Experiential Learning (Active Learning)

Our poster describes a collaborative, experiential learning approach to teaching ANT 441: Advanced Bioarchaeology1. We employ collaborative learning (where students work on a common task, share information, support one another and then reflect on the process)1, as an alternative to what can be perceived as the overemphasis on competition in an academic setting. While a number of international field schools offer practical experience in the excavation of human remains from a cemetery context for academic credit, we found most students cannot afford these field schools, and/or must work during the summer months (when excavation opportunities are offered) to support their education costs. Our cemetery project provides a low-cost alternative where participants gain the basic skills to excavate, recover and document a burial, and acquire a clear understanding of the importance of contextual information for burial interpretation. We facilitate learning by establishing the project objectives, providing associated learning tasks, and guiding the weekly cemetery project meetings. Students are given the freedom to decide the analyses needed to achieve their goal, learn to articulate their rationale in using particular methods of analysis, perform collaborative data analysis and assess the accuracy and logic of one another’s contributions - becoming more experienced, independent researchers as a result. We promote the participation and learning of all group members by monitoring students’ learning, managing time and resources, and checking that students are on task and engaging with the group process. The course project is divided into a series of manageable learning assessments that build on each other, and increase in complexity. We found scaffolding reduces anxiety over completion of a complex assignment, gives those who procrastinate a solid starting point, offers more opportunities for support and feedback, affords the opportunity to make mistakes in a safe environment, and provides students with a solid sense of accomplishment as they progress through the steps. Students gain critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving skills through an iterative process as new variables are introduced, and ultimately comprehend the advantages and challenges of a collaborative culture of shared responsibility.

This conceptual paper proposes a research-based model for leadership preparation programs to more effectively prepare, support, and sustain new school leaders in the field and profession.  Using Boyer’s scholarship of integration as a model, this study offers a new construct which combines the concepts of early field experiences, experiential learning, leadership-focused coaching, and mentoring support with university faculty and school district leaders and mentors working collaboratively to support novice leaders (Boyer, 1990). Leadership-focused coaching would be provided by university faculty while prospective leaders are completing coursework and later once placed in school leadership positions.  Further, school districts would provide mentoring support and experienced leaders as mentors for novice instructional leaders once hired.

"Sommaire:
1. Introduction : le choix des méthodes, le thème, les aspects à comparer. (p. 2- 3)
2. Présentation factuelle des deux manuels.Quelques nuances, remarques, critiques et observations subjectives. (p. 3-6)
3. L’approche actionnelle et la notion de tâche dans les deux manuels.Analyse de la mise en œuvre : tâtonnement ou réussite ? (p. 6-11)
3.1 L’apprenant comme acteur social et la classe comme microsociété : à la recherche des allures d’une dimension collective dans les deux méthodes. (p. 11-12)
4. Autoévaluation de l’apprenant versus autocorrection : de l’intention non factuelle à l’atteinte. (p. 12-13)
5. L’autonomie chez l’apprenant : autoévaluation et stratégies d’apprentissage. (p. 14-15)
6. Conclusion (p. 15-16)
7. Bibliographie (p. 17)"

Professeure de FLE depuis 2005 à l’Alliance française de La Havane et ayant utilisé Tout Va Bien ! 1 et 2 en classe, je considère m’être appropriée ce manuel par l’usage et être en mesure de l’examiner aussi du point de vue théorique. Cinq ans après de son arrivée en cours, la direction de l’Alliance a décidé de le remplacer par un autre manuel. Plusieurs en ont été testés et certains nous ont été présentés par des maisons d’édition dont Latitudes 1. Intéressée par la perspective actionnelle, j’ai voulu étudier son évolution à travers l’analyse comparative de sa mise en œuvre dans ces deux manuels de FLE. D’autre part, captivée par l’autonomisation de l’apprentissage, je n’ai pas pu m’empêcher d’observer le traitement de l’autonomie chez l’apprenant comme une zone d’intersection de l’approche actionnelle.

