Experiential Learning: Learning Through Reflective Practice
International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE), Volume 8, Issue 1, March 2017Experiential Learning: Learning through Reflective PracticeKaren RolandUniversity of Windsor, CanadaAbstractExperiential learning is a means to enhancestudent learning by providing the opportunity,through reflective practice, for students to developknowledge and apply theory in practice. Based onthe extant literature, and my experience as anexperiential learning specialist in a teachereducation program, I offer the following as corebenefits of experiential learning for students: 1)experiential learning provides students withopportunities to critically engage in learning –providing students with a deeper and moremeaningful understanding of theoretical knowledgebeyond the textbook; 2) providing mentoring andguided navigation of the realities of the workplace –the ability to successfully traverse the nuanced andat times, problematic realities of the workplace; andmost importantly, 3) allowing for the development ofathoughtful,personalcommitmenttoprofessionalism through reflective practice –intrinsically, through reflective practice, studentsbecome agents of their own learning characterizedby a meta-cognitive awareness of their developmentas novice professionals. Throughout this paper thesebenefits are discussed through the lens of threeresearch studies: Conversations About Education,Associate Teacher Feedback, and TeacherCandidate Partnerships. This research contextunderscores the impact of experiential learning toengage students so that they may learn and growprofessionally through reflective practice.1. IntroductionUniversity educators have come a long way interms of their willingness to embrace the significanceand relevance of experiential learning as a means toenhance student learning. Specifically, experientiallearning provides students with the opportunity todemonstrate their ability to apply theory in practicethrough professional competence; this competence isunderscored by critical analysis and self-reflectionconcerning their practice. Prior to my role as anexperiential learning specialist I was a university cooperative education (co-op) coordinator. As a co-opcoordinator I supervised and advised undergraduatestudents in a diverse range of academic disciplinesCopyright 2017, Infonomics Societyduring the co-operative education component oftheir degree programs. The value of co-opplacements to provide these students withopportunities to apply theory-in-practice and todevelop their professional practice during ‘on thejob’ experience, became readily apparent to me.Today, as an experiential learning specialist in aSouthwestern Ontario Faculty of Education preservice teacher education program, recognition ofthe positive impact of experiential learning as anapproach with which to enhance studentdevelopment of professionalism through reflectivepractice, has gained even greater relevance for meas an educator.Professionalism in teaching practice is essential,and in most jurisdictions there are ethical andprofessional standards of practice that must beadhered to for licensing within the profession.However, while experiential learning may becrucial to successful entry into the teachingprofession, I would suggest that this learningapproach would also be highly beneficial tostudents pursuing post-secondary academic studiesin any discipline. The reason is that experientiallearning educates students to become agents of theirown learning – in other words, to apply theoreticalknowledge in practice, praxis.John Dewey postulates that it is the responsibilityof educators to recognize and be aware of thelearning environments that are conducive to growth[3, p. 40], and that furthermore, “continuity andinteraction in their active union with each otherprovide the measure of the educative significanceand value of an experience” [3, p. 44-45]. From apost-secondary curriculum planning stance whatthis means for educators is that experiential learningmust be thoughtfully planned to include curriculathat interacts with experience, what is referred to insome teacher education programs as a constructivistpedagogical approach. However, Kolb [5] also addsthat beyond a constructivism in which learningoccurs solely in the mind of the learner, that“ learning is the process whereby knowledge iscreated through the transformation of experience.Knowledge results from the combination ofgrasping experience and transforming it” [5, p. 67].2982
International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE), Volume 8, Issue 1, March 2017These are important factors to consider as theyemphasize the positive impact experiential learningmay have in terms of student learning andengagement at the post-secondary academic level.Experiential learning in post-secondary academicprograms may take many forms, some examplesinclude: co-op placements, practicum placements,and internships [7]. There are similarities as well asdifferences in each of these experiential learningmodels. For instance, co-op placements are usuallypaid work experience that weave throughoutacademic studies whereby a student is hired for aspecified period of time by an employer – this maybe project related work, or, it may be a regularposition within the company. Practicum placementsdiffer in that students in pre-service teachereducation programs are not hired or paid as teachersduring their practicum placements; and yet, inOntario, these students once on placement, becomeaffiliate members of the teacher unions. This meansthat student teachers are held to the ethical andprofessional standards of the teaching profession inOntario [7]. An important