Experiential Learning Workshop

• by Amy Bowker

• November 25, 2019

Last week I went to a professional development workshop for the OCDSB about Experiential Learning AKA OCDSBXL. At school, I was asked if anyone was interested and I immediately signed up not really knowing what to expect.

Eric Hardie, the Superintendent of Instruction, Innovation and Adolescent Learning at the OCDSB presented and ran the Workshop. Check out OCDSBXL.com for more.

Experiential Learning needs to have:

• needs to be important/ have an audience

• *START PLANNING with meaning

• need to connect the real world to school

• should include autonomy, mastery and purpose

• Cross-Curricular because is any project in real life not using multiple subjects?

• Need to include Exit Outcomes

Do you know what the Education Act actually says about the goal of education is? I didn’t and I think that most of us don’t.

The Education Act says the purpose of education is to provide students with the opportunity to realize their potential and develop into highly skilled, knowledgeable, caring citizens who contribute to their society. 2009, c. 25, s. 1

Are we doing this in schools? I would say we aren’t but Experiential Learning is a great way to get us there.

To be honest, I struggle with ‘doing school.’ I always have awesome ideas about how to do amazing cross-curricular projects but when I come back to school in September and am asked for the Time Allocation Model, my excitement fails me for practicality and doing what I’m supposed to. I feel like this PD is exactly what I needed to hear to jump right in. In my classroom, we have already begun using this model so please stay tuned for more blog posts coming soon!