Experiential Learning Cycle Workshop

1.    Warm-up question on the board – Think back to a time when you were looking to learn something, and the person you went to for support approached it in a way that made it difficult for you to get what you needed. 

2.    Introduce the workshop (10mins)

a.    Our names
b.    today’s topic and agenda
c.    go round:

i.    names
ii.    one thing that you want to share with the group so that you can feel as comfortable here as possible: gender pronouns, requests, etc

3.    Experience – go thru the whole cycle.  IN PAIRS (10mins)

a.    (5mins) experience: share with a partner your answers to the prompt on the board. 
b.    reflect:  How did that situation make you feel at the time?  How do you feel about it now?
c.    analyze:   What made that situation not work for you?  What lessons can you draw about what makes learning or problem-solving work better for you?
d.    (5mins) apply:  Role play one of the situations –

i.    how you would do it differently than the person in your story did it for you? 
ii.    what are some behaviors and actions that can help us solve that dilemma?

4.    Reflect – GROUP DISCUSSION  (10mins)

a.    go over the components  (different models use different names for each step)

i.    experience/feel/see
ii.    name/reflect/process/what happened?
iii.    think/analyze/draw lessons/generalize/so what?
iv.    apply/practice/now what?   

b.    how was that process?  general reflections on the experiential cycle, either based on the process or past experiences?

i.    what do/did you like?
ii.    what do/did you not like? 

5.    Analyze/Generalize (20mins)

a.    why do some folks think that this approach is synergistic with popular education?
b.    what are some limitations of this model? 
c.    Small groups, each taking one component

i.    what are they keys to making each component work?
ii.    what are some common pitfalls that undermine this component’s effectiveness?
iii.    what are some formats you have seen that work well for each component

d.    Come back and share

6.    Apply (35mins)

a.    get into groups (5mins)

i.    education/youth
ii.    community organizing
iii.    advocacy
iv.    service providers
v.    coordinators/managers/supervisors
vi.    others??

b.    prep (10mins)
c.    think of a workshop/learning situation that you are hoping to create using this cycle
d.    use blank paper to create a learning cycle: see the components, add in an intro and a closing if you have time.  feel free to edit the model based on your own critiques or those we talked about as a group.
e.    Group feedback (20mins)

i.    each person presents plan to group (5mins each)
ii.    feedback: 

1.    Discover:  how does this plan effectively use the experiential cycle? 
2.    Dream:  how could it use the experiential cycle even more effectively? 
3.    Design:  any concrete suggestions?

iii.    as a group

1.    add more formats/tools to each component

7.    Closing (5mins): 

a.    long – one question that you had that was answered tonight, OR one question that remains unanswered for you
b.    short – in small groups: one appreciation for the person next to you, go in a circle.