Teachers Want Experience in Class

Between 15 and 20 mostly UNC professors and graduate students attended the interactive lecture, sponsored by the Carolina Center for Public Service, APPLES and the Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education.

The attendees came from a variety of departments, including psychology, criminal law and nursing.

The program was a mixture of lamentation for the old days of enthusiastic learning and optimism for the possibility of reconnecting with today's students.

Experiential learning gives students a chance to learn less abstractly by doing rather than by just hearing or reading.

Cheryl Keen, a part-time faculty member at Antioch College in Ohio, defined experiential learning as, "making connections with experiences outside the classroom to connect to students in the classroom."

Some of the methods of learning include field trips, simulations of real-life experiences and internships.

The program featured Keen, an experiential learning advocate.

Having taught at Antioch, which has a strong focus on co-op work and cross-cultural immersion, Keen was well-suited to speak about experiential learning.

"At Antioch it helps me that we don't give grades," she said. "I get to look at the students as whole people."

Keen said participation is at the heart of experiential learning, which features a symbiotic relationship between teachers and students.

Keen led the group with descriptions of the different stages students go through, which range from silenced in the classroom at the low end to connected at the high end.

But many professors at the program said student participation is an obstacle for today's teachers who want to try experiential learning.

A great deal of frustration was expressed regarding today's crop of college students, who participants said are less interactive and more interested in receiving just the information they need to make a good grade.

"I think it is a mind-set of, 'Give me an answer,'" one of the participants said.

Other obstacles to experiential learning include large classes and students who have a fear of distinguishing themselves in class.

Despite the roadblocks, many participants are hopeful they can inspire their students to be the public servants of tomorrow.

Steven May, a professor of communication studies, said he is interested in applying ideas from the workshop to his teaching style.

He said, "I wanted to motivate students to see nonprofits as a professional career."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.