Experiential Education and Student Leadership

By Aditya, based on the work of Joy In Classrooms

How many people do you know in this room?A) No oneB) A fewC) Lots

After graduating from your program of TFI, you would:A) Continue working in classrooms,B) May not continue working in classrooms

Leadership can be practiced by:A) A select few peopleB) Anyone and everyone

Which statement do you agree more with:A) There is one correct way of leadingB) There are several correct ways of leading

Leadership is…A) Continuous action

informed by a mindsetB) A periodic action

Note down one thing that you would like to take

away from this session.

Categorise!Philosophy↓Mindset↓Meaningful Actions

→What does leadership mean to me?→Am I practicing the leadership that I want my students to embody?→ How do I create opportunities for them to become leaders?

Self- Verificat

ion

Imagine a class where student leadership exists!

What do you see and/or hear?

Collaborative Leadership

A Critical LookWhat do you think, would help children take these leadership actions?

What do you think, would stop children from taking these leadership actions?

Safe Learning Environments P hysical SafetyI ntellectual SafetyE motional SafetyS ocial Safety= PIES safety

Experiential Education Cycle

Role of the

Teacher

Cooperation Stage – Leader• Put ups/put downs, Hidden agendas, Active Listening,

Mixing, Perspective Taking• Takes care of confusion, along with anxiety.• Students try to make sense of their environment. Anyone

walking by the classroom would see the teacher directing the activities.

• Active leadership role. Leadership is welcome. Gurukul First Day

• The students are seen making sure what they are ‘supposed to do’.

• At this point, the teacher is seen as the expert.• Playing, Getting to know each other, Challenge by Choice

Play For PeaceCore Values:1. Inclusion2. No Competition3. Emotional and Physical Safety (rules, no

correct way)4. Role Model5. Fun!Khel Se Mel – Documentary on YouTube -23 minutes (English Subtitles)

Trust Building Stage - Guide- Making mistakes, trustworthiness, Empathy, Risk

Taking, Physical and emotional- Power shift begins.- Still in charge of PIES safety. Taking help of the

Contract.- Expression and class vocabulary – Nexta Hungra- Opportunities to students to make decisions- Processing is important during this phase - reflection

journal- Spotlight activities, Blindfold activities, Risk Taking

Problem Solving stage - Mentor- Decision making, Group Goals, Taking Turns,

Leadership, Conflict Resolution- Process observer.- Sometimes a well-placed time-out for an

observation from you is all your students need in order to refocus. (Rule of Loud Example)

- Sharing observations - Helps make students aware of strategies they

may not have known about before. (new stuff)- Academic Content, Problem Solving Initiatives

Challenge Stage - Consultant• Individual goals, Stating needs, Support, getting over

fears, Success / failure• An equal part of the community – approval of leave• No longer the sole expert• Can offer connection to the larger picture and offer

suggestions• Students can choose to take your advice or not. • Encourage independence. Challenge by Choice.• Handle the meta-data• Community work, Outdoor experiences, Presentations

and projects

3 personal keywords

1. Trust the process

2. Self-facilitation3. Relationships

Reflection1. Think about

the last 50 minutes and your original objective

2. Continue, Start, Stop

• References:• Journey Toward The Caring Classroom, By

Laurie Frank• Article ‘Creating Safe Environments’ – Trimiti

Newsletter on Mental Health – Aditya and Nisha (2014)

• Group Formation, Group Challenge, Group Support, and Group Achievement are from p. 32 of “A Dissertation of Varying the Sequence of Categories of Adventure Activities on the Development of Group Cohesion,” an unpublished dissertation by Christian Bisson, 1997.

Thank you!

ANY KOCHANS?