*SHOWCASE* Experiential Learning Theory: Indigenous Pedagogies

I have decided to go with the Experiential learning approach because I have some experience and knowledge already with this in my Indigenous studies Major. Experiential learning is all based on hands-on and obviously learning through experiences. This approach focuses more on how one understands the process or what they are actively doing to learn. The critical part of this is the reflection after where the student must look back at what they did and reflect what the most important lesson(s) are to them and how this experience can help improve their learning.

Characteristics: What is it?

I found the perfect website for this, the Experiential Learning Institute really explains all the characteristics of this approach that was created by David A. Kolb.

The baseline for this approach has a learning cycle in which everyone in their daily lives does without noticing. The cycle is this: Experience, Reflect, Think, and Act (Institute of Experiential Learning. 2021. para 6.) The reflection stage of this cycle is all about reviewing, perceiving, and looking at it from multiple perspectives in order to have a better understanding of what one just experienced (para. 6). The thinking section is where we come up with concluding thoughts that will help resolve or complete the experience and then we must act right after to make a change, to continue the process, and to learn new things about the experience. It is also a great way to ask how we can add to this experience or how we can create new ones in addition to it.

This is a basic form of experiential learning and I will not go into too much more detail, but there are also different styles we use that we set our default learning style too. The learning styles on this site include; Experiencing, Imagining, Reflecting, Analyzing, Thinking, Deciding, Acting, Initiating, and Balancing. We all navigate these styles differently due to such diversities from person to person, examples are; personality, level of learning, culture, level of education, etc. (para 9).  They “are habits or steady states of learning and living involving a preference on some modes of learning and underutilization of others” (para 10). Styles are what makeup how a person learns specifically to them. What their process is, how they physically think about it in their cognitive. It is more like a learning personality that we all default back to if we are in a bind.

Does it align with our topic?

This approach aligns with our topic perfectly because, as students are researching about their chosen Indigenous community, the second step that could be possible for the whole class is to go out and experience some basic cultural activities to fully understand why it is important and to learn about for example native and invasive plants. As a theoretical second part to our topic, I highly recommend going out and experiencing some berry picking or invasive removal. Not only are you doing physical work but spiritually the students will have a better idea of why Indigenous people care for and manage the land. This specific act is also considered resurgence. It can also happen through Indigenous ontology (ways of being) and epistemology (ways of knowing) which are more or less Indigenous versions of Experiential Learning.

I myself experienced invasive removal and tending to the land in IS 450: Indigenous Studies in the Field. The process of removal is not only learning about how to properly remove the plant without hurting the land but also reflecting and building relations with the land, the wildlife and your inner self.

Before getting started you must introduce yourself, who you are, you’re people, and where you come from. Then you must ask permission to come onto the land and also say that you are going to respect the land you are helping. Yes, this is a little bit more advanced than for a 4th-grade class, but they can still do the same experience. The hands-on work, the reflection, building relations, and the physically taking action in doing their part, giving back to the land they live on.

Models of experiential learning in Indigenous education

Here are some quotes I found based on Indigenous perspectives or thoughts. These are only to provide some extra background knowledge to what I am discussing. Reflect on them, use critical thinking. Indigenous views are crucial when working on an Indigenous-related topic, Incorporating Indigenous methods, voices and perspectives are what make it Indigenous, and we must credit them.

The following are retrieved from O’Connor, K. B. (2009). Northern exposures: Models of experiential learning in Indigenous education. Journal of Experiential Education, 31(3), 415-419.

• “Evaluation of narratives, interviews, and focus groups that center on student engagement, critical learning, and identity formation provided valuable information for this research” (p. 417)

• “an active participation developed by the immersion experience may provide motivation for recognition of environmental and social variation and the need for new strategies for social change” (p. 418)

• “experiential learning provides the Indigenous student with the task of being conscious about and taking responsibility for the reality of his/her own political and cultural awareness” (p. 418)

• “It is intended that the findings provide communities and educators with a better understanding of educational approaches that successfully engage Indigenous students in the process of learning through the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge and methodologies through an experiential model” (p. 418).

References:

Institute of Experiential Learning. 2021. “What Is Experiential Learning?”. Institute of Experiential Learning. Retrieved from: https://experientiallearninginstitute.org/resources/what-is-experiential-learning/

O’Connor, K. B. (2009). “Northern exposures: Models of experiential learning in Indigenous education”. Journal of Experiential Education. 31(3). 415-419. Retrieved from: https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.1177/105382590803100311

O’Connor, K. B. (2009). Northern exposures: Models of experiential learning in Indigenous education. Journal of Experiential Education, 31(3), 415-419.

Partner’s Blog Posts:

Kayla Krug- https://kaylakrug.wordpress.com/2021/10/17/edci-335-blog-post-2-learning-design/

Kate Rose- https://katemcgowan.opened.ca/2021/10/16/blog-post-2-teaching-and-learning-approaches/