This article reflects on how the diversity discourse in an undergraduate classroom can be enhanced by paying
attention to particularities such as the location and mission of the educational institution, the identity of the teacher,
and the demographic profile of students. In particular, the author develops two distinctive points about teaching
diversity in higher education: (a) diversity discourse in classrooms can be enhanced by deep reflections on
geographical location, institutional contexts, student demographics, and the professor’s situated identities; and b)
diversity conversations need to move beyond celebrating common ground. Although the article employs examples from
one specific course in religious studies, the pedagogical insights and strategies offered here can be employed
universally in the fields of humanities and social sciences.

With current constraints of public funding of research the question
of principal investigator (PI) success has gained prominence. Yet
understanding grant success remains problematic. While often
associated with peer acceptance of the proposal text, research
fundability in large part is informed by PI participation in the social
systems of research funding, knowledge making, and academic
work. This article reports on part of an in-depth longitudinal
exploration of how three expert science PIs in Canada navigate
and negotiate these contexts to achieve sustained grant funding
success. It focuses on how one of these scientists develops and
draws on collaborative research networks in creating fundable
front-line knowledge. The findings contribute towards an understanding
of the role experiential learning and individual agency
play in PI success. Practical implications for early-career researchers
are outlined. Further questions about the interconnectedness of PI
navigating and negotiating research funding and knowledge and
academic work are raised.

Cultural dimensions theory provides a framework for cross-cultural understanding and communication. Geert Hofstede's work in this area offers a foundational appreciation of how a society's culture can shape values and behaviors encountered in an international business setting. This paper presents an experiential learning project, based on Kolb's model, designed to introduce cultural dimensions theory, as well as engage students in a first-hand international experience. This model places students in the position of exploring cultural differences by being a member of an international working team so they experience the challenges of working remotely. Students encounter what it is like to work in a global team and face both cultural differences and communication difficulties. This experiential learning design creates an environment that challenges students to apply and test the theory, discover practical applications and reflect on their own culture to bring greater meaning...

Education in early years is becoming challenging to inculcate the best practices with specific support and demand to meet the global initiatives (Beckley, 2011). In this regard, teaching through technology plays a significant role if it is connected with relevant learning experiences (Willis, Weiser, & Kirkwood, 2014). The students are exposed to a technologically rich environment through positive and consistent patterns in their learning experiences, it helps them in their cognitive development. Within the context of Pakistan, one thing commonly observed is the misuse of technology and lack of guidance provided by their parents to the young children. This study helps to understand the perspectives of parents and teachers regarding the application of technology-based teaching and their observation to this approach. Interviews and observations through qualitative research method helped to understand how people comprehend their experiences in relation to the use of technology with early year children and what meanings they derive from their personal experiences (Merriam, 1998). The outcomes of this research informed that parents and teachers highly recommended technology use in classrooms as the source to develop 21st century skills; technology allows children to get the accessibility of multiple resources; become multi tasked, develop the level of communication skills through which they can connect themselves to the world; readiness to learn new concepts; motivates in reading through visual learning; helps in understanding complex concepts and retain information for a longer time. Role of schools in promoting technology-based teaching in early year classroom highlighted as minimizing the gap of resource allocation through providing sufficient technology-based resources to the students through which many learning opportunities will be given to the students to become effective learner and developing ways of assessment for effective learning. Some of the challenges informed by the participants with the use of technology are eye sight issue due to access use and students' lack of interest towards book reading.

Capstone is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary (2009) as a “crowning achievement or final stroke, the culmination or acme”. As the pinnacle of a student’s academic experience they mark a unique opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired during their time in an academic program through a comprehensive, intensive, and integrative individualized experience. In a capstone experience, students synthesize, integrate, and/or apply their previous knowledge, in a way that demonstrates mastery while building a deeper level of understanding.The student created products generated from the capstone experience should be designed to help assess crucial learning outcomes of the BMF completer program in which the student is enrolled. Additionally, demonstration of general education and/or interdisciplinary outcomes should also be evident in the capstone such as effective written and oral communication, critical thinking, information accessing and information processing, and problem solving (Buzzetto-More and Pinhey, 2007).

