Overview
Experiential Learning is a student-centred approach to teaching and learning that represents the Runaway Bay Sport and Leadership Excellence Centre's (RBSLEC) core pedagogical practice in delivering curriculum through our unique activities.
The Experiential Learning cycle (Kolb) outlines 4 stages that students transition through as they engage in an active and challenging experience while progressing towards the success indicators. These phases include act, reflect, think and apply.
Given RBSLEC's challenge-based activities and a teaching and learning focus that is underpinned by developing student's reflective practice (Australian Curriculum: Personal and Social Capabilities–Self Awareness); the Experiential Learning cycle offers a pedagogical approach that helps connect students with the experience (activity) and their learning (curriculum).
Connection
- RBSLEC has identified an initial phase in the Experiential Learning cycle that establishes the platform to enter the first of the remaining 4 stages.
- The RBSLEC program asks students to step outside their comfort zone through participation in challenging activities before they are asked to be vulnerable in their subsequent reflections to identify areas requiring improvement.
- Therefore, teachers need to develop a meaningful connection with the students in their group while establishing a foundation built on trust.
- As such, the initial processes of the RBSLEC program aims to develop the connection between teacher and students and establishing the trust required to step outside the students' comfort zone and be vulnerable.
Act
- Students are introduced to the activity which aims to challenge their abilities while promoting difficult situations, safe conflict between team members (if relevant) and mistakes (failure).
- Minimal instruction and teacher talk is provided as students navigate through the experience individually or with a team of peers.
- While instruction is limited, the teacher is explicit about the learning goal(s) of the activity and what to expect success to look like once the goal is achieved (Visible Learning).
Reflect
- Teachers present forums or follow-up activities that introduce students to a number of questions that prompt them to individually reflect on their own and (if applicable) their teams' performance.
- These questions could include (5 questions for critical reflection - Pfeiffer and Jones):
- What happened?
- Why did it happen?
- Does that happen in real life?
- Why does that happen in real life?
- How can you use that?
- The aim of this phase is to identify key learnings from the experience.
Thinking
- Once students have had the opportunity to reflect and draw out some findings from their experience, they will order their discoveries into a conclusion before turning their attention to developing strategies that target a more successful outcome.
- Teachers implement a collaborative platform at this phase which provides students with the opportunity to share their findings while shaping effective improvement strategies with their peers.
- This collaboration offers teachers with a 'listening channel' to develop an understanding of teaching impact and appreciate whether student learning is occurring or not (Visible Learning).
- Differentiation strategies can then be implemented from this informed position.
Apply
- Students are then offered another opportunity to make changes based on the learning they've collected and implement their strategies to target improved outcomes.
- As teachers have built their understanding of where students are, they're also able to offer effective feedback (not to be confused with praise) at this phase.
- Teachers must also work to instil confidence in students to ensure they believe that they can achieve the designated learning goal of the session.