Experience Based Education
Introduction
What is learning?
How do we learn?
How can we facilitate learning?
Educationists have pondered on these questions for centuries. While there is some consensus about psychological, social, cognitive and even physical processes involved in learning, broadly there are three schools of thought regarding learning theory; behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism (read more here). While Educate! borrows the best from each school of thought, our education model is closest to the constructivist learning theory.
We believe learners learn:
- Through experience
- Together with their peers and facilitators
- Through challenging tasks
- Only if they are motivated
- By building on prior knowledge
- Through solving real life problems
How to focus your design on learning rather than teaching
Building on these assumptions about how learners learn, Educate! promotes experience based education. To guide designers on techniques to achieve this we majorly use two frameworks.
- Skills Lab which forms a pedagogical design standard to ensure lessons are planned to support skills development.
- IS STUCK, which guides designers on facilitation techniques that can engage learners with content and skills in an experience based manner. IS STUCK facilitation techniques can be integrated in Skills Lab to ensured skills are developed practically.
What you will learn in this module
A simple mnemonic to remember facilitation techniques that makes learning stick!
The basics of Skills Lab and lots of useful tools to design great skills Labs.
Improve collaboration in Skills Lab using 'neriage'
A good lesson plan balances content, activities and assessment according to available time. Learn a few tips towards timing here.
Find out how portfolio assessment can further experience based learning.
Practical assignment for module 1
After finishing all 5 sessions on experience based education (and quizzes) you will design an 80-minute Skills Lab lesson incl. portfolio activity on a topic given by the course instructors. The lesson should be designed for secondary school teachers in your country. There's only 1 rule: don't re-use activities already used in the Educate! curriculum. Tip: use the template below.
Send the complete lesson plan to designacademy@experienceeducate.org
20161207 Skills Lab Template.docx