Experiential Learning Center Teaches Many Lessons
Experiential Learning Center Teaches Many Lessons
April 2, 2001
Rowan University students who volunteer as Big Brothers and Big
Sisters and their <+>little siblings<+> faced a
challenge when recently taking part in a program in the Esbjornson
Gym at Rowan. As each Big Brother or Big Sister held the hand of
his or her little sibling, the pairs ran through a continuously
turning jump-rope without touching the rope and without letting the
jump-rope rotate in between pairs. The activity was not considered
a success until all 80 big and little siblings ran through the
jump-rope in that manner.
Difficult? Maybe. Impossible? No.
With light-hearted exasperation as another pair stopped the sequence, participants realized this experiential learning activity was not as difficult as it appeared and could be accomplished through organization, communication and teamwork.
The jump-rope exercise was part of a new program offered by Rowan's Health and Exercise Science Department. Dr. James Burd and Dr. Richard Fopeano bring this relatively new concept of experiential learning to Rowan and the surrounding community through the Experiential Learning Center.
Experiential learning occurs when carefully planned experiences are supported by reflection and critical analysis. Participants get the opportunity to take initiative, make decisions and then take responsibility for the results.
Participants experience personal growth through cooperation, teamwork, communication and trust-building exercises. The purpose of experiential learning is not winning; instead, it's learning. Participants observe and generalize the experiences in order to apply them to the <+>real world.<+>
<+>A good facilitator must also be a good counselor. The facilitator must be able to discuss the significance of the experience with the participants,<+> said Fopeano, who has taught health education for 20 years at both high school and college levels.
Through the first component of Rowan's Experiential Learning Center, Fopeano, Burd and adjunct professor Elaine Hatala train students to facilitate experiential learning. Health and Exercise Science students learn the philosophy behind experiential learning as well as how to initiate programs.
The second component of the Experiential Learning Center involves holding programs for various groups within and outside of the Rowan community. According to Fopeano, taking part in experiential learning can benefit any group from co-workers in an office to sports teams or classes. After discussing the needs of the specific group, the facilitator then can design a program for it. The program may include wall climbing, walking a balance beam 18 feet in the air (wearing a harness) or other activities like <+>The Spider's Web<+> in which participants must go through 12 holes in the approximately eight-foot tall web.
Fopeano said his goal for the center includes bringing in more groups from outside the Rowan community to benefit from experiential learning. He also said, <+>We are still in the early developmental stages of the project. We see this Experiential Learning Center as a work in progress and one that we will continually add to.<+>
Difficult? Maybe. Impossible? No.
With light-hearted exasperation as another pair stopped the sequence, participants realized this experiential learning activity was not as difficult as it appeared and could be accomplished through organization, communication and teamwork.
The jump-rope exercise was part of a new program offered by Rowan's Health and Exercise Science Department. Dr. James Burd and Dr. Richard Fopeano bring this relatively new concept of experiential learning to Rowan and the surrounding community through the Experiential Learning Center.
Experiential learning occurs when carefully planned experiences are supported by reflection and critical analysis. Participants get the opportunity to take initiative, make decisions and then take responsibility for the results.
Participants experience personal growth through cooperation, teamwork, communication and trust-building exercises. The purpose of experiential learning is not winning; instead, it's learning. Participants observe and generalize the experiences in order to apply them to the <+>real world.<+>
<+>A good facilitator must also be a good counselor. The facilitator must be able to discuss the significance of the experience with the participants,<+> said Fopeano, who has taught health education for 20 years at both high school and college levels.
Through the first component of Rowan's Experiential Learning Center, Fopeano, Burd and adjunct professor Elaine Hatala train students to facilitate experiential learning. Health and Exercise Science students learn the philosophy behind experiential learning as well as how to initiate programs.
The second component of the Experiential Learning Center involves holding programs for various groups within and outside of the Rowan community. According to Fopeano, taking part in experiential learning can benefit any group from co-workers in an office to sports teams or classes. After discussing the needs of the specific group, the facilitator then can design a program for it. The program may include wall climbing, walking a balance beam 18 feet in the air (wearing a harness) or other activities like <+>The Spider's Web<+> in which participants must go through 12 holes in the approximately eight-foot tall web.
Fopeano said his goal for the center includes bringing in more groups from outside the Rowan community to benefit from experiential learning. He also said, <+>We are still in the early developmental stages of the project. We see this Experiential Learning Center as a work in progress and one that we will continually add to.<+>