Experiential Educator at My Core

Part of the benefit of the experiential learning model is less articulated but important to highlight. Experiential learning provides students the opportunity to gain confidence. This needs to happen with the help of faculty support and good mentorship from community partners. The student learning, in this best case environment, creates a heavy workload for faculty to nurture the student through the experience which often entails deep learning. I would support the experiential learning model with the educational concept of scaffolding. During a capstone project, internship, fieldwork or related learning experience the university provides strong support (scaffolding) to help the learner gain skills, self-reliance, and competencies so that they can succeed. This should also include, beyond book knowledge and applied skills, the social competencies of the leisure professional. How does an animator motivate participants? How can a program planner evaluate programs? What does leadership and followership look like? I am trying to express the idea that the social mores of the workplace need to be learned, and this is best done through experiential learning, and it should be planned and not left to happenstance.