An Experiential Learning Model: Collaborative Student Creations of Multidisciplinary Community Classroom Experience

Résumé

A community classroom experience, grounded in the philosophy of experiential learning, was the gauntlet we threw down for our Education students and ourselves as instructors. We situated this experience in the pillars of community classroom and experiential learning. Goals for our students became twofold: goals as a current post-secondary student and goals as a future educator. To activate this experience, groups of students engaged both collaboratively and individually with exploratory learning at a local community classroom site. Student reflections showed deep value and learning through this experience and of this experience. There were challenges including navigating collaborative group work and the necessity of becoming vulnerable alongside the successes of connecting exploratory learning to the real world and witnessing authentic interdisciplinary work. Further questions arising from this research centre on authentic assessment practices and the idea of giving back to the community through these real world experiences.