A capstone course is a transformative educational experience predicated on student-centered constructivist pedagogy. In a capstone course, the tutor is not the foci of erudition, rather there is a shift of responsibility as the instructor becomes a facilitator who guides the tutee on their self-charted scholarly expedition (Buzzetto-More, 2013).

Various incarnations of student capstone courses can be found in higher education, most commonly within undergraduate and graduate nursing, education, computing, engineering, and/or or business programs. While still considered an unusual occurrence in K-12 teaching and learning in the United States, recognition of the benefits of capstone experiences has been growing steadily, albeit slowly, during the past fifteen years.

The pioneer of public K-12 capstone experiences is the State of Rhode Island. Under the Rhode Island Diploma System, students demonstrate proficiency through multiple sources of evidence gathered over time. State assessment results count for no more than 10 percent of this evidence. Other factors considered include: portfolios, capstone projects, public exhibitions, and the State's Certificate of Initial Mastery. As the culminating achievement of a student’s K-12 studies, the Rhode Island Capstone Project requires students to focus in-depth on a core question, the product of which plays an essential part in demonstrating that a student can meet applied learning standards, RI Grade Span Expectations, and other content standards (Rhode Island Skills Commission, 2012).

There are many different models for capstone course delivery and conducting these courses is a complex task. Clear, Goldweber, Young, Ledwig, and Scott (2001) addressed the complexity of creating, implementing and delivering a successful capstone experience. They explained that there are a number of important issues that need to be addressed. These questions include: Goals of the Course; Characteristics of Projects; Project Deliverables;Prerequisites and Preparation; Grading and Assessment; Administration and Supervision; and Reflection, Analysis and Review.

Capstone experiences are highly constructivist and almost always project based whereas project, or problem based learning, it is a constructivist form of instruction where students engage in critical thinking, synthesis, evaluation, multilayered decision making, goal setting, problem solving, and collaboration (Page, 2006). Further, the exploratory and inquiry oriented nature of project based learning activities helps to build and/or reinforce information literacy skills (Buzzetto-More, 2009; Kuhlthau and Todd, 2007) where students demonstrate the ability to: plan, select sources, find and locate information, engage in critical analysis, apply multilayered decision making, and generate meaning (Page, 2006).

Teaching a capstone course is an exciting and ever changing experience. It requires an ongoing and
meaningful dialogue to occur between tutor and tutee, the unique nature of which stimulates learning in
a way that is without parallel. As such, an enthusiastic and supporting attitude is paramount.

This report evolved from contributions to the Society of Existential Analysis conference in London " Being and Doing " November, 2015. I briefly describe opening the conference with a guided Focusing session since this practice is fundamental to my report on the other contribution, a Panel Discussion entitled " Being at the Heart of Activism ". I was honoured to be joined on this panel by Alison Playford, Mark Weaver and Luke Flegg, all involved in social/political activism and developments in participatory democracy. What follows is an account of my own interests in this area as an existential psychologist and Focusing therapist. I present Focusing as a source of democratic process that forms an experiential continuity from 'within' each person 'outwards' to interpersonal and community situations. For this publication I have incorporated some references to Eugene Gendlin's (1987) A philosophical critique of the concept of narcissism: the significance of the awareness movement. Keeping with the ethos of the approach described below, this report is presented in first-person language to make it as direct and accessible as possible. Focusing To open the conference I was invited to offer a brief 10-minute Focusing (Gendlin, 1981) session. Focusing is a phenomenological practice of embodied self-awareness whereby a person can access and follow the unfolding of feelings that step-by-step help to clarify our experience of anything we are living through. At professional conferences we typically interact only from the eye-brain-thinking level of human experience. So I wanted to offer a different starting point, an intention to include all the implicit responses that are simultaneously happening at the body level but that we typically don't " drop down inside " and attend to. At that level we can sense more than is easily said and more than is usually included in thoughtful dialogues between colleagues. This is an excerpt from the last minute of the Focusing experience: " So as we begin our day together, just know that this whole responsive world is down there, available to you. Your body will generate all sorts of responses as you listen to people during the day, pause and notice the feelings that come in here-even the subtle feelings-there is creative thinking in the body. If an idea is making you feel a bit constricted inside, or a presentation brings an expansive feeling in your body, consider dropping down again and checking " what is it about this idea or presentation that makes me feel just like this? " Let the answer come from your body. If you can understand something from the feeling, you will usually feel a bit of release inside. Then consider sharing what came to you at some point during the conference, it might also resonate for others. If you speak, you might let words come from the body as you continue to attend to the feeling, sensing with each word " am I saying this right " ? And correcting yourself as you speak, so that what you say resonates bodily. This may be one way of inviting unformed 1

