An Experience-Based Model for Accelerating Coursework

1. An Experience-Based Model for Accelerating Coursework Stephanie Fenwick , M.Ad.Ed. Fred G. Garlett, Ed.D. Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA Cathy S. Heffernan, Ph.D. Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, NE

2. Introductions and Context • Who we are • What you expect from us • What we have planned

3. Your motivation • I specifically want to know more about how to leverage experience to strengthen accelerated curriculum • I’m here to learn about accelerating coursework in general • I’m looking for new ideas to support our current practice • We want to solve some problems with our current practice • Other?

4. Session goals • Talk about experience and learning • Explain the importance of experience to our model of acceleration • Encourage you to think more deeply about the role experience can play in helping you meet your goals for student learning outcomes

5. The Power of Experience • Comenius to Dewey to Piaget to Scheckley (and others) • The Strength Bombardment Exercise: AN oral presentation of life experience

6. The Model for Acceleration (In your handout) • Identify content and outcomes • Consider the nature of the content and outcomes • Prioritize content and outcomes • Plan assessment • Plan learning environments and activities • Integrate

7. The Model for Acceleration (What we’ll explore today) • Identify content and outcomes • Consider the nature of the content and outcomes • Prioritize content and outcomes • Plan assessment • Plan learning environments and activities • Integrate

8. 2-Minute Reflection • Choose an objective from a course you have taught that you can use as an exemplar throughout this session • Examples: • The student will be able to apply adult development principles to professional and social settings • The student will be able identify and analyze various sources/causes of conflict

9. The nature of the content and outcomes

10. 2-Minute Reflection • What knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors are associated with your chosen objective?

11. Prioritization • The Scriven soufflé

12. 2-Minute Reflection • What is the stand-alone content associated with your objective? • What are the stand-alone outcomes?

13. Learning environments and activities (The order of these activities is flexible) • Planning for experience • Selecting appropriate learning environments • Attending to the needs of learners • Attending to special themes

14. Planning for experience ConcreteExperience (CE) The Kolb Model of Experiential Learning Active Experimentation (AE) Reflective Observation (RO) Abstract Conceptualization (AC) Model graphic from the Keynote presentation of Alice & David Kolb at the 2005 CAEL Conference

15. 2-Minute Reflection Think about one aspect of your objective. • How much are your adult students likely to know about this content? • Is the content entirely new or do they already have experience with the ideas or behaviors? • Where is the best point of engagement with this content?

16. Selecting appropriate learning environments • Thornburg’s PrimordialLearning Environments

17. Thornburg and Kolb

18. 4-Minute Reflection • Connect the primordial environments to your objective. • What will students learn around the campfire? In what form will the information be? • What will they share with their peers in order to grow in their understanding? • What will they reflect on in the cave? • What field experiences will they need to ensure comprehension and retention?

19. In summary… • We have discussed a planning model that leverages experiences in terms of: • The nature of the content and outcomes • The priority given to the major themes • The timing and sequence of the students’ experiences with the material • The appropriate environments for learning

20. Postcards Write what you want to remember. Address it to yourself.

21. Reactions and Questions YOUR TURN

22. Thank you for coming! • Contact us if you want more • Enjoy the rest of the conference