This volume manages to pack an incredible amount of information into slightly fewer than 250 pages. Everything that can possibly provide, or affect, a learning experience, is discussed: most theories of learning, and every conceivable way to interest learners in an activity. There are sections on the role of the senses and emotions, visual images, the use of art and drama to provide unique perspectives, humor, metaphors, mood setting, creative writing, meditation, spiritual stimulation, environmental modification, routine rituals, and others. Even very accomplished developers who prepare learning experiences for all types of learners, from grade level classes through executive seminars, can undoubtedly find many ideas to expand the design options on which they can draw.
An intriguing model provides a thread or possibly a unifying theme to all the topics. It is the idea of a virtual “learning combination lock”. Contrary to real locks, it opens to many combinations to create an effective, possibly even a “powerful”, learning experience.
That lock which was developed by Colin Beard, one of the authors of the book, has six “tumblers”. In the illustration of the lock they are gears whose teeth have labels. The labels of the tumblers and of the teeth in each tumbler are:
- 1.
1 The milieu – activity, challenge, journey, obstacles, rules, reality.
- 2.
2 Places and elements – fire, water, air, darkness, hotel grounds,wilderness.
- 3.
3 Senses – eyes, ears, mouth, nose, nerves, intuition.
- 4.
4 Emotions – aggression, boredom, fear, hope, happiness, sadness.
- 5.
5 Forms of intelligence – logical, verbal, bodily, musical, spatial, interpersonal.
- 6.
6 Ways of learning – planned, emergent, activist, pragmatist, concurrent learning, prospective learning.
The titles of chapters 3 through 7, and 9, roughly correspond to the tumblers. They, as well as many of the other chapters, provide case studies illustrating the application of the concepts that are covered. The other chapters include chapter 1 which provides an introduction to the virtual “learning combination lock”, chapter 2 which explores experiential learning, and chapter 8 which explores the ethical dilemmas which face providers of experiential learning programs.
Unfortunately there is a downside in the thoroughness with which the authors approach their subject – it forced them to face a formidable organizational challenge. As knowledgeable as they are, they clearly had difficulty rising to this enormous task. The result is a somewhat confusing presentation in which there are inadequately explained diagrams, frequent incomplete references to the thoughts of writers with whom the reader may not be familiar and which require searching elsewhere in the book for help. That search, furthermore is made quite difficult by a very inadequate index. In addition, because of the large number of thinkers on which the authors draw, omission of important contributors to the discipline of learning, and especially learning by adults, such as Bernard Bass, Robert M. Gagne, Malcolm Knowles, Guy R. Lefrancois, and Robert F. Mager, is puzzling.
More frustrating is concentration on description of the many aspects of learning experiences without adequate prescriptive summaries or even suggestions that can add a practical edge to the discussions. There are a large number of case descriptions in isolation, but nowhere are there somewhat comprehensive examples of specific positions of the learning combination lock with suggestions for design and use of one of the more than 120 combinations of factors.
Most disappointing for me is lack of emphasis, or even mention of the need for conceptual foundations for experiential program segments. Such foundations are important as structure for the reflection that is so critical to learners gaining really meaningful insights.
As valuable as the book is as a resource in which one can undoubtedly find inspiration to meet any learning experience design challenge, the lack of guidance on how to apply what one reads significantly detracts from the enjoyment of reading. The authors may say that reader enjoyment was not one of their objectives. Still as they, themselves, might point out under the importance of emotions, it is an essential ingredient of motivation, and thereby of learning much, if not most, of what the book has to offer.
