Learning, experiential

A perspective that could help in changing focus from teaching to learning could be illustrated by the formula knowledge = information x processing 

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Advanced Higher Chemistry is a challenging, but rewarding, course, it has been devised to allow you to develop the ability to think analytically, creatively and Independently, and to make reasoned evaluations. The course emphasises practical and experiential learning opportunities with a strong skills-based approach. 

For many readers of this book the starting point for learning may not be an experiential learning project but a... 

Although this book focuses on a complete project, it does not mean that you have slavishly to follow through all the steps of a project In order to benefit from it. How far you Involve yourself in the total project cycle, or even use this book as a basis for experiential learning, is a matter for you to decide in the light of your particular needs and circumstances. You could ... 

Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of experiential learning is making us aware not only our own preferences but also those of other people. But this cannot be achieved without some reflection and Introspection, which may come more easily to the introvert than to the extrovert. 

It is possible that something could be lost from a developmental point of view if the experiential learning process is not entirely self-directed. But this is more a matter of how the project is handled than to do with whether or not you are the originator of the idea. 

By understanding the processes Involved in experiential learning you will be able to reflect more systematically and insightfully on your experience and thereby gain greater learning and understanding from it. 

The broad sequence of experiential learning is depicted by the arrowed lines around the circumference of Figure 5.2. You are in effect conducting an experiment to see whether your ideas for achieving your goals will work. 

The process of assimilating new experiential learning and consolidating it into your future repertoire. 

Appreciate fully what your experiential learning tells you about managing and about yourself and... 

Much development through experience takes place at the time of the experience. Often it is Intuitive, virtually unconscious. You have done something, so you know it. Something happens and you absorb its meaning. But some experiential learning will need more deliberate and calm reflection after the event. 

This neglect of the learner s part in reflection is, however, beginning to be remedied. David Boud and colleagues in their own contribution to their edited book. Reflection Turning Experierxce into Learning (1985), have set out what I believe to be the first attempt at a comprehensive description of the reflective process in experiential learning. They note that ... 

Some readers may be on an academic course which demands that you write a report or dissertation in which you relate your experiential learning to the wider body of management theory and knowledge, perhaps even develop your own theories or principles. The process of relating your experience to organized knowledge Involves analysing the events you have experienced, to produce ... 

You need to think too about the range of circumstances in which your experiential learning would be relevant. When competences are assessed for a qualification, the range of circumstances in which you are able to exercise the competency is taken into account. So one outcome you may seek from your reflection is to extend the range of circumstances in which you can use the competences you have acquired. Competency has been defined (Edmonds, 1992) as ... 

One of the most valuable indicators of the worth of your experiential learning is your sense of whether or not you have been doing, or are now doing, the right things. Looldng back you have a sense of that was it . 

Five precepts that you might take away from your experiential learning and incorporate in your everyday managing are suggested. 

Embarking on experiential learning will inevitably draw you, at least to some degree, into the behaviour and thought pattern of the Wanderer archetype. It is scarcely possible to explore your world and your self without raising questions about where you fit and seeking to change. 

What gains from your experiential learning do you wish to consolidate into your everyday practice Will you be able to do this Are there any further steps needed ... 

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning Experience as the Source of Learning and Developnwnt. Prentice Hall. 

Agroecosystems analysis from the grass roots a multidimensional experiential learning course. Journal of Natural Resource and Life Science Education 32 73-79. 

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