Through interview, Dr Carol Gordon, through interview, explores the work of Deborah Ehler-Hansen outlining both her theoretical evaluation of the needs of children in poverty and the ways school libraries can play a role in assisting their learning development. The article refers to a range of valuable further resources.

Nowadays experiential education activities are more and more present in the daily practice of teachers, meaning that students are meeting these experiences not only as part of the non-formal education, in camps, outdoor programs and different community building activities, but also in the classroom. Games, problem-solving tasks and projects are serving the base for reflection, discussion, understanding and learning. Do the teachers need to change in order to provide classes based on experiential learning? Presenting Kolb Educator Role Profile and analyzing the results of 21 teachers from Mures County, who are successfully using experiential education I found that using the Facilitator and Coach role has a great influence on their efficiency in teaching. 1. Bevezetés Napjainkban egyre több szálon folynak be az élmények az oktatásba, és egyre inkább nem csak jól elkülöníthető, gyakran iskolán kívüli tevékenységek formájában (közösségépítő alkalmak, élménytáborok), hanem a tanórák szerves részeként jelennek meg élménypedagógiai tevékenységek (játékok, problémamegoldó feladatok, projektek), amelyek kapcsolódnak a leadott tananyaghoz és ezáltal a tapasztalati tanulást szolgálják. Hiszem azt, hogy ezek az élmények és tapasztalatok csak megerősítik a tanulók tudását, hozzájárulnak ahhoz, hogy a tanultakhoz fűződő érzelmek és aktív cselekedetek által jobban rögzüljenek és hosszú távon előhivhatóak legyenek a tanult tartalmak. Feltevődik a kérdés, hogy kell-e változnia a pedagógusnak, ahhoz hogy órája élményekben és tapasztalatokban gazdag legyen? És milyen változásokon kell átmennie egy tanítónak, tanárnak ahhoz, hogy ki tudja alakítani a tapasztalati tanulásnak megfelelő helyzeteket és légkört, kezelni tudja az interakciókat, ami néha konfliktusos is lehet, és eredményes legyen, hatékonynak érezze magát ebben a folyamatban? Ilyen és hasonló kérdésekre keresem a választ az élménypedagógia élméletét, gyakorlatát és Kolb oktatói szerep profilját vizsgálva Maros megyei környezetben. Még mindig fontos leszögezni, hogy mit is értünk élménypedagógia alatt, annak ellenére, hogy egyre többen használják ezt a kifejezést. Egy játék, amelyet beviszünk az osztályba, még önmagában nem elég ahhoz, hogy élménypedagógiáról beszéljünk, be kell járni a tapasztalati tanulás ciklusát ahhoz, hogy ez ne csak egy becsöppentett színfolt maradjon, ami semmihez sem köthető a tananyagból, csupán a diákok energizálását szolgálja. Az élménypedagógia az általam használt értelemben a Dewey-féle pragmatisa nevelésfilozófiai irányzatra épül, amely szerint a nevelés lényege, hogy a tanuló tapasztalatokat szerezzen a konkrét élethelyzetekhez. Ahogy azt Németh András írja Pukánszky Bélával közösen kiadott Neveléstörténet című könyvükben, Dewey nevelésfilozófiai hitvallása, hogy az iskola maga az élet (Pukányszky és Németh, 1996). Mitől

