist- human action, orgs, culture, nature

Criticisms  Are instructors “managing” adults?  What is an identifiable “concrete experience?  Do instructors control the “desired” knowledge?  Is there any agreement regarding definition of “knowledge” and “learning”?  What is the role of power and language?  What are the conceptualizations of desired learning outcomes?  EL is neither neutral nor innocent  “Not all experience educates”

Questions of Validity  Class discussion, reading, analysis, reflection  Educator assists in connecting the dots (expertise required)

Points to consider Accredited learning for progression or employment: APL, APEL, PLA, RPL Challenge higher and continuing education schools and curriculum Focusing on social change Focusing on individual development Curriculum and instruction surveys Idea of knowledge by acquaintance vs. knowledge about something

Questions/Comments Thank you! Elaine Ahumada