Conscious Intra-Personal Development: The Experience Counts

The future of mankind will depend on the ability of the individual to acquire Self-knowledge. The preservation of autonomy of the individual is supported by learning to fathom one's own unconscious and inner being, the undiscovered self. By consciously developing Self-knowledge the possibility originates for the individual to make his own conscious choices and to understand an other human being. It often takes a great deal of effort from an individual to consciously open up to his inner being. Gaining experiences related to intra-personal development and consciously reflecting on those experiences, is essential to keep the conscious intra-personal development process in motion. Education can lend a helping hand during this process, from the start of the school career of children, by making room in the curriculum for affective and experiential education. Theory disturbs the experiential orientation and the focus on emotions. Offer affective and experiential education to children from an early age, with plenty of personal room, and continuing this form of education until they leave school, supports young people to become more and more self-directing. The way in which this form of education is taken care for is crucial for its success.

Outdoor Adventure and Experiential Education and COVID-19: What Have We Learned?

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) now known as COVID-19 changed the world and the outdoor adventure and experiential education (OAEE) fields were not immune. These changes significantly impacted various OAEE programs in multiple ways and at different levels of intensity. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the OAEE fields and identify how OAEE organizations have responded to those impacts. Methodology/Approach: Using a three-phase study and a multi-method approach to data collection and analyses, respondents from 115 OAEE organizations (N=115) were asked to indicate how and in what ways their organizations have been impacted by the pandemic and in what ways their organizations have responded to those challenges. Findings/Conclusions: Many organizations responded not being ready for the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant impacts were noted from most of the OAEE organizations responding and included closings, staff reductions, and downsizing as well as operational changes. Many organizations reported ways they are attempting to mitigate the pandemic effects. Implications: Important questions were raised in this paper as to how well prepared the OAEE fields might be for the next crisis.

Experiential Education: A Pedagogical Alternative for Difficult Cases?

The purpose of this action research project is to study the possibilities of the concept of experiential Education (in German: Erlebnispädagogik) for compensatory support in schoolwork. The article describes the experiences at a German secondary school. The main aim was to use the idea of experiential education to develop the social abilities of pupils who showed deviant behaviour at school and in relationships with others. First a short theoretical reflection about the concept of experiential education and its possible educational potential is given. This is followed by a description of the action research project and a discussion of the preliminary results. Schools have been struggling with a variety of problems in their teaching and educational mission. In the search for suitable concepts to counter the increasingly frequent learning and behavioural problems, experiential education has gained in importance. This concept places the experience at the centre of learning. The experience-action-oriented provision of learning situations is an interventive attempt at compensatory support for pupils with behavioural, social and/or communication problems. The initial findings from observations, interviews and action research related reflections on children’s behaviour show that children with behavioural problems which are, in many respects, learning disabilities, can gain a different approach to themselves, to others and to the demands made in the subject lessons through special movement and socially related activity offers. The teachers involved report clear changes in children’s behaviour and corresponding positive consequences for the regular lessons.

Experiential Pharmacy Education During a Pandemic: Lessons Learned

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed how the world operates and introduced a multitude of unprecedented challenges for all health professionals, especially for those responsible for training learners, including pharmacy residents and students. Due to density and social distancing restrictions, many pharmacy schools and residency programs had to transition to virtual experiential learning–with little to no existing literature, structure, or adequate time for planning. This article offers a variety of approaches to ensure that pharmacy learners meet accreditation requirements, engage in interprofessional education and collaboration, reflect on their learning, prioritize self-care, and are adequately prepared to enter geriatric pharmacy practice despite current challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors address both challenges, as well as opportunities to expand future experiential education for all pharmacy learners.

Reflections of pharmacy students on experiential education in providing health services to people with history of substance use disorders in Malaysia

Introduction: Accreditation standards for pharmacy students’ education include the requirement for experiential education (EE) and acknowledge, in building life-long learning skills, the need to develop students’ skills in analysing their practice-based performance. The goal of this qualitative study was to assess students’ ability to reflect on their experience providing face-to-face care to patients with a history of substance use disorders (PHSUDs). Materials and methods: Interviews were conducted with undergraduate pharmacy students who provided care to PHSUDs in an EE programme. An interview guide was used to explore students’ experiences and their perceptions regarding the challenges they encountered, changes in their attitude towards PHSUDs and ways to improve their ability to care for PHSUDs. Data relevant to the study was extracted from interview transcripts, manually sorted and coded using Microsoft Excel and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: The themes identified were 1) Increased self-confidence in face-to-face interactions with PHSUDs 2) Increased empathy towards PHSUDS 3) Reduction in stigmatised attitudes towards PHSUDs 4) Positive nature of the interactions with PHSUDs 5) Appreciation for the opportunity to apply knowledge in practice 6) Recognition of the need for improved communication skill training 7) Recognition of the need to improve training for dealing with unexpected questions and situations. Conclusion: Pharmacy students demonstrated reflective skills in identifying multiple positive learning outcomes stemming from a one-day EE programme involving PHSUDs. In addition, they provided insights useful to faculty in curriculum planning.