DOCSLIB.ORG

Inspired Learning! Lesson One Comparing Experiential Approaches to Learning

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Inspired Learning! Lesson One Comparing Experiential Approaches to Learning Inspired Learning! Lesson One Comparing Experiential Approaches to Learning Welcome to Lesson One of Inspired Learning! In this lesson, we will be exploring various experiential methods of teaching and learning. To help you in this discussion, I have created a summary sheet, “Comparing Approaches,” as your Handout. I suggest you either print this out or have it handy as we jump in! In this lesson, we will be comparing four different methods of experiential learning for both the early childhood and elementary years. The names of these methods are probably familiar to you, but how much do you know about the methods themselves? My goal here is to present to you a side-by-side comparison of the Waldorf, Montessori and Charlotte Mason methods with a brief description of Reggio Emilia as well. By the end of this lesson, you should have a good grasp of the history, philosophy and approach of each of these methods. In Lesson Two, we will dig deeper into the unique aspects of Waldorf education in particular. I think it’s important to keep in mind that most of these methods were created for the classroom. As we all know, classrooms and homeschools are very different animals, so part of our job as homeschoolers is translating teaching methods we find compelling into the home setting. I often wish that we could ask the founders their thoughts. What would Steiner say about Waldorf-inspired homeschooling in the 21st century? But alas, we don’t have that luxury, so it’s up to us! For any of you who are new to homeschooling, and even for you seasoned veterans, here’s a best-advice tip: do not try to recreate a classroom (of any of these methods) at home! Homeschooling does not have to look like school at home. For our comparison, let’s begin with the question: what is experiential learning? All of these methods consider the learning environment and hands-on activities to be important aspects of the learning process. They are each informed by a philosophy of education that values experience as critical to learning, rather than just rote learning (such as memorization) or direct instruction (like a lecture), alone. Experiential learning “is the process of making meaning from direct experience.” This approach goes all the way back to ancient times; Aristotle said, “for the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” This reminds me of a saying I often tell my composition students: “the best way to learn to write is to write, and then write some more.” For a more formal definition of experiential learning, I consulted the LESSON ONE www.waldorfinspiredlearning.com Association for Experiential Education: “experiential education is a philosophy…in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values and develop people’s capacities to contribute to their communities.” All four of the methods we are comparing today fit this description. In my twenty years of homeschooling, I have used and explored some materials from each of the methods I’m comparing here in this workshop, with the exception of Reggio Emilia; I have only observed in a Reggio classroom. Let me give you a brief recap of my personal experience with these methods so that you know where I’m coming from as we explore. Our experiences always bias our research and explanations, so I wanted to share mine from the onset. When I was in graduate school for my Master of Arts in Teaching in the mid-1980s, Montessori schools were mentioned only briefly during my studies, but none of the other methods were mentioned at all. After graduation, I taught high school English in a public school and was so discouraged at the lack of “creative spark” in my high school juniors and seniors, that after one year, I decided to “go back to the beginning” and figure out where and how that spark had disappeared. The only “experiential, hands-on” approach I knew of at the time was Montessori. So off I went to work as an assistant in a Montessori 3-6 year old classroom. I learned a lot that year and was incredibly exhausted at the end of every day! A few years later when I was pregnant with our first child, my husband and I were the sales reps for a friend who made beautiful, handmade Montessori materials. In our travels, we visited many Montessori schools. I loved the materials but continued to have questions about the method, especially where young children were concerned. At the same time, we had some friends who lived on a farm in rural Tennessee who (loosely) used an Oak Meadow curriculum to homeschool their many children. Oak Meadow publishes curricula influenced by Waldorf methods and so my investigation into Waldorf began. I fell in love with Waldorf and have been inspired by this approach most directly for over 20 years now. We have used some Montessori materials over the years, and as my children neared middle school, we have also found some of the Charlotte Mason methods and materials to be quite useful. So where do we begin in comparing these methods? First a little history, and then the comparison. You’ll see on the “Timeline” that the Charlotte Mason approach was the first of these methods to be created. Charlotte Mason was a British educator who worked with parents to create home programs for their children and later classroom programs. In 1886, she LESSON ONE www.waldorfinspiredlearning.com published a book, Home Education, for parents of children up to age 9, and later came her publication, School Education, for children ages 9-12. Maria Montessori was an Italian medical doctor (one of the first female doctors in Italy) who opened the first “house of children,” Casa Dei Bambini, in 1907 in the city of Rome. Montessori developed her method based on scientific