Teach the Brain Forums

Interesting url retrieved September 29, 2005 from internet.
Experiential Learning......
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/search/art...20&index=6
Be well,
Rob

Is experiential learning mostly nondeclarative learning and memory. We swim without having to think too much about it. We ride a bike with the same results...we word process with the same results....all of this is usually accomplished by experiential learning - non declarative. If this is true then we are talking about a separate pathway for nondeclarative memory and learning. We are talking about the unconscious system vs. the declarative conscious pathway. I believe we have seen this with the famous study of HM amnesia case. So what are we saying........If we assess students on how well they have accomplished something that is nondeclarative, do we not need to assess in a manner that is much different than the declarative [conscious] separate pathway. We generally assess students the same way no matter how they learn. Interesting to me.....
Be well,
Rob

Hi Rob,
This Declarative/ Non-Declarative distinction, reflects the old idea of the Mind/Body split. As independent entities?
Though the old "Theory of Mind" approach, equally views the different brain regions as independent entities?
Where it really needs to be recognised as a flexible Network.
The 'whole as the sum of the parts'.

The Non-Declarative, is essentially considered as Motor Skill based, which in turn is the role of the Cerebellum, tucked away in the back of the brain.
Though the Cerebellum is emerging as the 'sleeping giant of the brain'?
As playing a crucial role in the Network. Where it is fundamental to processing Sensory input.
Perhaps the greatest issue, is that the Non-Declarative processes of the Cerebellum.
Provide the mechanisms that enable Declarative learning to occur.
But the vital issue, is that little attention is given to the development of the Cerebellum's foundational mechanisms for learning.

Here is a link to an article on the cerebellum: Movent and Learning:

http://www.dorecentres.com.au/content/sc...arning.pdf


Geoff.

Hi.... It is essential that we all who are interested in learning know about the HM amnesia of a young boy who was hit by a bicyle and hurt very badly. This case is the major amnesia case in the world today and all neuroscientists and those who take brain education seriously either know about this case because you cannot really understand memory and learning without it.

Dr. Larry Squire co-author of the text Memory:From minds to molecules and I discussed a little about the case a few weeks ago. It is major and he was very up to date and knew about it intimately. When we understand this case, we will have a better knowledge of memory and learning...and this is the neural substrate for most of it.
Be well,
Rob
URL: http://www.brainconnection.com/topics/?m.../hm-memory

Hi 10-30-05

Well, tonight as I look back at such a beautiful five days in Cambridge, Mass, I cannot tell you how well people of all ages and intelligences can learn to use the subway system [experiential learning] and it is so automatic to them. My wife brought me down Thursday evening to the subway and said, now you are in my territory....and she immediately processed from experiential learning the absolute correct subway system around Cambridge...however since she is a history nut....she said since I spent the day in Quincy and Braintree this little ride should be a cinch. I had no idea what she was doing...but if I were to have learned as much as she did that day listening to lectures....while she was out experiencing, I might have more to discuss. Actually the lectures were good and we did learn a great deal...but not as much as my wife Sandy.
Be well,
Rob

November 6, 2003
Good day all,
Experiential learning is a manifestation of what I would call real natural learning where the senses are put to a real test, learning real things and with tangible results. I have even begun to move my class curriculum to more hands on activities and creating more opportunities for experiential learning. I took sometime to fully get here, but I am fully here now. Those things to learn that are not possible by experiential learning....think first....maybe there is a way to learn that lesson experientially....and if not. We have other good means to learn. Maybe not as effective but good anyway.
Best,
Rob

Actually you can learn to fly fish from a book, but it helps to also have practical on site experience. Now....teach me to swim on dry land in a classroom by reading a book and no practicum. How do we assess dry land instruction of teaching swimming....Silly of course...but that is what we do sometimes when we assess nondeclarative memory and learning as declarative memory and learning.
Be well,
Rob

Hi,

How many of our senses are active or have the possibility of being active during an experiential learning process? How many senses are active when touching an item with your eyes closed? Silly yes, but again experiential learning points the direction of a powerful learning system. Well, have you ever taken a close look at Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences...He is decades ahead of the old IQ...providing a MI system that quite possibly brings more credence that the IQ. Think about it!!!!!!! MI....Declarative (yes); nondeclarative (yes); quantitative (yes, if need be); and inclusive to memory and learning......this is a big deal.....
Best,
Rob

Roland Barth said learning can be either a mile wide or a mile deep. Experiential learning is most likely a mile deep. What are the implications of the latter?

