I commented on Andrea Blaylock's (Group 2) and Lesley Smith 's (Group 4) Literature Reviews


Experiential Learning

Mike Burks

EDAC 634

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” (Confucius) The idea of learning through experience has been around for generations. It is what we value the most in our society when it comes to learning. When needing an operation, many people choose the surgeon with the most experience. The hiring staff requires at least 3 or more years of experience in a related field. Why is this? Why do we put so much emphasis on experience in our society? We want someone who has been there before. We view that person as an expert because they have learned more from their experiences than what they did sitting in a classroom. This process of learning through experience has a name. It is called Experiential Learning. “Experiential Learning is the incorporation of active, participatory learning in the course.” (Hawtrey, 2007) It is all about getting out of the desk and learning the material for yourself and physically doing the activity. Many professors have switched to an Experiential Learning method for their classes. It is widely viewed as a superior model of teaching and will continue to be known to put students in real-life situations. Many fields have embraced this model of learning such as teaching, nursing, and social work. In these fields, content is necessary, but that is not the only thing. Personal interaction and communication with clients and other people are necessities as well. (Lukenbill, 1976)

Central Methods and Themes

In the literature I have read on Experiential Learning, certain themes were a common occurrence. Change is inevitable. A lot of students are used to the basic classroom structure and would occasionally not be willing to change the way they learn. Humans are creatures of habit. One thing about Experiential Learning is the fact that it is an ever-changing method. One day might be completely different than the next one. This is just like the real-life situations we face every day. We have to be prepared for them.

The literature also states that Experiential Learning also takes place as part of curriculum for a modern classroom. Many tools used for education purposes can be considered experiential education. Examples of these tools are internships, cooperative education, and practicums. (Sexton, 1977) These are all part of the traditional student’s education process. In these processes, the students are required to take a non-traditional approach to their learning. They are essentially responsible for the learning that takes place. They get experience and they are required to apply it to real-life situations. For example:  An Elementary Education class meets regularly in class and also in the local schools. The students take the knowledge they gained from the class setting and apply it to their lessons they teach. Here, they gain the knowledge and get a small taste of what it is like to teach real students at a real school.

Another theme that a lot of the literature was focused on was the fact that many times, the experiential learning took place prior to the student being enrolled in the current institution.  Many colleges and adult education programs take these past experiences and give the student actual credit. They view the experience is just as relevant as taking courses on campus. I personally believe this should be implemented in more higher education institutions. If the workplace requires and puts so much emphasis on experience, then the colleges and universities should recognize that. Experience is occasionally more preferred than a college degree. I believe experience to be the best form of testing someone to see if they are ready for a certain task relatable to the experience.

This brings me to the next theme: realism. Realism is the common theme that blankets and is the underlying theme of Experiential Learning. It seems schools and colleges have adapted to the ways of lecture, experiments, books, and debating abstract objects. (Weiland, 1981) The literature goes on to say that colleges and universities have lost their way in a sense. The author believes these places of higher education have devalued the importance of experience in the field the student is studying in and brought a new focus of books and hypothetical situations. I believe this is a theme that is most important of all. There always is a place for books, lecture, and hypothetical situations at the University level. But in reality, it is the University’s job to prepare the students for more than just a hypothetical situation. They are supposed to prepare them for what happens day to day in the field of study. For example: A student majoring in business goes to school and takes classes for three to four years before they are required to do an internship. They have taken Accounting and Business Administration classes, but when they go out to do their internship, they have not been required to have any prior real-life experience. To some students, this is okay and they can adapt. To others, it can be a real shock. Here, the student is in a sink or swim situation with no prior experience. If the universities would incorporate a realistic approach and possibly have visits to places of business, the real-life experience would greatly help the students who might struggle.

Implications

            Many of these themes for Experiential Learning can be solved for the betterment of our universities and schools. When moving from a standard focus classroom to a more Experiential Learning focused classroom, change will happen. I would ask the professor or teacher to prepare the class accordingly and follow these steps.

1. Let the learners know what to expect. If they know ahead of time, it will be easier for them to adjust to the new classroom style.

2. Make their objectives known. This is important because it gives them a goal to work towards. Just like a normal class, the learner needs to know what is expected of them.

3. Slowly integrate the Experiential Learning process. Most of the time, going too fast can cause confusion. Creating a nice blend of classroom and real-life experience is a goal for the classroom facilitator.

4. Make the observation standardized. This way, it will give common ground for students to talk about the exercises that were done. (Green, 1978)

            The institutions who use Experiential Learning in their curriculum are on the right path in my opinion. The education your students get is better than most because of your use for Experiential Learning. These institutions should be more open about the Use of their Experiential Learning. Be sure to let the students know what is to be expected of them every day they go to the practicum or internship. Contemplate the possibility of having the students involved in these programs keeping a journal for their own use. The journal will help the students constantly be aware of what is happening around them. It will also prepare them for the real-life situations that they are bound to face in the workforce. If a problem arises, they can write it down with the solution that it was figured out with. Then they can go back and read it whenever they need additional help.

            The institutions who accept experience as credit are definitely in the minority in this country, but I believe they are enriching their student body by accepting the experience of their students. I think the Universities and other institutions can expand on this idea. They can create programs that reach out to businesses that want more educated people to work for them. In this program, the University will recognize the experience of the people with this company therefore, cutting down the amount of classes the people need to take in order to get a degree. This is beneficial for both parties involved. Most people do not go back to school because of time constraints.  If the school recognizes that the prospective student has already had as much experience to consider it credit, then they can get their degree faster and cheaper.

            All of these institutions have a focus of realism in their curricula. My only suggestion for these places would be to keep the students grounded. Remind them that they are still in school and the grade is still important. From my past experiences I have seen students get lazy and lax with their Experiential Learning. This is mainly due to the fact that classroom facilitators do not make the expectations clear for the class. The students should realize that even though the class might not be set up like a traditional class, the grades will be viewed the same by employers and officials.

                                                                     Reflection

            One part that stood out the most to me was the fact that there are schools that accept prior experience for course credit. I always wondered if this was feasible. It looks like it is. Being out in the workforce, I see how there is a huge demand for experience. Since it is so important, I only feel like schools should recognize it. I completed this assignment by reading through multiple journals and taking advice from experts in the field. I learned that Experiential Learning is more than just guided experience outside of the classroom. It is learning on your own and should be taken seriously by employers and educational institutions alike.

The main themes/ideas in the literature                 Application of the main ideas in practice

Idea #1 - Change	Keep the environment learning-friendly. Follow the three steps
Idea #2 – Curriculum-based Experiential Learning	Keep a journal. Make sure expectations are known
Idea #3 – Recognizing experience as school credit	Reach out to more potential students with programs focused on businesses
Idea#4 - Realism	Keep students grounded

References

Green, S. G., & Taber, T. D.. (1978). Structuring Experiential Learning through Experimentation. The
Academy of Management Review, 3(4), 889–895. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/257942

Hawtrey, K.. (2007). Using Experiential Learning Techniques. The Journal of Economic Education, 38(2),
             143–152. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30042762

Lukenbill, W. B.. (1976). Content or Process: A Personal Look at Experiential Learning. Journal of
              Education for Librarianship, 16(3), 195–204. http://doi.org/10.2307/40322454

Sexton, R. F.. (1977). [Review of Experiential Learning: Rationale, Characteristics, and Assessment]. The
               Journal of Higher Education, 48(3), 353–356. http://doi.org/10.2307/1978689

Weiland, S.. (1981). Emerson, Experience, and Experiential Learning. Peabody Journal of Education,
               58(3), 161–167. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1492097