Experimental Learning: A Progressivism-Based Classroom

Al Gourrier Jr., Neuroscience & Psychology, '19 
This piece is about an experience-based learning approach to acquire and apply knowledge in multiple educational settings. I propose a teaching philosophy rooted in progressivism and influenced by the Danish Institute for Study Abroad Copenhagen. 

My teaching philosophy is a progressivism-based philosophy that requires a thorough knowledge of essentialism. Essentialism education focuses on the traditional basic subjects and core curriculum. Teachers are the centerpiece in the essentialism philosophy. Progressivism education, on the other hand, focuses on the whole child, rather than the content or teachers. Learning is rooted through experimenting the world in progressivism and students are tested by active experimentation. Progressivism is most effective when students have already received an essentialism-based curricula and can thoroughly understand their experiences and learn from them as they reflect on the knowledge they’ve learned in previous years. I believe that learning the course content and objectives through lectures and reading is not sufficient nor as meaningful without the applicable personal experiences that solidify one’s learning. I value the importance of finding ways to engage with the real work of one’s discipline. Thus, I propose a progressivism-based teaching philosophy that gives students the opportunity to acquire more practical and relevant hands-on experience-based learning in psychology.

Figure 1: Learning Outside of the Classroom. An image depicting a class taking their learning out of the classroom. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/coro/learn/education/images/IMG_7911.JPG?maxwidth=1200&maxheight=1200&autorotate=false.

I got the chance to study Clinical Psychology in Denmark at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen. I took European Clinical Psychology while I studied there. The European Clinical Psychology core course was essentialism based in that we learned the majority of the class concepts and content in the classroom through traditional lecture and discussion within the class. However, the class was conducted outside of the class and taken on a field study to observe the learned material in action once a month. This aspect of the Clinical Psychology course represents a progressivism-based philosophy. This class format was common for many upper-level courses in Denmark and supports that the progressivism-based approach to education is effective, particularly seen when the students have previously acquired the basic knowledge (aka essentialism) needed to apply the new experiences to.

My progressivism teaching philosophy is catered to college-aged students in upper level courses, specifically Clinical Psychology. Students are required to have taken the core curriculum in psychology prior to enrollment to ensure that students have acquired the knowledge base to reflect on their learned experiences in the field. Students will learn fundamental and relevant concepts in Clinical Psychology for the first half of the semester. A midterm examination will conclude the traditional in-class learning environment (i.e. essentialism aspect of the course). 

I will have students shadow clinicians and observe as much clinical psychology in the workforce as a student is allowed to without breaking confidentiality criteria during the second half of the semester. Students will also volunteer at a mental facility, hospital, or shelter to observe concepts in clinical psychology that we’ve talked about in the first half of the school semester. Students will meet in the classroom with their peers and instructor once a week to discuss their observations and progress, as well as reflect on the concepts that they observed in the field that have been either taught in the class or learned from prior classes in the field. Students are expected to learn the practicality of their course work in the work environment and observe how the concepts that they learn are applied in the healthcare/social system. I will have students prepare a PowerPoint or poster for the class, and present what they observed, learned and reflected on throughout the second half of the semester. The presentations allow students to learn from each other and reflect as a group on what they’ve experienced outside of the classroom with hands-on practical material.

Figure 2: Shadowing Clinicians. An image depicting clinician interns getting hands-on experience. Retrieved from https://media.defense.gov/2006/Nov/27/2000532590/-1/-1/0/061121-F-5896H-032.JPG. 

My goals for the students are for them to master the fundamental concepts of Clinical Psychology and use that knowledge to either apply or observe the application of that knowledge in the work place. Students will gain practical, hands-on experience in the class, and realize that everything they learn in class is relevant to field work. Students will also learn to effectively communicate their ideas and reflections through discussing their findings with their peers. The presentation at the end of the course is a culmination of everything they learned, and this final reflection allows the student to demonstrate what they’ve absorbed from the class while practicing their public speaking skills.

Practicalities: Students will attain their background checks during the first week of classes, and prepare for the second half of the semester by finding clinicians, mental facilities and hospitals to observe and volunteer at. Students will access a data base of every prior clinician and facility that students have volunteered at in previous years so that they can reach out to them within the first couple weeks of class.