similarity of both co-opand practicum experiential learning placements isthat the student’s academic program alternates orweaves between periods of academic study, andwork experience placements. Additionally, duringtheir work experience placements students areprovided with an on-the-job mentor/supervisor aswell as an academic supervisor to provide them withguidance and assessment. Internships on the otherhand may occur in the middle or at the end of anacademic program. Internships may also be paid orunpaid work experience placements whereby thestudent is afforded the opportunity to gain workrelated experience at the behest of thecompany/organization – it should be noted thatrecently some educators and employers have voicedtheir concern about the practice of unpaid internshipsas being unfair to students, particularly in terms ofextended internships – internship placements mayrange from 4 to 12 months in length [7].In discussing the role of employers to meet theneeds of the labour market, the Conference Board ofCanada [2] asserts that Canadian employers have anexpectation that post-secondary institutions willproduce ‘job-ready’ graduates with the skills andknowledge necessary to align with the needs of theemploymentmarketplace.Furthermore,thisalignment of graduates with labour market needs hasimplications at a national level – there is a linkbetween the school system and national well-being interms of beneficial social and economic factors. Theimportance of this linkage is emphasized inHargreaves and Fullan’s assertion that effectiveschool systems are: “nation builders and nationalCopyright 2017, Infonomics Societyassets” [4, p. 2]. Therefore, I would suggest thatexperiential learning is of great importance for 21stcentury teaching and learning. Based on the extantliterature, my own experience as an experientiallearning specialist and co-operative educationcoordinator, in this paper I will discuss what Isuggest are three core benefits of experientiallearning for students.2. Benefits of experiential learningThe discussion in this paper is based on apresentation I made in 2016 at an internationalconference on education [7]. The following are whatI would suggest are the core benefits of experientiallearning for students: 1) experiential learningprovides students with opportunities to criticallyengage in learning – providing students with adeeper and more meaningful understanding oftheoretical knowledge beyond the textbook; 2)experiential learning provides students withmentorship and a guided navigation so that they mayhone the skills necessary to successfully traverse thenuanced, and at times, problematic realities of theworkplace; and most importantly, 3) experientiallearning allows for the development of a thoughtfuland personal commitment by students toprofessionalism through reflective practice –intrinsically, through reflective practice, studentsbecome agents of their own learning characterized bya meta-cognitive awareness of their development asnovice professionals [7]. In the remainder of thispaper these three beneficial aspects of experientiallearning will be discussed through the lens ofresearch that I have conducted over the years in myrole as an experiential learning specialist in a preservice teacher education program.2.1. Enhancing student engagement throughreflective practiceKolb suggests that as a learning theory,experiential learning offers a “holistic integrativeperspective on learning that combines experience,perception, cognition, and behavior [5, p. 31], whathe opines are the four modes of the experientiallearning cycle: “experiencing, reflecting, thinking,and acting” [5, p. 295]. Kolb further asserts that inexperiential learning theory, reflection involves the“internal transformation of experience” .whichrequires reflective “cognitive complexity and thecapacity for critical thinking” [5, p. 58]. Hepostulates that experiential learning spaces support avery different model of learning than the traditionalclassroom by offering students the opportunity toengage in deeper more meaningful learning.2983
International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE), Volume 8, Issue 1, March 2017Furthermore, he expounds that experiential learningmay result in greater learning retention as the studentmoves from one experiential learning mode toanother throughout the learning cycle. Therefore,viewed from an experiential learning lens,developing and enhancing student engagementinvolves exploring ideas and reflecting on thislearning process, as well as learning from others’experience and shifting points of view to create newknowledge and understanding [9].Sharing knowledge and perspectives is a keyelement of developing professional practice. Withthis in mind, in 2012 working with two graduateresearch assistants, we conducted a programevaluation of a pilot project offered through theFaculty of Education entitled, Conversations AboutEducation. The purpose of this pilot project was toprovide an experiential learning opportunity forstudent teachers outside of their regular classroomlearning space by bringing them together withmembers of the educational community (faculty,school teachers, administrators, and educators whoidentified themselves as Newcomers to Canada), todiscuss educational issues. This pilot project soughtto create a ‘collective forum’ where educationalissues could be discussed through a multi-epistemiclens [9]. Personal perspectives concerning issuesrelevant to education and classrooms in Ontario werediscussed; the sharing of these personal perspectivesallowed for a meaningful understanding of thelived/life experience of the participants. The goal ofthese discussions was to promote communitybuilding, and