Dr. T

Hi,

I really don't believe that we have an either/or situation here. Learning is more like a web and leaves many options to the learner.

I do believe that in regard to in-depth learning, that experiential learning can be as in-depth as one is willing to go....give or take a few things like time and desire and motivation of teacher and learner. My answer to experiential learning, being in-depth has to do with the full use of the human's sensory system while engaged in hands-on learning. All of the senses can be used in experiential learning which I believe is 'natural'. Thank you...
Best,
Rob

Hi,
Enjoy this url....
Rob URL: BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER Important for many reasons.
URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3520
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December 16, 2005
Hi,

As we sit back and look at the inside and outside of the brain, it is obvious that it is really a complicated, but a wonderful creation. [not as in Creation vs.
Evolution or is it?]

If it were not for the BBB Blood-Brain Barrier, many many foreign invaders would go from our blood stream directly to the brain. First we really need to know about the anatomy of the BBB and the function before we begin solving the possible amelioration of disease and memory or learning...at least that seems logical. I retrieved a number of URLs regarding the BBB from the internet that are really quite interesting.
12-16-05.
Be well,
Rob URL: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bbb.html
URL: http://users.ahsc.arizona.edu/davis/bbb.htm

Hi,
Well, lets get down to reality folks...it is really very difficult for a beginning swimmer to learn how to swim without going in the water. It would be quite a mental task to simulate the actual swimming in real water .....on land only [w/o practicum].

Actually experiential learning is so important that I cannot explain the profound learning through the senses without a little more sleep. It is pure learning...Good night,
Rob

Good day everyone, December 29, 2005

On December 26, 2005, the calendar indicated a birthday for a very special person to me [my wife, Sandy]. We had a very special day planned. We planned to stay at the Hotel Del Coronado for two nights and just enjoy each others company along with the enchanting milieu of the Del....beach, and pacific ocean and the wonderful people from all over the world.

I wanted this particular birthday to be a change of pace so instead of ordering flowers for Sandy, I started early in the morning shopping for a very nice vase that would be excellent for the occasion. I wrapped the vase and put it in the back of the car and we headed for the Hotel Del about 11:30 a.m. As we drove the short 30 minutes to the hotel, I looked for just the flower shop that would do justice to the moment and the vase.

Actually I didn't find the exact flower stand until we arrived at Coronado, but there it was standing alone on the corner of the street. We stopped the car and I mentioned to Sandy that this is a little surprise that we were were going to experience. She didn't know that I purchased a new vase earlier in the morning and that it was in the back of the car. She unwrapped the vase...and we walked to this little corner flower shop. I had also come upon some beautiful polished pebbles to put in the bottom of the vase to keep the flowers separated if we wanted to do that. We spend about 45 minutes picking out flower by flower and the lady at the little shop became so excited and involved in what we were doing that she wanted to help by offering advice on placement of the flowers; one by one. We chatted about each little flower as we held it in our hands prior to placing it in the vase. About 45 minutes later we had the beautiful bouquet of individual flowers secured to the vase by the beautiful polished pebbles. We drove the short block or two from the flower stand to the Hotel Del Coronado where we chatted and enjoyed the experience and placement of each little beautiful flower.

Not to damper a wonderful birthday with a discussion of learning and memory, but this was truly experiential and very profound. We knew where each different flower was placed within the blended hue of the presentation. We discussed the flowers with natural alacrity and knew how many roses and other types of flowers were there without even requesting a counting mums, roses, etc.

