Abstract:
The Action Learning form of Experiential Learning stipulates learning be achieved through actions oriented toward enabling individual or societal change. Here, we situate Action Learning within a larger exploration of Experiential Learning and argue that Sustainable Agriculture (SA) education aligns best with Action Learning. While more traditional experiential learning generally follows a pattern: an impulse to do/learn something, an experience, reflection on that experience, formation of cognitive generalizations, and repetition of the same or similar experience in light of one's newfound knowledge, Action Learning formalizes the reflection process by organizing learners into groups, or sets. Members of Action Learning sets challenge one another to question their assumptions as they reflect on their experiences. This critical self-reflection is essential to transform learning beyond what is already known. The prescribed nature of the reflection process means that individuals don't usually use Action Learning in their daily lives and that it is rarely used to teach college students despite being an ideal approach to teaching agricultural sustainability.
Keywords:
Sustainable agriculture, guided reflection, action learning, transformation, Battisti, Passmore, Sipos
 Download Article | [ ] | 690 kB |