observations of children with mental disabilities initially, and later with children from low-income families. Rudolf Steiner was a German philosopher and educator who founded the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart in 1919 for the children of the workers at the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Factory. And our fourth approach, Reggio Emilia, was created in the 1960s by an Italian educator, Loris Malaguzzi. Let’s start with the general similarities of these methods. The three main methods we are looking at here – Charlotte Mason, Montessori and Waldorf – were really all developed in response to the mainstream practice of “industrialized schooling” in the early 1900s. By this I am referring to the practice of identifying, at a very young age, the occupation a child would pursue, and then training them solely for that occupation. In contrast, the founders of Waldorf, Montessori and Charlotte Mason methods each felt strongly that ALL children deserve a complete education, so each of these founders developed a liberal arts approach. They share the educational philosophy of respect for the whole child as a spiritual and creative being. And they each also honor nature study as a way to connect with ourselves, each other, and something larger than ourselves. Now it’s time for the Lesson One Video where I will show you some examples from each of these methods. LESSON ONE www.waldorfinspiredlearning.com .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Educational Theory and Application of Experiential Learning in ANR Course Handbook (CSUS423)
    Educational Theory and Application of Experiential Learning in ANR Course Handbook (CSUS423) M.W. Everett Table of Contents Overview of the Course .............................................................................................................. 1 Course Syllabus .......................................................................................................................... 2 APPENDIX A - Assignment 1 Rubric (Experiential Learning Plan) .......................................... 11 APPENDIX B - Assignment 2 Rubric (Professional Growth Plan) ............................................ 13 APPENDIX C - Sample Lesson Plan ........................................................................................ 15 Educational Theory and Application of Experiential ii Learning in ANR Course Handbook (CSUS423) Educational Theory and Application of Experiential Learning in ANR Course Handbook (CSUS423) Overview of the Course Welcome to CSUS423, Educational Theory and Application of Experiential Learning in ANR! This hybrid course is self-paced, however there are structured due dates and the end date is the last day in which assignments will be accepted. This course is designed to give students a better understanding of youth leadership from a practitioner perspective. This course is also designed for you to utilize your classroom or other educational location as an environment for learning from your students about experiential learning. Therefore, as part of this course you are being asked to develop a set of experiential learning activities unique to your classroom (Assignment 1) and hopefully try them out with your students. This course is a hybrid format. What does that mean? It means that you will spend a large sum of time working on your own via the web-based, online learning platform called D2L. Additionally, you will attend culminating experiences near the end of the course (see course calendar) where you will meet with professionals who are currently working with individuals using experiential methods of teaching and learning.
    [Show full text]
  • An Experiential Learning Model: Collaborative Student Creations of Multidisciplinary Community Classroom Experience
    AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING MODEL: COLLABORATIVE STUDENT CREATIONS OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY COMMUNITY CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE Lorelei Boschman*, Colleen Whidden, and Jason McLester Medicine Hat College The creation of a community classroom, grounded in the philosophy of experiential learning, was the challenge for our education students and ourselves as instructors. Goals for our students became twofold: goals as a current post-secondary student and goals as a future educator. To activate this experience, groups of students engaged both collaboratively and individually with exploratory learning at a local community classroom site. Student reflections showed deep value and learning through this experience and of this experience. There were challenges, including navigating collaborative group work and the necessity of becoming vulnerable, alongside the successes of connecting exploratory learning to the real world and witnessing authentic interdisciplinary work. Further questions arising from this research center on authentic assessment practices and the idea of giving back to the community are explored through these real world experiences. Three education instructors, with three different subject specialties, undertook an experiential learning opportunity with 33 students through an interdisciplinary community classroom framework. We had many questions about how to focus the overarching philosophy, framework, and praxis of such a project on our students’ learning and experiencing as 21st century educators. Before starting on this path, we pondered many questions such as what is the crux of experiential learning, could our proposed community classroom live up to its essence, and what objectives we wanted to fulfill through this experience. LITERATURE REVIEW The crux of experiential learning within a progressive education system lies with an individual actively participating in the development of what is being taught and learned (Dewey, 1916; Dewey, 1938).