This was truly a sensory experience [experiential] of the most beautiful kind. Our discussion about the flowers and every detail brought in Vygotsky and Lewin and Kolb's reflectiveness. The underpinnings and substrates of love were ensconced within the neurobiological substrates of experiential senses of the body that communicated throughout entirely neuron by neuron and negotiating the synapses with subtle ambience. I am please to report that a sufficient number of neurons and synapses also enjoyed the experience.
Best to all,
Rob
Happy holidays to all of you.....

Here's a link to a one page press release from the Alliance For Childhood advocating an experiential focus for early childhood education. Which was signed by hundreds of teachers and researchers, including Howard Gardner.

http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/pdf_...cation.pdf

Geoff.

Thanks very much for this Geoff. I feel that it is truly on point.

The focus on self-determined learning for young children reminds me of Collette Taylor's words at our January 2005 Tokyo conference: Children should be valued as human beings, not just human becomings.

Thanks for this,
Christina

Hi,

Experiential learning is [in my opinion] most powerful for deep learning and understanding...where we may be falling down is how we assess experiential learning. To assess, to really assess experiential learning, we must work with the student and the student with us to determine the best manner in which to assess mostly nondeclarative learning.
Best,
Rob

January 3, 2006

Good Evening,

My students are adults working on their masters degrees in education and psychology. Tonight I really thought long and hard about the assessment of their learning. Much of the material that I teach in Understanding Learning in the Mind, Brain and Body is non-declarative learning (unconscious) and experiential. You asked how can that be given the
title of the course...well trust me, it is.

Does that mean that the assessments must be both in non-declarative form and declarative form? I think so since what I am looking for is whether or not the student understands the material and if the material is important enough to be assessed then I would be looking for long term memory along with the deep understanding.

I think we are making some good progress both in the learning and the assessment of the learning.
I would be very interested to hear any comments on this.
Be well,
Rob

January 3, 2006

Hi ,

If something is important enough to teach and learn, then we must do a better job of assessment. Assessment of deep understanding; not a quick test to get a quantification for a grade. The two do not go together. Deep learning and the current means of assessment do not go together at all. It is at best anachronistic because it encourages memorization and filling in the IBM cards...in order to get a score....any score.
Be well,
Rob

January 11, 2006

But yield who will to their separation,
My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight,
Only where love and need are one,
And the work is play for mortal stakes,
Is the deed ever really done
For Heaven and the future's sakes.
Robert Frost*

Poetry by Robert Frost heads chapter eight: Lifelong Learning and Integrated Development in David A. Kolb's excellent book Experiential Learning: EXPERIENCE AS THE SOURCE OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT.

Learning is meant to be life long and experiential learning takes us most if not all of the way there. How come people who retire and travel say [what a wonderful learning experience this has been]. We do learn by experience and when we have time...learning is soooooooooo much fun. It could be that way our entire life. Too much politics gets in the way of natural learning...there has got to be a better way to assess what a person has learned without having to quantify it. Once we quantify it, the politics begins.......
Be well,
Rob

*From "Two Tramps in Mud Time" from THE POETRY OF ROBERT FROST edited by Edward Connery Lathem. Copyright 1936 by Robert Frost. Copyright
1964 by Lesley Frost Ballantine. Copyright 1969 by Holt, Rinehart and Windston. Reprinted in Experiential Learning: EXPERIENCE AS THE SOURCE OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT by David A. Kolb

Hi...Good morning,

Experiential education is prime. This particular url retrieved from the internet 1-18-06 regarding coaching/experiential learning depicts this.
Best,
Rob URL: http://www.sports-media.org/newpedimension3.htm

Hi,

Can you tell me that a man or women who goes off to war and comes home with post traumatic stress syndrome learns the same way about war that a person who studies about war from books and lectures, etc. Does a person who studies about war from books or lectures etc. ever get post traumatic stress syndrome.....I don't think so.....so why is the learning different....One is up close and personal and the other is essential reading and cognitive processes. When a person learns experientially such as going off to war [please excuse the example] he/she has tremendous impact on all of the body senses including body organs, cognition, emotions etc.....they learn about war too well.

