Experiential Education

The Principals' Partnership
http://www.principalspartnership.com/
Sponsored by Union Pacific Foundation
Research Brief
Experiential Education
Question: What does research say about Experiential Education?
Summary of Findings:
Learning through experience is the process of acquiring knowledge directly; the learner applies theories and
concepts in a real world situation and learns from the outcome. Experiential education is essentially an
educational philosophy first developed in the late nineteenth century and has since been articulated in a
variety of fields including cooperative education, internships, outdoor education, organizational development
and training, and service- learning.
The essence of Experiential Education was captured by the philosopher John Dewey, who argued that
"Events are present and operative anyway; what concerns us is their meaning." Experience happens; it is
unavoidable. The problem for teachers and students is how to make meaning out of our experience. In its
purest forms, Experiential Education is inductive, beginning with "raw" experience that is processed through
an intentional learning format and transformed into working, useable knowledge.
Common forms of Experiential Education
÷ Internships
÷ Service-Learning
÷ School-to-Work
÷ Cooperative Education
÷ Field Studies
÷ Cross-Cultural/International Education
÷ Leadership Development
÷ Active Learning
Experiential Education has been shown to positively impact at-risk students, put learning into context, and
make learning more meaningful for students.
Online Resources:
National Society for Experiential Education
The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) is a nonprofit membership association of
educators, businesses, and community leaders. Founded in 1971, NSEE also serves as a national
resource center for the development and improvement of experiential education programs
nationwide. NSEE serves as a national network deeply committed to advancing experiential
education as a tool for education reform, civic awareness, and workforce development.
http://www.nsee.org

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The Principals' Partnership
http://www.principalspartnership.com/
Sponsored by Union Pacific Foundation
Research Brief
Association for Experiential Education
The mission of the Association for Experiential Education is to develop and promote experiential
education. The Association is committed to support professional development, theoretical
advancement, and evaluation of experiential education worldwide.
http://www.aee.org/index.html
Outdoor and Experiential Education Programs for Adolescent Girls
A sample of programs nationwide and miscellaneous resources.
http://www.womanonsafari.org/girlsresource/
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
The Learn and Serve America National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC) supports the
service-learning community in higher education, kindergarten through grade twelve, community-
based initiatives and tribal programs, as well as all others interested in strengthening schools and
communities using service-learning techniques and methodologies. The Clearinghouse stands ready
to assist with materials, references, referrals, and information.
http://www.servicelearning.org/article/frontpage/1/
The Journal of Experiential Education
JEE is a professional journal that publishes a diverse range of articles in subject area such as outdoor
adventure programming, service learning, environmental education, therapeutic applications, research
and theory, the creative arts, and much more.
http://www.aee.org/publications/journal/aeejourn.html
Outdoor, Experiential, and Environmental Education: Converging or Diverging Approaches?
ERIC Digest.
Adkins, Carol; Simmons, Bora
This digest examines the definitions of outdoor, experiential, and environmental education and
clarifies the boundaries and essential elements of each tradition. Early in its history, outdoor
education was influenced by advocates of camping education and nature study. Today outdoor
education includes outdoor experiences designed to meet objectives in many areas and has emerged
as a context for learning. Experiential education was embraced by outdoor and adventure educators as
a method of using real-life experiences to achieve learning goals. Definitions have progressed from
"learning by doing" to more constructivist notions of learning through carefully chosen experiences
supported by reflection and critical analysis. While tracing its lineage, in part, to outdoor education,
environmental education began to take concrete form in the late 1960s with the first Earth Day and
publication of the first journal of environmental education. The basic aim of environmental education
is to develop environmentally literate citizens with the core concepts and skills needed to take
responsible action with regard to the natural environment. Educational practices commonly draw
from combinations of outdoor, experiential, and environmental education. Examples of combined
approaches are given.
http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-2/outdoor.html

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The Principals' Partnership
http://www.principalspartnership.com/
Sponsored by Union Pacific Foundation
Research Brief
Does Service Learning Make a Difference in Student Performance?
Fredericksen, Patricia J.
Journal of Experiential Education v23 n2 p64-74 Fall 2000
A study examining the characteristics of students engaged in service learning and the association
between service learning participation and student performance involved 699 college students in an
American government course over three semesters. Females and lower-income students were more
likely to be service learning participants, and service learning participation was positively associated
with academic performance.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3907/is_200010/ai_n8908332
Foxfire
Foxfire (The Foxfire Fund, Inc.) is a not-for-profit, educational, and literary organization based in
Rabun County, Georgia. Foxfire's learner-centered, community-based educational approach is
advocated through both a regional demonstration site grounded in the Southern Appalachian culture
that gave rise to Foxfire and a national program of teacher training and support that promotes a sense
of place and appreciation of local people, community, and culture as essential educational tools.
http://www.foxfire.org/
The Foxfire Approach to Teaching and Learning: John Dewey, Experiential Learning, and the
Core Practices. ERIC Digest.
Starnes, Bobby Ann
The Foxfire approach to teaching and learning emerged from an experiential education program that
used oral history methods to teach English to high school freshmen in Appalachian Georgia. In the 30
years since that program began, hundreds of teachers have helped develop and revise Foxfire's 11
core practices. This digest describes the Foxfire approach to teaching and learning as defined by the
core practices, the decision-making framework the approach provides to teachers, and the ways that
the framework fits with John Dewey's notion of experiential education. The core practices call for
infusing all work with learner choice and design; the teacher as collaborator or facilitator; academic
integrity of the work; work characterized by active learning; emphasis on peer teaching, small group
work, and teamwork; connections between classroom work and the real world; audience beyond the
teacher for student work; basing new activities on past learning experiences; encouragement of
imagination and creativity in the completion of learning activities; student reflection on the work; and
rigorous, ongoing evaluation. Over 50 years ago, Dewey expressed the belief that "all genuine
education comes through experience." The 11 core practices are compared to Dewey's ideas about
four aspects of education: the relationships among teachers, learners, the curriculum, and the
community; the ways learning occurs; preparing students for full lives as citizens and individuals;
and reflection and evaluation
http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-3/foxfire.htm

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The Principals' Partnership
http://www.principalspartnership.com/
Sponsored by Union Pacific Foundation
Research Brief
Outdoored.Com
A web resource for outdoor & experiential education professionals. The purpose of OutdoorEd.com
is to provide a rich community for professional outdoor and experiential educators to come together
and share their knowledge, ideas, questions, and issues.
http://www.outdoored.com/
Date: 12/8/2003
Submitted By: Mike Muir, Maine Center for Meaningful Engaged Learning
http://www.principalspartnership.com/
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