    [Show full text]
  • Service Learning Handbook
    SERVICE LEARNING HANDBOOK www.regis.edu/rhchpservicelearning Table of Contents Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ 2 SECTION 1: OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................. 3 What is Service Learning? ......................................................................................................................... 3 Characteristics of Service Learning in Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions ................... 5 Types of Engagement: ........................................................................................................................... 7 A Distinct Form of Community Service ................................................................................................. 8 Student Goals and Learning Outcomes in RHCHP: ............................................................................... 9 Foundations of Service Learning ............................................................................................................. 11 Experiential Learning Theory .............................................................................................................. 11 Critical Consciousness ......................................................................................................................... 12 Civic & Community Engagement .......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Effects of an Experiential Learning and Mentorship Program Pairing Medical Students and Persons with Cognitive Impairment: a Qualitative Content Analysis
    Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2013 The Effects of an Experiential Learning and Mentorship Program Pairing Medical Students and Persons with Cognitive Impairment: A Qualitative Content Analysis Darby J. Morhardt Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Social Work Commons Recommended Citation Morhardt, Darby J., "The Effects of an Experiential Learning and Mentorship Program Pairing Medical Students and Persons with Cognitive Impairment: A Qualitative Content Analysis" (2013). Dissertations. 727. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/727 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2013 Darby J. Morhardt LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO THE EFFECTS OF AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAM PAIRING MEDICAL STUDENTS AND PERSONS WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT: A QUALITATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN SOCIAL WORK BY DARBY J. MORHARDT CHICAGO, IL DECEMBER 2013 Copyright by Darby J. Morhardt, 2013 All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This is a path I have wanted to take for many years and I have many people to thank for their encouragement and support along the way. First of all I want to express my deepest appreciation to my committee chair, Dr. Marcia Spira, for enthusiastically supporting this endeavor from the beginning and her guidance over the course of the past four years.
    [Show full text]
  • Using Experiential Learning Theory to Promote Student Learning and Development
    Using Experiential Learning Theory to Promote Student Learning and Development in Programs of Education Abroad by Angela Passarelli & David A. Kolb WP-11-03 Copyright Department of Organizational Behavior Weatherhead School of Management Case Western Reserve University Cleveland OH 44106-7235 e-mail: [email protected] 1 2 ORBH WORKING PAPER 9/13/2011 Using Experiential Learning Theory to Promote Student Learning and Development in Programs of Education Abroad Angela M. Passarelli & David A. Kolb Case Western Reserve University A revised version will appear in Michael Vande Berg, Michael Page, & Kris Lou (Eds.) Student Learning Abroad Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing 3 Using Experiential Learning Theory to Promote Student Learning and Development in Programs of Education Abroad Study abroad programs are rich with possibilities for meaningful and transformative learning. By living, studying, and working in an unfamiliar culture, students are challenged to make sense of the novelty and ambiguity with which they are regularly confronted. As a result of this sense-making process, students adopt new ways of thinking, acting and relating in the world. For students who move mindfully through the study abroad experience, it has the potential to change their worldview, provide a new perspective on their course of study, and yield a network of mind-expanding relationships. On the other hand, programs that do not adopt a holistic approach to student learning can become little more than a glorified vacation. At best, the students report having fun or being “satisfied” with the experience, and return home unchanged. They engage in the experience at a surface level, maintaining distance from the physical, social or intellectual tensions of the learning endeavor.