The only real purpose of this comparison is to show the deep learning that experiential learning does foster compared to other forms of learning.
Be well,
Rob

2-3-06

Good Evening,

As you know, one of my very favorites is experiential learning. This particular url retrieved 2-03-06 from the internet touches on many different learning forms, styles....etc. Please take plenty of time to read the graphics.....
Best,
Rob URL: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/newslet.html

2-05-06
Morning

I was thinking a great deal about experiential learning last night and how it really really helps with all spectrums of children. So I thought I need some ideas and something to motivate my thinking in this area. So....the light bulb went on....and....why not access the Experiential Association so....Retrieved Url is from the Experiential Association and found on the internet 2-05-06. I took the liberty to open one of the pages and here it is.
Best,
Rob



Association for Experiential Education :: About Experiential Education

What is Experiential Education?
Defining the work we do, the values we hold and the principles that guide us is part of the experience of being a life-long learner and an active member of the Association for Experiential Education. We invite our members, educators and practitioners to engage in the ongoing conversation about what defines experiential education. Click here to contribute to and follow the conversation.

To begin the conversation, AEE offers the following:

Experiential education is a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills and clarify values.

The principles(1) of experiential education practice are:



Experiential learning occurs when carefully chosen experiences are supported by reflection, critical analysis and synthesis.

Experiences are structured to require the learner(2) to take initiative, make decisions and be accountable for results.

Throughout the experiential learning process, the learner is actively engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative and constructing meaning.

Learners are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully and/or physically. This involvement produces a perception that the learning task is authentic.

The results of the learning are personal and form the basis for future experience and learning.

Relationships are developed and nurtured: learner to self, learner to others and learner to the world at large.

The educator(3) and learner may experience success, failure, adventure, risk-taking and uncertainty, because the outcomes of experience cannot be totally predicted.

Opportunities are nurtured for learners and educators to explore and examine their own values.

The educator's primary roles include setting suitable experiences, posing problems, setting boundaries, supporting learners, insuring physical and emotional safety, and facilitating the learning process.

The educator recognizes and encourages spontaneous opportunities for learning.

Educators strive to be aware of their biases, judgments and pre-conceptions, and how these influence the learner.

The design of the learning experience includes the possibility to learn from natural consequences, mistakes and successes.
(1) The priority or order in which each professional places these principles may vary.

(2) There is no single term that encompasses all the roles of the participant within experiential education. Therefore, the term "learner" is meant to include student, client, trainee, participant, etc.

(3) There is no single term that encompasses all the roles of the professional within experiential education. Therefore, the term "educator" is meant to include therapist, facilitator, teacher, trainer, practitioner, counselor, etc."



Am I an Experiential Educator?

Experiential Educators include teachers, camp counselors, corporate team builders, therapists, challenge course practitioners, environmental educators, guides, instructors, coaches, mental health professionals . . . and the list goes on. An Experiential Educator is anyone who teaches through direct experience.

February 26, 2006

Good Evening

If one is going to really really teach experientially, we must slow down and take the necessary time (hours, days, weeks, etc.), but we don't yet do that. We talk a good curriculum but our teaching and students' learning is still controlled by the schedule of others. We must use our time wisely and prioritize those things most important. We remain allowing the least things that are important to dominats the things that are most important.
Best,
Rob

segarama Wrote:February 26, 2006

Good Evening

If one is going to really really teach experientially, we must slow down and take the necessary time (hours, days, weeks, etc.), but we don't yet do that. We talk a good curriculum but our teaching and students' learning is still controlled by the schedule of others. We must use our time wisely and prioritize those things most important. We remain allowing the least things that are important to dominats the things that are most important.
Best,
Rob

Hi Rob ,
What are the priorities in learning?
I would suggest that it is still the 'filling the empty vessel' model?
Where the greater concern is with 'what to pour in?'
Though this approach is based on the assumption that what is poured in, can be effectively processed?
Learning to Process information should be the priority, where the effective development of the spectrum of neurological processing skills should be given priority.
This is where assessment should be applied.
The priority needs to shift from acquiring information, to developing the skills to process information.
From learning what to know, to how to think?
Geoff.