Fancy in the eighteenth century was part of a rich semantic network, connecting wit, whimsicality, erotic desire, spontaneity, deviation from norms and triviality. It was also a contentious term, signifying excess, oddness and irrationality, liable to offend taste, reason and morals. This chapter on fancy in drawing manuals is part of the Voltaire Foundation - Liverpool University Press - Oxford University Studies in The Enlightenment book Fancy in Eighteenth-Century European Visual Culture edited by Melissa Percival and Muriel Adrien

"Learning in the 21 st century has drastically changed how learners access and process information" (1). The authors of Best Practices in Engaging Online Learners begin by describing specific changes in higher education that directly impact student learning. This change is obvious. Several technologies are changing the landscape of higher education: electronic textbooks, learning management systems, large-scale institutional data, social media -each of these changes impacts student experience, and benefit from intentional pedagogical usage. These changes are more thorough in distance learning than in face-to-face contexts it seems. The authors present an idealistic call towards engaging and developing rigorous online education that harnesses its possibilities. As such, they advocate active and experiential learning that is high on transfer and reflection.

It is difficult to provide disengaged youth, who are at risk of not fulfilling their potential, with the social support necessary to remain active contributors to society. They are more likely to fail and drop from education greatly reducing the prospect of becoming constructive, productive community members. Consequently strategies to promote engagement with learning and education need to be investigated. This study explores the impact on an individual's self-concept and social networking skills through participation in an experiential learning program at sea conducted in Australia's national sail training ship STS Young Endeavour and how this may influence student engagement with learning and education. Using qualitative interviews, engagement with learning and education of five participants from different educational backgrounds was examined pre and post voyage. The results suggest participation in the Young Endeavour program had a positive effect on development of social relationships, general self-concept, motivation to study, and sense of purpose for learning. Key contributing factors appear to be experiential learning activities specifically designed to support the development of greater self-concept and social skills such as climbing aloft, working together as a 'watch' and taking control of the vessel.

The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations represent a universal response to current global challenges that include climate change, poverty, political instability and the massive displacement of people worldwide. The central role of education in achieving sustainable development has been internationally acknowledged and successfully promoted: Global enrolment rates are now 90 percent for primary education and over 70 percent for secondary education. Building on these achievements, this paper focuses the role of tertiary education in contributing to sustainable development. This study reviewed recent theoretical and empirical research relating to the field. Conclusions from theoretical studies confirm that building on human capital is crucial for achieving the sustainable development goals. The majority of empirical studies also confirm a positive correlation between tertiary education and sustainable development. This study highlighted, however, that the full benefits of tertiary education to society may have been underestimated and that there are significant research gaps in the field. Furthermore, current challenges including funding, equity and market relevancy in tertiary education need to be addressed. Given the pressing global issues and the mounting evidence of positive impacts, this paper calls for more research and attention to be devoted to tertiary education in the sustainable development debate.

Overview

The beauty and grandeur of medieval cathedrals lies not only in their sheer size, but also in the harmonious proportions that result from using principles of ancient geometry in their design. This experiential learning project demonstrates the interrelationship of mathematics and design in medieval architecture through the practical application of geometry. Reading assignments (see below) should be completed before the first activity.

In the first activity, students draft a cathedral plan using geometric tools (compass, straight edge, and protractor). The second part of the activity takes place on a campus green space where students physically lay out a scaled cathedral plan, ad quadratum (Latin for “from the square”) following the plan completed in the first activity. The first activity is detailed in the step-by-step guide below, but the second activity is instructed in person, as a master mason would have done, by transmitting information verbally to apprentices and other masons on the building site. In this part, students use the plans they have drawn, but now points on the plan are marked out by wooden stakes and string is used in place of the compass to generate measurements and mark boundaries.

