Thinking about Experiential Learning

Great commentary from Grant Wiggins today I wanted to share.  It made me think of the conversations we’ve been having in social studies about content.

Grant shares:

"Student members of the Young Americans for Freedom at a school in Rome, Ga., marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany with a re-enactment at their school. They knocked down a graffiti-covered, 12-foot-long wall made from wood for the dramatization. "It is great to see them internalizing the lessons of history and exhibiting the power of freedom," said Brad Poston, history department chair.”

This is a great step in the right direction, can you imagine how powerful that experience was, see the image here?  Too often we think of history as words on a page and events on a timeline.  We can bring those events to life for our kids!

Also this event above is fun, the learning that happens before and after the event makes it closer to “Experiential”  Here’s a great resource on Experiential learning: http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/experiential-learning/

When you’re planning your next history unit, consider the lessons/activities/conversations kids are having with these questions:

• What are you doing?

• Why are you doing it?

• What does this help you do that’s important?