Beyond learning by doing: Theoretical currents in experiential education

Abstract

Beyond learning by doing: Theoretical currents in experiential education Roberts, J.W. (2012). Beyond learning by doing: Theoretical currents in experiential education. New York: Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-88208-8Roberts set himself an ambitious challenge to map the theoretical currents of experience and the implications of each on experiential education practices. He opens Beyond learning by doing by relating his own experiential education journey and how this has led to writing the book. Roberts describes his introduction to experiential education, discovering the "magic" of the process and then over time, his unease with a growing realisation that "not all of the educational moments I experienced with students were as transformative as I assumed they would be" (p. xi). He turned to theory to try and come to a greater understanding of experiential education and his increasing scepticism of the transformative potential of this form of education.Experience is so often taken for granted in the practice of experiential education; yet it is very difficult to establish an adequate definition of "experience", and I am only too familiar with the "veritable tar pit of despair" (p. 9) that awaits those who grapple with experience. Roberts makes it clear throughout the book that this is not to be read as a definitive work on experiential education. In this project he is "most interested in the ways in which a concept of experience has been evoked within a particular expression of educational progressivism - what has come to be called 'experiential education'" (p. 13). But this book is more than just an academic exercise in identifying the intellectual diversity informing experiential education. Roberts clearly locates himself within the pragmatist traditions of experiential education, and as such, sees education as "an ethical platform for the advancement of positive freedom through education" (p. 10).The metaphor of a river, with its meanderings and currents, is used as a conceptual framework for organising the different philosophical approaches to experiential education. This reminds the reader that there are always a range of philosophies of experiential education at work. The force which each has in terms of shaping experiential education practices varies with time and context, and the image of currents, eddies and eddy lines highlight that these philosophies do not necessarily share the space of experiential education calmly. Indeed, it may well be that the eddy lines, where two or more of philosophical currents meet, provide the energy to think differently about experiential education.Roberts discusses five "currents" or conceptions of experience that are influential in the practices of experiential education. These are: romanticism, pragmatism, critical theory, neo-liberalism (or the normative current) and finally, what he terms as the hopeful current. In each chapter he aims to trace a thread from some of the major thinkers in each philosophical tradition, through to the impact they have had on education philosophy, and the impact these ideas have on experiential education practices.Linking experiential education theories to their "homes" within educational philosophy and larger philosophies is one of the strengths of this book. While experiential education takes many forms, there is an inward-looking orientation within much of the literature which does not necessarily encourage interactions across the philosophical neighbourhoods. Not only does this mean that theorising within the field of experiential education is more limited than it need be, but the contribution that experiential education can make to the broader educational arena is not as rich as it might be.As he develops his argument in each chapter, it becomes clear that while each philosophical current offers some ways to understand experiential education, each also has its limitations and blind spots. For example, Roberts points out that one of the critiques of pragmatism is that this philosophy of experiential education does not give enough weight to issues of identity, power and culture. …