After completing the readings, plan, and layout students will have both a theoretical and experiential understanding of how proportions based on the square root and the Golden Ratio (1:618) find practical application in medieval architecture. As a way to synthesize learning, each student should complete short (2-3 pgs.) reflection paper that consider the ways in which the process of drawing and laying out the plan deepened understanding of the relationship of geometry and design in medieval buildings.

Learning Outcomes

-Gain a greater understanding of the parts of a cathedral plan and use correct architectural terminology
-Analyze the interdependence of mathematics (geometry) and aesthetics in the design of cathedral plans
-Understand the relationship between the ideal (plan) and real layout of a cathedral
-Develop creative solutions to practical problems through problem solving
-Collaborate in a group setting to achieve a common goal

Reading Assignments

Robert Bork, The Geometry of Creation: Architectural Drawing and the Dynamics of Gothic Design (Ashgate, 2011), 1-27.

Stephen Murray, Notre-Dame, Cathedral of Amiens: The Power of Change in Gothic (Cambridge UP, 1996), 28-43.

Other suggested readings:

Carl F. Barnes, The Portfolio of Villard de Honnecourt (Paris, BnF, MS Fr 19093): A New Critical Edition and Color Fascimile (Ashgate, 2009).

Nicola Coldstream, Medieval Craftsmen: Masons and Sculptors (British Museum Press, 1991).

Nancy Wu, ed. Ad Quadratum: The Practical Application of Geometry in Medieval Architecture (Ashgate, 2002).

Recollections of an Unconventional Pedagogy appeared in Stories of Teaching at Carleton University in which award-winning teachers were invited to contribute. The book, to celebrate Carleton at 75 yrs,  was launched at the TLS event: Celebrating Teaching Excellence at Carleton.

Cross reference. See also:
"Father Taught Me To Teach" in the Memoir Section
"Thus Spake the Toad" in the Articles Section
"Emergence"  in the Articles Section
"Where Dwellings Dwell: House of Incompleteness" in the Articles Section

Despite the popularity of the flipped classroom, its effectiveness in achieving greater engagement and learning outcomes is currently lacking substantial empirical evidence. This study surveyed 563 undergraduate and postgraduate students (61% female) participating in flipped teaching environments and 10 convenors of the flipped courses in which the student sample was enrolled. Results suggest that higher education students can be differentiated based on their preferences for elements of a flipped classroom, resulting in two clusters of students: those who embrace most aspects of a flipped classroom environment as well as prefer it (labelled ''Flip endorsers'') and those who are close to neutral on some elements of a flipped classroom environment but who especially do not endorse the pre-learning aspects (labelled ''Flip resisters "). Flip endorsers were found to have more positive attitudes towards the course activities (both pre-class and in-class) and to have felt more involved and engaged in the content. These findings shed some light on the types of students who might prefer flipped classrooms, but more importantly identify those who are likely to resist a change to a flipped classroom environment. The findings also suggest that although students may find the flipped classroom more difficult, student outcomes and active participation in class activities do improve when course convenors: a) use a theoretical perspective to inform their flipped teaching strategy, b) integrate assessment into the design of their flipped classroom, and c) flip the entire course.

