The Experiential Learning at Launcelot Primary School - Essay Example

My Experiential Learning at Launcelot Primary School: A Reflective Account. Department The rise of globalisation, demand for education in areas such a foreign language and availability of enough literature on learning has led to an emphasis on role of students in their learning process. Initiative, active involvement and practical application of learnt knowledge have gained popularity and hence the emphasis on experiential learning. I volunteered as a primary school teacher at Lancelot school assisting children with special education needs in various classroom environments. I was able to appreciate the need for students to take charge of their own learning so as to enhance their independence not only as students but also language and knowledge users. According to Kohenen (2004), student must be facilitated in developing reflective learning through working on beliefs, experiences and learning assumptions on their own. As a volunteer teacher working with special needs primary school children I was able to practically learn a lot of skills which I think a long way in assisting develop my professional outlook going forward. For learning to occur there must be an explicit awareness and understanding of just exactly what is to be learnt as well as why it is necessary. Learning has been defined as a process of creating new knowledge and understanding that takes place through transforming experience (Kohenen, 2004). Reflection on its parts plays a very crucial role of I the learning process by bridging the gap between theoretical conceptualisations and practical experience. There is no doubt therefore that volunteer experiential learning is an important aspect of education that will help students transit from the theoretical setting of the class to the much important practical application of knowledge. Successful transformation must include both theory and application which almost guarantees learning. Reflective experiential learning will no doubt play an important part in my development and conceptualisation of ideas. Experiential learning integrates the theory and practical aspects of learning with aim of attaining a wholesome approach and stress the importance of experience in learning. it takes various forms such as work study assignments, internships in the business world, exchange & volunteer programs in education, clinical experience and many others depending on the industry. Principles of reflective and experiential learning are applicable in both formal and informal learning settings. The most important element is the emphasis on active participation through interaction where learners get opportunities to learn not only from own experiences but also those of others. Active personal engagement is thus particularly crucial in the process of experiential learning (Kolb, 2014). During experiential learning process, as a volunteer teacher I was to proactively manage my experience through learning diaries and personal journals. Coming into contact and assisting students in their growing ages with unique special needs is particularly transforming. The experience enables matching personal experiences, those of the learners and conceptualise them (Moon, 2013). Through reflective personal thought questions, games & simulations and involving the children in activities such as drama and role plays I was able to appreciate the role educators have to play as well as importance of skills in teaching. The experience is thus stimulating in terms of critical thought, use of empathy taking actions and reflection. Vey worth noting is the opportunity I got to learn from immediate experiences through involving the pupils in the entire process on both intellectual and emotional perspectives. It is very important when it comes to ones professional development as it involves observation of phenomena and taking appropriately useful actions through active participation. According to Kohonen (2004), in experiential learning learners are in direct contact with the subject of study as opposed to mere watching, reading or thinking. There are four important components in experiential learning; firstly the learner is actively aware of everything taking place to enable learning. Learners are involved in reflective experiences enabling correlation between immediate learning with the present and future. Also both the content and experience is of particular importance to the leaner i.e. both whatever is learnt and how it is learnt is crucial. Finally, learners involve themselves in the process wholly i.e. bodies, minds, actions and feelings are put to task. The learning focal point in experiential learning is immediate personal experiences. Research has shown that personal experiences give life to texture and also offers subjective personalised meaning to concepts that are abstract. It provides a platform for public testing of validity and implications of ideas experienced in the process of learning. Reflection becomes particularly important in the processing of experiences as experience alone is may not be sufficient enable learning (Smith, 2001-2011). Both experiential and reflective aspects of learning are therefore very important to professional development. Volunteering for instance provided me an opportunity to interact with other teachers and share personal experiences while at the same time learning form their own experiences. It was an opportunity to appreciate the importance of interpersonal skills, effective communication and teamwork as professional virtues. I am a particularly transformed person having volunteered to assist with special education needs children (Haidt, 2006). In volunteering as teaching assistants, the volunteers hope to gain important professional experience that will help them become effective in their work. Through teaching practice one has the golden opportunity of getting valuable hands on experience handling students with different unique needs. It for instance permitted me to have the feel of what the classroom looks as well as the various factors the influence the performance of both teachers and