Theory and Practice of Experiential Education. Karen Warren, Denise Mitten, and T. A. Loeffler (Editors)

Abstract

Theory and Practice of Experiential Education. Karen Warren, Denise Mitten, and T. A. Loeffler (Editors). Boulder, CO: Association for Experiential Education, 2008.Experiential education (EE) as a practice, research focus, and philosophy spans multiple disciplines and contexts. Practitioners from a variety of settings including outdoor education, therapeutic recreation, after-school programs, and even business training programs employ EE as a tool to provide novel and meaningful experiences. Individuals working in the area of EE created a professional organization, the Association for Experiential Education (AEE), to improve and promote the industry. Since its inception in the early 1970's AEE has grown into an organization boasting nearly 1600 members from countries across the globe. The 4th edition of Theory and Practice of Experiential Education, published by AEE, represents a selection of work produced by EE researchers and professionals over the last 30 years. The book is edited by Karen Warren, Denise Mitten, and T. A. Loeffler, and provides both historical and contemporary perspectives of topics central to EE and offer a rich body of knowledge for both established practitioners and those just entering the field.The text is organized into topic areas addressing key definitions; historical, philosophical, psychological, and educational foundations; issues related to spirituality, ethics, and social justice; and a concluding section devoted to translating theory into practice. Articles are purposively selected to highlight both established and contemporary perspectives from the field. Although outdoor recreation/education is principle component of EE, the editors make an effort to include content designed to appeal to EE researchers and practitioners regardless of particular subfields. For example, a variety of non-outdoor chapters exist including the application of EE practices in traditional classroom and workshop settings.A main strength of this book is the broad scope of application addressed. The work is clearly a standalone reference for the most important EE issues. The diverse range of topics and voices in this text will appeal to individuals from a broad range of backgrounds. Core EE practices and issues such as group processing and the transfer of learning experiences are intermingled with newer topics such as brain-based learning and personal intelligence models. The flow of the content provides readers with a sound foundation of EE issues before exploring more ancillary topics like spirituality and ethics. For example, the authors provide an excellent history of the field providing readers with a sense EE's historical and philosophical evolution. This provides individuals unfamiliar with EE the context to process and assess the movement's current and future directions. The combination of both seminal and new material organized into a sequentially progressive framework make this collection especially well suited for use in EE related courses.Additionally, the editors and contributors, though strong proponents of the efficacy and importance of EE, do not shy away offering critical assessments of the field. Accepted assumptions and practices related to cultural sensitivity, the appropriate role of challenge, diversity, challenge courses research, ethics and group processing are examples of a few issues directly critiqued in the book. The inclusion of frank evaluations of current EE practices and techniques fosters an overall picture of field open to change and one that actively facilitates its continued development through the acceptance and promotion of honest introspection. …