Resumo
Neste trabalho apresenta-se a planificação, implementação e avaliação de uma atividade
investigativa enquadrada numa visita de estudo ao Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Lisboa. A
atividade teve como participantes 29 alunos do 8.º ano de escolaridade e foi estruturada com
aulas de preparação, visita de estudo e aulas de consolidação, seguindo o modelo teórico dos 5
E’s de Bybee (2002). As atividades que promovam uma aprendizagem ativa podem permitir o
desenvolvimento de um leque mais alargado de competências investigativas, como diagnosticar
problemas, planificar e desenvolver investigações, analisar dados, pesquisar informação,
comunicar, trabalhar em grupo, entre outras. Foram construídos e aplicados instrumentos para a
avaliação de competências investigativas. Verificou-se que a atividade promoveu o
desenvolvimento deste tipo de competências, promovendo também a motivação dos alunos para
a aprendizagem das ciências naturais. Ao longo da atividade, foi fornecido feedback, dando aos
alunos a oportunidade de melhorarem o seu trabalho. Deste modo, os alunos puderam perspetivar
a educação em ciências como um processo contínuo que lhes permite evoluir no sentido de
melhorarem continuamente as suas competências.
Palavras–Chave: Jardim Botânico, visita de estudo, aprendizagem ativa, feedback, avaliação.
Abstract
This work presents the planning, implementation and assessment of an investigative activity that
involved 29 students, from the 8th grade, during a fieldtrip to the Botanical Garden of the University
of Lisbon. This activity was structured using preparation lessons, fieldtrip and follow up lessons.
The theoretical model of the 5 E's by Bybee (2002) was applied in the planning of the activity.
Active learning allow for the development of a wider range of investigative skills, such as: how to
identify problems, plan and carry out investigations, analyse data, looking up information,
communicate, work in groups, among others. Instruments to evaluate investigative skills were
developed and applied. It was found that this activity promoted the development of investigative
skills and, at the same time, booster student’s motivation for learning natural sciences. Throughout
the activity feedback was provided to students, enabling them to improve their performance and
giving the opportunity to view science learning as a continuous process to enhance their skills.
Keywords: Botanical garden, fieldtrip, inquiry, feedback, assessment.

Voluntourism has been a hot topic in the development sector for the last years, after a boom in people trying out " hands-on " experiences in "third world" countries. In this submission, more than adding a critical voice against voluntourism in Experiential Learning programs, I want to share my experience in the field. In this paper,  I describe the educational resources that were created to forego unequal structures to give away instead, the implementation of responsible volunteer programs.

While existing in a patriarchal society, women are taught that they are merely their body, an object to be viewed, accepted or rejected and ultimately discarded. Research has shown a need for body image resilience curriculum and media literacy courses. However, most of the
curriculum or content being created is for college-aged women and younger and taught in a passive way. This study introduced outdoor experiential education to body image resilience curriculum by looking at the experiences of women ages 25-40 in a body image resilience
workshop. By examining these experiences, this study offers recommendations for Beauty Redefined, a Salt Lake City 501c3 who’s curriculum was used for the body image resilience workshop, and how they can have a more sustainable impact on the participants. This study
found that community and connection were an important outcome of an experiential outdoor curriculum.

"This study describes the development of a grounded theory of applied critical thinking in leadership studies and examines how student-centered experiential learning in leadership education bridged critical thinking with action. Over three semester undergraduate students in an upper level leadership studies course at a large four-year public institution in the southeastern United States completed a written assignment in which they were asked to define the concept of “leading critically.” A grounded theory of critical leadership – utilizing critical thinking
skills to make decisions about leadership actions in different situations – emerged after completing a qualitative document analysis of these papers and incorporating the researchers’ existing knowledge of leadership and student development
theory. The hope is that this research will create dialogue concerning new approaches to leadership education and encourage practices that apply critical thinking skills to leadership."

Abstract In contexts other than immersive virtual environments, theoretical and empirical work has identified flow experience as a major factor in learning and human–computer interaction. Flow is defined as a 'holistic sensation that people feel when they act with total involvement'. We applied the concept of flow to modeling the experience of collaborative learning in an immersive virtual environment.

This paper is the complementary, written component for my Masters Thesis in Ecological Design thinking. The documentary can be found on Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/147702609.

The thesis was an attempt to try and complement both rational and irrational ways of thinking. Allowing theory to be practised with real world experiences within Wilderness.

