Q5: Facilitating games in experiential learning classes.
Prepared by: Sulia Masturina binti Che Razali and Nik Azraini binti Ah'hyat.
There are a lot of things that should be taken into consideration before conducting an experiential lesson. First of all, we should understand what is defined as experiential learning. Experiential learning is one type of student-centered learning with experience as the centre element of learning. This type of learning occurs when students are engaging actively in critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making activities that are personally relevant to them. Experiential learning is however not just about a student-centered learning. It is also about the continuation of the learning activity with structured opportunities of debriefing and consolidation through teacher and peer feedback, personal and group reflection, and the application of newly developed ideas and skills.
Game is one of the important elements in promoting experiential learning. Games can provide and introduce a level of fun and liveliness to a classroom. At the same time, they challenge students to cooperate and to communicate in order to address the challenge of the game. According to Helen Hall, when teachers are doing the debriefing and reflecting the processes of their learning, students are invited into a reflective role and are given the opportunity to develop concepts and language to use in order to share and examine their experiences. By reflecting and discussing their learning experiences that are closely related with their life, students will be able to move to a level of conceptualization and awareness.
Teacher plays a vital role when it comes to facilitating games in an experiential learning class. Due to the changes of the way knowledge is perceived, it starts to make teachers as experience providers, and not just transmitters of the written word. Students become knowledge creators (for themselves) as well as knowledge gatherers (Wikipedia). Teachers have to think outside of the box and could not plan a curriculum unit (which is the games) as a "neat, predictable package."(Wikipedia). Rather than being the one who govern and transmitted information in classroom, teacher's function has been slightly different from the traditional classroom. According to teacher's Guide Addendum, there is a major difference between a teacher's role and a facilitator's role. Role of a teacher is to teach the students new things and makes them understand topics in their subject. As for the facilitator, their role is to simplify games for the students, making their learning easier to be understood. It is a teacher's responsibility as a facilitator to create an environment in the classroom which enables the students to challenge themselves and compete with each other in a positive way while having fun playing the game. Rather than being the authority who governs the entire game, teacher could reduce the anxiety level among some students, especially the weaker one by being their guidance and instructor.
In facilitating games in the classroom, it is important for the teacher or instructor to inform the students what they are going to do. Giving clear instructions to the students will help a lot to ensure that they are able to carry out their assignment smoothly. As stated in Experiential Learning: Model 3, this briefing session is a crucial part where the teacher-facilitator outlines the experience to participants by giving clear instructions, and answers any queries they might have. During the stage, students are informed about the prior knowledge they are expected to master in order to complete the task given. For example, a teacher wants her students to play "Battleship", a vocabulary game. The teacher needs to give clear instructions on how the game works, what they need to do in playing the game, what to expect from the game and what kind of knowledge they need to have in order to stay in the game. As the facilitator, teachers have to actively participate too while conducting games with students. They have to experience the game together with students and reflecting upon it together with them. Teachers also have to respond to students' reaction of the game. For instance, when students are playing the game, and they suddenly encountered a problem during the game, teachers have to react to the problem and assist them in finding their own way of solving it. Teachers should never tell the students as to how to solve the problems, but, she must teach them to think for the solution.
In conclusion, the nature of experiential learning that requires students to think critically to make decision and solve problem has made it as a type of life long learning. It also helps students to develop new thoughts and skills through the debriefing session after each activity. Experiential learning uses various tools of teaching, and one of it is through game. Game can provide vitality and energy in a classroom while challenging the students to think in order to address the obstacles of the game. Students are also given the opportunity to discuss and share their experience while reflecting the game. Students will move up to a certain level of conceptualization through games that are closely related with their life. As for teacher, their role in this type of learning has changed from the traditional classroom. Teacher in an experiential class serves as a facilitator to help students especially while they are engaged in game. Teacher has to be as experience provider besides being the motivator for the students. They also have to be an active participant in the game, playing the game and reflecting upon the game together with students in order to reduce anxiety level of the students. Overall, in order to facilitate game in experiential learning classes, teacher has to be the guidance instead the dominator of the game.
References:
Helen hall. A collection of games to promote communication and interaction. Accessed on 4th April 2007 at http://cms.curriculum.edu.au/mindmatters/resources/pdf/booklets/games39_54.pdf
Instructor's Guide Addendum. Access on 4th April 2007. Available online at http://www.uscg.mil/safety/TCT/tctigadd.pdf
Module 3: Experiential Learning. Access on 4th April 2007. Available online at http://www.ens.gu.edu.au
Wikipedia. Experiential Learning. Access on 4th April 2007. Available online at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/experiential learning.
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