through reflective practice, allowparticipants as professional educators, to collectivelyconfront bias in teaching practice.Three separate Conversations About Educationevents hosted by the Faculty of Education, were heldover a four month period. The first event wasentitled, ‘Creating a Community in your Classroom’and was facilitated by a local school board Child andYouth Worker. The event participants includedFaculty of Education students and faculty members,school board teachers and administrators, andnewcomers to Canada who identified as educators.The presentation by the Child and Youth Workerwas followed by small group discussions of thefollowing questions: What is the most supportiveapproach to dealing with disengaged students? Whatis your personal philosophy of discipline? What aresome of the impact factors (environmental orsituational) that students bring with them to theclassroom? How do staff contribute to this? Why isyour relationship with your students your insurancepolicy when times are bad? The next event entitled,‘Permission to Disagree’ was facilitated by theDirector of Education from the Canadian CivilCopyright 2017, Infonomics SocietyLiberties. Participants included Faculty of Educationstudents and faculty members. This event involvedgroup discussions of various human rights casesfacing the courts in Canada. In each of the casesdiscussed the participants were encouraged to arriveat a number of possible decisions – the goal was toavoid consensus – hence, the participants were givenpermission to disagree. Participants were askedabout how many points of view they could defend,acknowledging that there was no ‘correct’ answer.The goal of this session was to promote discussionand disagreement in a respectful space. The finalevent was entitled, ‘Restorative Justice in ourSchools’ and was facilitated by a local high schoolVice-Principal. Participants of this event included,Faculty of Education students and faculty members,and school board teachers and administrators. TheVice-Principal presented an overview of RestorativeJustice Practices in schools, and facilitated a wholegroup discussion of the following central question:What is your capacity to implement restorativepractices at the school, classroom or communitylevel?At the core of this pilot project was the beliefthat educators, engaging in reflective practice maychallenge hegemony and stereotypical attitudes tobecome ‘agents of change’ to promote and protectsocial justice and equity within an educationalcommunity of practice [9]. This project supported acritical pedagogical approach with which participantswere able to reflect and “contest cultural hegemonyin the classroom .from sharing knowledge anddiverse perspectives to keep abreast of the everchanging cultural diversity in classrooms and theeducational community” [9, p. 484]. Thus, this studydemonstrated how a local community came togetherto share experiences and insights with one anotherfrom diverse backgrounds. Further, that teachers,educators and students bring to the classroomexperiences and preconceptions based on their ownlived/life experiences. This project allowed for theexploration and discussion of pre-conceived ideasthrough a multi-epistemic lens.Results from the program evaluation indicated thatthis pilot project was successful in providing anexperiential learning opportunity for educationprofessionals. In completing the program evaluationof this pilot project, focus group sessions were heldwith the event participants. During these focus groupsessions the participants indicated that at the eventsthey were able to engage in meaningful learning andto share knowledge. Furthermore, in reflecting upontheir own learning, these participants indicated thatthey had benefited greatly by engaging in thislearning process to develop a deeper understanding2984
International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE), Volume 8, Issue 1, March 2017and appreciation of the multi-epistemic perspectivesand experiences shared by other educators [9].2.2. Navigating the realities of the workplacethrough reflective practiceClarke states that teaching “is the professionalpractice of engaging teachers in the construction ofknowledge directly related to the area of studyknown as teaching” [1, p. 600]. The design of mostteacher education programs has been set up toscaffold experiential learning: course-based learningis integrated with practica to provide the learningexperiences with which students may apply theory inpractice, praxis. In terms of professional practice,Schön contends that ‘reflect-in-action’ in aprofessional context such as teaching, requires thatthe practitioner reflects on their knowing [12, p. 6].Moreover, Schön opines that importantly, duringprofessional learning contexts such as reflectivepracticums, learners are provided the time necessaryto reflect to “unlearn initial expectations, to masterthe practice, and to shift repeatedly back and forthbetween reflection on and in action” [12, p. 9]; whathe suggests is that learners become “proficient at akind of reflection-in-action” [12, p. 8]. Schön’sknowing-in-practice concept is particularly relevantto teacher education programs where experientiallearning is facilitated through the mentorship andcoaching provided by associate teachers in theclassroom. These associate teacher mentor/coachesassist students to successfully navigate the nuancedand at times, problematic realities of the classroom[7].Associate teachers play an extremely importantrole in the triumvirate teacher education learningpartnership consisting of: student teacher, facultyadvisor and associate teacher. The Faculty ofEducation values the opportunity to activelycollaborate and consult with