    [Show full text]
  • Student Disability and Experiential Education
    The Journal of Effective Teaching an online journal devoted to teaching excellence Student Disability and Experiential Education Gerald D. Klein1 Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-3099 Abstract As a significant percentage of students in higher education today have one or more dis- abilities, it is important for instructors to be aware of what disabilities, and how disabili- ties, impact student performance. Students with a wide range of disabilities can encoun- ter significant obstacles when experiential instructional methods are implemented assum- ing that learners are disability-free. This article presents a taxonomy of disabilities and il- lustrates how experiential instruction can place students with disabilities in situations where they may not do well. The article also evaluates Universal Design, an approach to course design and management that attempts to address a range of student disabilities and learning styles. Finding that this approach does not fully address the problems of the ex- periential classroom, three strategies are proposed that increase the likelihood that all stu- dents, including those with disabilities, will have satisfying and successful experiences in courses using experiential methods. Keywords: Disability, experiential, Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, ac- commodations, universal design. Faculty in higher education today are increasingly aware of student differences – for ex- ample, differences in learning styles and national origin and culture - and the need to alter their instructional practices to better reach more of their students (see, for example, Kolb & Kolb, 2005; Auster & Wylie, 2006; Evans & Porcano, 2001; Niehoff, Turnley, Yen, & Sheu,, 2001; Ryland, 1992). This article argues that possessing one or more disabilities is another important way in which college students may be different, and that this difference warrants instructor reflection and action.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing the Impacts of Experiential Learning on Teacher Classroom Practice
    Research in Higher Education Journal Assessing the impacts of experiential learning on teacher classroom practice Michael P. Marlow University of Colorado Denver Brad McLain University of Colorado Denver ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the professional development of formal science educators through extraordinary experiences that occur within the realm of informal science learning. For many years the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) has offered programs that take teachers on “science learning journeys” to Africa, South America, through the Pacific, and many U.S. destinations through its Experiential Science Education Research Collaborative (XSci). On these adventures, teachers gain direct, first person experiences of unique and often challenging environments and multidisciplinary science within those settings. Similar professional development opportunities for teachers are widespread as summer programs through organizations nationwide. However, there is currently a lack of in-depth qualitative research investigating the actual benefits and interpretive nature of such programs as personal and professional “extraordinary” science learning experiences for the individuals who participate in them. The research agenda for the XSci Collaborative examines the experiences of educators engaged in informal extraordinary professional development experiences in order to understand the personal processes that make them extraordinary and valuable. Specifically, the primary research approach is to examine the interpretation of these experiences by
    [Show full text]
  • Developing an Experiential Learning Program: Milestones and Challenges
    International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 2015, Volume 27, Number 1, 143-153 http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/ ISSN 1812-9129 Developing an Experiential Learning Program: Milestones and Challenges M. Jill Austin and Dianna Zeh Rust Middle Tennessee State University College and University faculty members have increasingly adopted experiential learning teaching methods that are designed to engage students in the learning process. Experiential learning is simply defined as “hands-on” learning and may involve any of the following activities: service learning, applied learning in the discipline, co-operative education, internships, study abroad and experimental activities. This paper includes a general discussion of the organizational and assessment activities that were required to implement the Experiential Learning Scholars Program (EXL) at a large public university. The program was developed over a three-year time period and was fully implemented in five years. After almost ten years operation, the EXL Scholars Program has become institutionalized on the campus and is a valued and high profile initiative that engages students in learning. Developing an Experiential Learning Program: in higher education during the past thirty years. During Milestones and Challenges this time, a definition for experiential learning has been developed and refined. A wide range of definitions Faculty members at institutions of higher learning have have been developed for experiential learning over the increasingly adopted teaching methods that are based on years. Some of the accepted definitions of experiential best practices for student learning and on developing learning are included in Table 1. methodologies that engage students in the learning process. Kolb and Kolb (2005) provide more insight into One such approach to engaging students in learning is the definition of experiential learning through experiential learning.
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons from the Experiential Education Movement
    Beyond Four Walls: Lessons from the Experiential Education Movement - - JUt NOT TO E,· ;:' ~-;'~,/()\,rr::D ,.~ '.""'_f .• '~"'''.'' '.1.-1 FROM THE LIBRARY Joanna K. Paul Institute of Education Ed.D - International Education Supervisor: David Halpin January 2006 - 1 - INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF LONDON DOCTOR IN EDUCATION DEGREE: DECLARATION OF NUMBER OF WORDS FOR THESIS This form should be signed by the candidate's Supervisor and returned to the Institute with the thesis. In accordance with the University of London Regulations for the Doctor in Education, the thesis should not be less than 40,000 words and not more than 45,000 words' (exclusive of appendices, bibliography, glossary or footnotes ). I confirm that the following thesis does not exceed the word limit of 45,000 prescribed for the Doctor in Education degree. Name of Candidate: Joanna Paul Thesis Title: Beyond Four Walls: Lessons From the Experiential Education Movement - Approximate Word Length: 41,176 Signed by candidate: Joanna 'l(jrsten Pau[ Date: May 22, 2006 Signed by supervisor: Date: PLEASE NOTE: Where a candidate wishes to exceed the prescribed maximum word limit of 45,000 words, the supervisor should write giving a strong rationale for the request to the Deputy Academic Registrar who will then liaise with the Dean of Research. All requests for an extension to the prescribed word limit must be made at least four months before the presentation of the thesis. The examiners may reject a thesis exceeding the prescribed word limit. • 25,000 - 40,000 words for candidates who registered for the Doctor in Education degree prior to October 2000.