Virtual worlds are providing opportunities for the development of innovative curricula to enhance distance education. In these environments, students can participate in authentic learning activities that resembles real life tasks and scenarios. In addition, virtual worlds provide the platform for students to perform tasks that are too expensive or dangerous to undertake in real life. Well-designed simulations deployed in these virtual environments can provide risk-free and cost-effective simulations of those authentic contexts that facilitate optimal learning, especially when coupled with the capability for tactile precision and haptic feedback. This paper will explore what a virtual world is before investigating the uses of these environments for learning. The challenges and opportunities for educators and learners using virtual worlds for distance education will be examined. The paper concludes with a brief look at the potential for future development of how users interact with virtual worlds in distance learning.

In our paper, we wish to present the use of simulation games and exercises, as innovative, alternative and problem-based learning methods of European Studies, implementing David Kolb's experiential learning theory and the constructivist learning paradigm. After a detailed presentation of the simulation exercises as experiential learning methods and in-depth theoretical framing, our research also aims to assess various EU simulation games organized at the level of the Union with a special focus on our country, Romania. The topic of this article originates from a personal experience, because it is based on the know-how gathered as a participant at the EU Applied Decision Making Simulation Game held in Brussels in 2010, where we have renegotiated an EU regulation concerning the Setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars as part of the Community's integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles. In the end, we will try to present the benefits and challenges of this experiential learning method, deciphering whether it honours its purpose of turning students form passive to active learners, fostering their more effective participation, once they are adults in community issues, contributing to the formation of future professionals, proficient in EU decision-making, or not.

This paper presents a radical version of Experiential Learning that we call Stealth Learning, which dispenses with academic principles and the traditional teacher/class relationship in order to surprise and gain the commitment of the learner.

This descriptive article explores the uses of poetry and journaling exercises as means of helping students develop their self-reflective capacities within the context of international social work. First, self-reflection and its importance to social work practice and education is discussed. Second, the importance of self-reflection in international and cross-cultural work is highlighted. Third, the application of poetry and other journal writing exercises as a means of facilitating self-reflection is explored. Poems written in response to structured exercises by students who took part in an international experience in social work education in Leon, Nicaragua, are presented as examples. The exercises presented can be used by educators in various helping professions who seek to help their students expand their self-reflective skills and engage in cross-cultural and international practice.

There is a serious need to reconsider the adult-led, grade-centered parent teacher meetings which are standard school practice. Schools and students would benefit from elevating PTMs with student voice and formative assessment that celebrates students’ efforts and motivates them to continue learning. Under a reinvented framework for meetings, educators can redefine achievement, moving away from explicit focus on grades and behavior, and towards the exciting process of learning.
This paper expounds the argument that students learn better when they are empowered with tools that assess both their learning and their attitudes towards learning; moreover, it champions student-led meetings as a sustainable replacement to parent-teacher meetings, by narrating the transformation of the meetings at a private English-medium middle school in Pakistan.

Evolutionarily and ontogenetically, cognition primarily comes from interactions that are to be understood as epistemic actions of a situated-embodied observer. Only gradually do cognitive simulations (as mental rehearsals) and abstract reflections become possible. The beginning, however, is formed by processes of enactive cognition. These actions already control affective feedback, which can be interpreted as the simplest case of an aesthetic experiences (e.g. when playing or dancing without music). Efficiency (the economy of biological resources) and effectiveness (the possible prediction of action effects) are positively reinforced. Analogously, if the sign is negative, this leads to negative aesthetic experiences. In terms of embodied cognition, these perceptual judgements occur in diverse granularities and massively in parallel: Aesthetic experience is primarily not a judgement about an external object, but about the quality of the cognitive modelling processes themselves as embodied cognition (forward modelling and inverse modelling as the basis for anticipation/forecasting): Aesthetic experience becomes recognisable as an evolutionary learning amplifier that can control conscious as well as unconscious processes through affective feedback.