associate teachers asteacher educator colleagues. The construction ofknowledge gained through the process of mentorshipand guidance provided by associate teachers duringpracticum experiences is critically important to thedevelopment of student teachers’ self-efficacy inteaching practice [8]. Furthermore, Osterman [6]elucidates that reflective practice, through anexperiential learning process that integratesreflection with constructed knowledge, may fosterthis self-efficacy. Given this, in 2008 I conducted astudy with associate teachers.During 2008, 947 associate teachers employedwith three Southwestern Ontario school boards wereinvited to voluntarily participate in a research studyby responding to an online questionnaire, AssociateTeacher Feedback: Anonymous & ConfidentialCopyright 2017, Infonomics SocietyQuestionnaire [8]. There were 134 associate teacherrespondents to the online anonymous andconfidential questionnaire. This questionnaireexplored, from the perspective of associate teachers,the nature of the relationship between the associateteacher, the faculty advisor, and the teachercandidate (student teacher) [8]. The research studysought to identify strategies and recommendationswith which to strengthen and foster the learningrelationship developed between these stakeholders.The questionnaire was comprised of three sectionsused to explore associate teachers’ perceptions of: 1)their role as teaching mentors/coaches; 2) the supportthat they felt they required from faculty advisors toeffectively perform their role as mentor/coach; and,3) the recommendations that they could provideconcerning strategies with which to strengthen thetriumvirate learning partnership. [8]. At the crux ofthis study was an investigation to understand the roleof associate teachers in facilitating experientiallearning.The online anonymous and confidentialquestionnaire used in the study was developed basedon a review of extant literature. Question stylesincluded: open-ended questions which invitedassociate teachers to share their individual insights;rank order questions which asked associate teachersto rank factors in terms of their importance forsupport; and lastly, associate teachers were asked torespond to a 5-point Likert scale indicating theirlevel of agreement/disagreement with a question [8,p. 40].The findings of the study indicated that associateteachers felt they needed greater opportunities toconsult and collaborate with faculty, to engage inwhat Roth and Boyd [11] refer to as ‘coparticipationin practice’ in order to foster competency in theteaching-learning environment and to support “amentoring model of consultation and collaboration inteacher education” [8, p. 42]. The associate teacherrespondents characterized the faculty advisor as apartner “to support [the] teach
Experiential Learning: Learning through Reflective Practice . Karen Roland . University of Windsor, Canada . Abstract . Experiential learning is a means to enhance student learning by providing the opportunity, through reflective practice, for students to develop knowledge and apply theory in practice. Based on
Developed by Learning Advisers 2 Sample Reflective journal The following are extracts from a Reflective journal written for the course, Reflective Nursing Practice 1 by a first year student, Chrissy Poulos: CHRISSY POULOS – REFLECTIVE JOURNAL Excerpt from Week I
innovators, a philosophy of education based on a philosophy of experience. John Dewey, Experience and Education This inaugural issue of Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education marks a milestone in the growing awareness and use of experiential learning as a learning platform in education. Since the early 1970s, the principles and
reflective practice to achieve effectiveness in a complex work environment. in the following section, reflective practice will be briefly presented. Reflective Practice: An Overview there are many different conceptualizations and ideas about what constitutes the theory of reflective practi
To the Revised Edition T his revised edition of Experiential Learning is the most comprehensive and up to date statement of experiential learning theory (ELT), a work that marks the cen-terpiece of my 50-year academic career. My involvement with experiential learn-ing has been one of the most stimulating and rewarding associations of my adult life.
published research on reflective practice. The paper sets out the theory of reflective practice as documented by eminent authors in the field. The author addresses the concept of action learning and frames this process within Kolb’s (1976) experiential learning model, in an attempt to formulate a
teacher learning, reflective practice, the relationship between reflective practice and teacher CPD, and how each leads to improved learning and teaching. In the past five years, reflective practice has also been documented in Indonesia – the context of the current contribution. These studies explored how pre-service teachers of English .
There are various definitions of reflective thinking, all of which suggest it to be a crucial skill for one’s personal development. We set out what we mean by reflective practice, convey the importance of reflection to learning and show what are the main difficulties on the way of improving your reflective thinking skills.
Thermal and System Management Approach for Exhaust Systems Amit Deshpande, Frank Popielas, Chris Prior, Rohit Ramkumar, Kevin Shaver Sealing Products Group, Dana Holding Corporation Abstract: The automotive and heavy-duty industry (off- and on-highway) requirements for emission, noise and fuel reduction and control have become more stringent. Based on the complexity of the system with its .
