Environmental Service Learning

2008-07-18T14:43:00.001-07:00

Environmental service learning is an educational pedagogy that advocates learning through serving the community, deepening connections between academic learning and the impact on the world around us, all through an environmental justice lens.

Definition provided by Community Educational Services

Community Educational Services (CES) is a non-profit agency that has provided educational, employment, and community involvement services to children and youth in San Francisco since 1969. CES’ mission is to help young people transform their lives, school, and communities.

Instituto Conexiones employs experiential education in its educational programs

2008-04-05T17:09:00.001-07:00

Experiential education is essentially applied teaching. In other words, facilitating learning through "doing." Many teaching modalities teach skills in isolation from how those skills can be applied.

Wilderdom.com posts a good working definition of Experiental Education

2008-04-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

Article by: James Neill
Last updated: 06 Oct 2004

What is Experiential Education?

The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.
- William A. Ward

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Students are actively involved

In experiential education, the student becomes more actively involved in the learning process than than in traditional, didactic education. For example, going to a zoo and learning through observation and interaction with the zoo environment is experiential and in contrast to reading and talking about animals in a classroom. The main difference here, from a pedagogical point of view, is that the educator who takes his/her students to the zoo rather than stay in the classroom probably values direct experience more highly than abstract knowledge.

Educators' value the students' experience

Experiential education is based on experiential learning. Experiential educators operate under the assumption that:

educational goals can be effectively met by allowing the nature of learner's educational experience to influence the educational process

Experiential educators are generally aware that experiences alone are not inherently good for learning. Thus, experiential try to arrange particular sets of experiences which are conducive towards particular educational goals.

Experiential education comes in many shapes and sizes

Experiential education is widely implemented across a range of topics and mediums - for example, outdoor education, service learning, internships, and group-based learning projects. Many educational projects are experiential, but don't refer to themselves as such (e.g., excursions, physical education, manual arts, drama, art, and so on).

Experiential education according to Googlism

Here's 40 or so selected responses from a Googlism search for Experiential Education:

experiential education is based on experiential learning which is based on the theory of experience
experiential education is a systematic approach to applied learning whereby a student engages in professional & productive
experiential education is a process through which a learner constructs knowledge
experiential education is probably the oldest form of education
experiential education is to develop skills in leadership and management
experiential education is learning by doing
experiential education is an educational philosophy and related strategies to increase understanding
experiential education is sometimes misunderstood
experiential education is really the oldest approach to learning
experiential education is a process
experiential education is a term that's come to stand in for outdoorsy programs like nols or outward bound
experiential education is the most effective way to make a positive difference
experiential education is a strategy designed to formally integrate the student's academic study
experiential education is an education methodology which integrates the classroom with the workplace
experiential education is any form of education that integrates students' experiences into the curriculum
experiential education is a unique and powerful training experience that challenges workgroups to assess their strengths and discuss
experiential education is any form of teaching that utilizes direct "hands-on" experience
experiential education is an educational strategy that connects classroom theory with practice in the real world
experiential education is the process of actively engaging students in an experience that will have real consequences
experiential education is a relatively new concept but one which is proving very popular
experiential education is a general term
experiential education is nothing new
experiential education is the process of actively engaging learners in an experience that will have real consequences
experiential education is to contribute to making a more just and compassionate world
experiential education is also used by schools and workplaces coming together to allow students to apply classroom learning in the community and workplace
experiential education is group dynamics
experiential education is a structured semester
experiential education is essentially an educational philosophy first developed in the late 19th century
experiential education is a powerful learning tool
experiential education is an umbrella term which describes many different opportunities
experiential education is practically a "must" in technical education as we enter the new millennium
experiential education is redundant
experiential education is a vital part of this curriculum
experiential education is a key to success
experiential education is a process of education based on learning by direct experience and using all the senses
experiential education is only for people who are interested in the outdoors and climbing rocks
experiential education is based on the philosophy of cooperative education
experiential education is to provide for the educational and career development of the student
experiential education is not separate from traditional education; rather it complements it by providing opportunities
experiential education is about people experiencing a natural, yet often unfamiliar environment
experiential education is learning that occurs through active involvement in what is being studied
experiential education is committed to supporting professional development
experiential education is more involving — the learners are invited to participate
experiential education is a holistic approach which incorporates physical activity while also providing social and emotional challenges
experiential education is a process that differs from traditional education by maintaining that knowledge is individually and communally constructed by people

Experiential Education