their learners. As such experiential learning allows volunteers to develop their professional skills through the practical participation and conceptualization of ideas. Understanding the factors affecting classroom performance and uniqueness among students for instance triggers a new approach to the art of teaching and learning. The motivational theory of learning was born out of consensus among behavioural and cognitive psychologists on the idea that motivation is an essential of learning. A theme of significance not only in theory but also practice is the need for classroom teachers to motivate their learners in the classroom so as to facilitate effective learning. In volunteering as classroom teachers therefore students hope to understand teaching strategies. In my volunteer practise for instance having dealt with different special needs students, I was able to figure out just the right things that must be used in order to successfully motivate learning among the pupils. I now appreciate the role one’s communication strategies in influencing classroom learning. One must be effective at communication and for communication to be effective one must take into account the needs of every student in the classroom (Guthrie and Jones, 2012). One important skill learnt through volunteering as a teaching assistant is how to communicate to pupils in the classroom in a manner that encourages learning. Another skill that volunteers can learn from experiential and reflective learning is helping learners interpret their setbacks when it comes to classroom performance in a manner that triggers renewed efforts at learning. The success of any teacher in his/her work is hinged on the performance of the students and therefore teachers must assist learners overcome their learning barriers. Volunteers also hope to learn just how the determination among learners to actually what they teach in class. It is through personal involvement, observation and participation that teachers can actually achieve this. Another very important thing that volunteers get to learn from their experiential learning is the use of project-based learning as a way to motivate learners. Learning occurs where there is defective motivation and different people have different ways of motivating. Experiential learning therefore enables students evaluate their motivational strategies and how these strategies impact on their classroom performance (Moon, 2010). The number one reason for individuals to volunteer as classroom teachers therefore revolves around getting the feel of what the real job looks like. There is a difference between what we learn in class and the practical situation on the ground. As such therefore an opportunity to teach such as volunteering helps trainee teachers to successfully transit from the theory to practice and apply their knowledge to practical use. It is here that student teachers would understand just the various factors influencing classroom behaviour and performance and evaluate both their capabilities and weaknesses on the job. It is an opportune moment to evaluate whether they are in the right or wrong course and thus make decisions on the future of their careers (Smith, 2001-2010). The Human Capital Theory recognises education as economic device and as such education levels determine economic performance. Participation in today’s global economy is largely informed by people’s education and training. Professional performance is influenced by ability to learn as well as the knowledge stock possessed by individuals. Classroom volunteering teaching volunteering opportunities therefore not only benefit the volunteers but also the institutions and the entire public sector through transfer of knowledge which is vey crucial I the development of human capital. The experience enables individuals to develop essential skills such as critical, thinking and labour flexibility which are very important in their job performance. Others include cultural competence as well as practical strategies of teaching in the classroom. The focus of modern education is on the development of high quality human capital, raising skill levels and enhancing labour flexibility (Aukes, et al, 2008). Volunteers hope to gain these important attributes that enhance their employability. In reality persons gain a lot in terms of skills as classroom volunteers. One important is to become practitioners who are reflective (Ornix et al, 2003). The reflective teacher is capable of applying skills of observation and analysis in monitoring; evaluating and revising own practices when it comes to teaching. Volunteer opportunities enhance personal awareness and therefore the individuals gain insights into the underlying cultural assumptions on what is expected of their behaviours. They not only get to understand their own skills and knowledge but also effectiveness of their actions on the learning of students. Cultural competence is other skill that volunteer gain in experiential learning. Persons who are culturally competent are able to handle the psychological and emotional issues that come with what is unfamiliar effectively. They are quick in establishing rapport, appreciate other people’s feelings and are effective when communicating to learners from different backgrounds. Another important skill that individuals gain through classroom volunteering is effective cross-cultural communication. This is important as it will help them create learning environments that permit meaningful interactions in the classroom. Development of this skill is facilitated by a good understanding of how language interacts with cultural meanings. Research has shown that meaning is largely mediate by personal experiences and cultural contexts. Experiencing learning is thus an important stage in the process of learning for pre-service teachers (Moon, 2001). Through classroom volunteering, teachers are also able to recognise the effects of culture on cognition as well as its close links to language. A lot of literature points to the fact that logical reasoning and communication styles emerge in cultural settings and as such are culture specific. The way different