Experiential Learning Has Evolved: 8 Principles of Good Practice Prepared for Michigan Works Conference - October, 2015
- Intention – All parties must be clear from the outset why experience is the chosen approach to the learning that is to take place and to the knowledge that will be demonstrated, applied or result from it.
- Preparedness & Planning - Participants must enter the experience with sufficient foundation to support a successful experience. They must also focus from the earliest stages of the experience/program on the identified intentions (as identified through a needs analysis) and adhere to them as activities are defined and orchestrated.
- Authenticity - : The experience must have a real world context and/or be useful and meaningful in reference to an applied setting or situation. Example include improving team performance, improving listening skills or improving leadership skills
- Reflection - the element that transforms a simple exercise to an experiential learning experience. For knowledge to be discovered and internalized, the learner must test assumptions and hypotheses about the outcomes of decisions and actions taken, then weigh the outcomes against past learning and future implications. This is accomplished through guided facilitation on site.
- Orientation - important background information about participants and the context/environment in which the experience will operate will be collected and shared. This can be a Habitat house build or renovation, or an equine-based experience.
- Monitoring & Continuous Improvement - Any learning activity will be dynamic and changing, and the parties involved all bear responsibility for ensuring that the experience, as it is in process, continues to provide the richest learning possible, while affirming the learner. We use the ARCA feedback loop (shown below)to correlate learning intentions and objectives withthe structure and goals of the experience.
- Assessment & Evaluation - Outcomes will be documented with regard to initial intentions and quality outcomes. An individual and team assessment will be used to develop and refine the specific learning goals and quality objectives, and all participants will be asked to complete a summative evaluation about the experiential process as a whole and whether it met the objectives.
- Acknowledgement- All parties to the experience will be included in the recognition of progress and accomplishment. Culminating documentation and celebration of learning and impact help provide closure and sustainability to the group experience.
The Learning ConnectionLearn.Know.Share.Grow.