Experiential Exercises

1. Activities

Engage!

We used experiential exercises to bring the course material to life whenever possible and refrained from lecturing as much as possible. One of our favorite quotes is from philosopher Cynthia Jones: “What we do for ourselves is far more powerful than what someone does for us.” We found that these exercises addressed multiple learning styles, gave students a break from the monotony of desk-bound work, allowed for individual expression, helped us get to know each other, and most importantly, we had some fun!

There are a number of excellent books and websites available that can assist you with planning teambuilding and experiential learning activities.

“This class wasn’t just another where you come in, sit down, do work. We got to talk about things and do things.”

See and Be Seen

This exercise was critical in helping students understand the connection between their inner reality and desires and their outward behavior. Comprehending that our behavior teaches people who we are is the first step in taking responsibility for our actions, our reputations, and how we want to represent ourselves in the world.

Directions: Have students complete the worksheet and then share in small or large groups, depending on time and the size of your class.

The Human Knot

Directions (from http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~klwest/troupe/games/improv/human.html):

This is an exercise in team work and following directions from peers, as well as Give and Take. The students come together in a circle and reach across, grasping no more than one hand of the same person until everyone has two hands grasped. It is important to note that each student should pay close attention to the directions at the beginning of the exercise.

Without letting go of hands, the students are instructed to undo the knot by going under, over and through the spaces created by the arms and hands of those around them.

Different variations on this exercise include appointing one student as the spokesperson and requiring all others to remain silent or appointing one student as the spokesperson and have all other students close their eyes and work only by feel, listening to the spokesperson’s verbal directions.

Additional tips from us: We found that the knot worked best in same-gender groups, especially if used at the beginning of the class when students have not developed a high level of ease and trust with each other yet. The healthy competition between the two groups can be used to see which group can finish most quickly, and to examine similarities and differences in gender when it comes to communication and problem-solving. We were able to do this in co-ed groups later in the semester.

Tag-Team Role Playing

Role playing is an excellent way to engage students and for them to have if not a real-life experience, at least a closer-to-real experience with situations than simply talking and theorizing about them. You can set up any number of interactions and situations for them to role play.

Tag-team role playing is simply adding the ability for anyone in the class to tap a role-player on the shoulder when he/she gets stuck to pick it up from there and have a chance to take the role play in a new direction.

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