people argue, discuss, explicate and persuade follows acceptable cultural norms. In their growth and learning process, young children develop language on cultural lines acquire symbols and meanings as dictated by the specific cultures. These factors come to play in the classroom as students are from different cultures and the teacher must be prepared to effectively deal with such (Schon, 1983) From the perspective of social theory, social networking is a valuable to individuals. Human capital interactions are crucial in the building of communities, helping people commit to each other and mend the very important social fabric. Volunteering therefore helps individuals by creating the sense of belonging and allows concrete experience with social networks hence greatly benefiting individuals. As per the social capital concept, construction or reconstruction of communities and trust calls for personal interactions. Communities that have a sufficient stock of social capital experience low crime levels, have better health outcomes, higher achievement levels in education and good economic performance (Smith, 2000-2009). By volunteering as classroom teachers therefore individuals hope to interact on only with the classroom environment but also the other professionals and the entire communities in which they volunteer. It is an opportunity to network, participate in the community and feel like members of the larger society. These skills are also beneficial to the society and public sector as knowledge sharing and transfer are encouraged. My experience as a volunteer with a primary school helping students with special educational needs has taught me a lot about the public sector. Firstly I learnt that our public sector experiences severe shortage in terms of human capital and this affects service. There are different people with different individualised needs and we need skilled professionals to help such individuals. This presents an opportunity for students and other young people to volunteer so that they can learn develop & grow their knowledge base and more importantly gain work experience. Other than boosting one’s CV, volunteering increases confidence and is a satisfying experience since you get to help others. Volunteers also get to learn important skills that are actually valuable and sought for by potential employers (Volunteering England, 2008). Following my volunteer job I now understand the importance of special education in assisting the less unfortunate individuals in society enjoy and lead good lives. I was able to learn and develop important skills and attributes which I believe will really help my future professional development. It was a very fulfilling as it allowed me to put theoretic knowledge into practice while at the same time observing, conceptualising and reflecting on the implications of immediate experiences (Moon, 2001). I will be pursuing career I the sector having understood how noble it is to assist learners with special needs in education. I now appreciate and understand just how to motivate learning and believe by participating as part of the solution to our educational needs I will have served to the benefit of others. My experience as a volunteering teaching assistant also taught me the importance of charities in the public sectors. There are very many unfortunate individuals out there requiring our service and support so as to lead meaningful lives. Going forward, I believe charities will continue to attract volunteers to serve. This is because of the many people requiring assistance in life due to the special needs they have. Charities also play a very important role by providing opportunities for persons to volunteer in their work which helps them develop professional skills. They also offer a platform for individuals to participate in activities that transform lives of others. I personally for instance was able to learn and improve on my professional skills such as communication and motivation as well as attributes like confidence which are important. Bibliography 1. Beard, Colin., Wilson John P. (2002). The Power of Experiential Learning: A Handbook for Trainers and Educators. Stylus Publishing. 2. David A. Kolb. (2014). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. FT Press. 3. Donald A. Schon. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. London: Temple Smith. 4. Haidt, J. (2006). The Happiness Hypothesis. Putting ancient wisdom and philosophy to the test of modern science. London: Heinemann 5. Jennifer A. Moon. (2013). Reflection in Learning and Professional Development: Theory and Practice. Routledge. 6. Kathy L. Guthrie and Tamara Bertrand Jones. (2012).Teaching and Learning: Using Experiential Learning and reflection for Leadership Education. Wiley: Vol 2012. Issue 140, 53-63. 7. Leo C. Aukes et al. (2008). The Effect of Enhanced Experiential Learning on the Personal Reflection of Undergraduate Medical Students. Med Educ Online. Available at: http://www.med-ed-online.org/ 8. Moon J. (2001). PDP Working Paper 4 Reflection in Higher Education Learning. University of Exeter. 9. Moon, J. (2010) ‘Guide for Busy Academics No. 4 Learning through reflection’ York: HEA 10. Onyx, J. Et Al. (2003) The Special Position of volunteers in the Formation of Social Capital in Voluntary Action. 11. Smith, M. K. (2000-2009). Social capital, the encyclopaedia of informal education. Available at: www.infed.org/biblio/social_capital.htm/ 12. Smith, M. K. (2001, 2010). David A. Kolb on experiential learning. The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from:  http://infed.org/mobi/david-a-kolb-on-experiential-learning/ 13. Smith, M. K. (2001, 2011). ‘Donald Schön: learning, reflection and change. The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from: http://infed.org/mobi/donald-schon-learning-reflection-change/ 14. Viljo Kohenen (2005). Learning to Learn Through Reflection- An Experiential Learning Perspective. University of Tamere. Available at: archive.ecml.at/mtp2/Elp_tt/.../00.../Supplementary%20text%20E.pdf 15. Volunteering England (2008): The Art of Crazy Paving; Volunteering for Enhanced Employability. Read More