    [Show full text]
  • A Fish out of Water: Developing Intercultural Understanding of Students in Higher Education
    Australian Journal of Teacher Education Volume 45 Issue 12 Article 3 2020 A fish Out of Water: Developing Intercultural Understanding of Students in Higher Education Nicole Leggett University of Newcastle, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte Part of the Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Educational Methods Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation Leggett, N. (2020). A fish Out of Water: Developing Intercultural Understanding of Students in Higher Education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(12). http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.202v45n12.3 This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss12/3 Australian Journal of Teacher Education A Fish Out Of Water: Developing Intercultural Understanding Of Students In Higher Education Nicole Leggett University of Newcastle Abstract: Experiential learning is a critical, dynamic and powerful element of learning in Higher Education. Often named international and domestic study trips or study tours, this educational strategy has the potential to transform the lives of students through engagement with another community or culture. This qualitative study explored the effects of experiential learning during a two-week study tour to Italy, involving two groups of students from an Australian University during 2017 and 2018. Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood/Primary) degree, who were in their third year of studies, could enrol in the elective course entitled ‘Intercultural Understandings’ which offered four international destinations. The aim of this study tour was to immerse students in the social-cultural facets of life in Italy as well as gain first-hand experience from educators in early childhood centres in Reggio Emilia.
    [Show full text]
  • Outdoor Education and Meaningful Learning: Finding The
    OUTDOOR EDUCATION AND MEANINGFUL LEARNING: FINDING THE ATTRIBUTES OF MEANINGFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN AN OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAM by Stacy T. Taniguchi A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations Brigham Young University April 2004 ABSTRACT OUTDOOR EDUCATION AND MEANINGFUL LEARNING: FINDING THE ATTRIBUTES OF MEANINGFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN AN OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAM Stacy T. Taniguchi Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations Doctor of Philosophy This phenomenological study sought to identify the common attributes of meaningful learning experiences as found in an outdoor education program. The pragmatic educational philosophy of John Dewey provides the rationale for the essence of meaningful learning in our schools and this research identifies the attributes of educative reflective experiences that are also meaningful learning experiences. Thirteen students enrolled in the Wilderness Writing Program, offered during the fall semester of 2003 at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, made up the focus group of this study. Their participation in four outdoor recreational activities and their reflections about their experiences became the basis of this research. Through written journal entries, focus group discussions, observations, and writing assignments, this study took a qualitative approach to identifying patterns of attributes that appeared to occur in meaningful learning experiences. This study found that meaningful learning experiences were identified by participants who experienced a period of awkwardness followed by a purifying process, or sublimation. A reflective period allowed for reconstruction of a person’s view of himself or herself and this was closely tied with feedback from others in the group.
    [Show full text]
  • Outdoor Adventure Education: Trends and New Directions—Introduction to a Special Collection of Research
    education sciences Editorial Outdoor Adventure Education: Trends and New Directions—Introduction to a Special Collection of Research Nina S. Roberts Department of Recreation, Parks, & Tourism, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA; [email protected] 1. The Origins of Outdoor Adventure Education: From the Field to the Classroom This special issue on “outdoor adventure education” contains seven articles focused on varied topics in outdoor adventure education (OAE) from the impact of COVID-19, creating a mobile App and girls outdoors to urban programming, systems of privilege and more. Outdoor adventure education is characterized by a wide range of features such as outcome uncertainty, compelling tasks (e.g., involving relationship building), state of mind and completion of a journey, the search for excellence, and the expression of human dignity, all of which encompass action and intensity [1]. OAE has a rich and rewarding history and has played a vital part in human develop- ment. The roots of our current OAE date back to the philosophical work and scholarship of John Dewey, Aldo Leopold, John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, Kurt Hahn, Willi Unsoeld and others. Plato in the 1920s, for example, spoke about how physical skills have a higher educational value yet embracing moral values far outweighs those physical skills [2]. Al- though women have often gone unnoticed and unrecognized, they have also contributed to the philosophy, theory and program implementation of OAE for many decades [3] Furthermore, while elements of real or perceived risks are an essential ingredient, OAE has moved beyond the concept of personal survival to one of thriving and contributing Citation: Roberts, N.S.
    [Show full text]