Webinar: Experiential learning in primary schools
What is the purpose of this webinar?
This webinar is part of a series around curriculum enrichment in primary schools as part of the extensive Rethinking Curriculum project. This series aims to support and equip both teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a sustainable, creative and place-based way.
Who is this webinar aimed at?
This webinar will be particularly valuable to primary teachers, those involved in curriculum design more broadly, and all educators who want to learn about experiential curriculum in practice.
What does the webinar explore?
In this webinar, expert practitioners and researchers – Joe Hallgarten, Pen Hay, James Seargant and Akosua Acheampong – share insights and experiences about adopting experiential learning in various contexts. At the end of their presentations, there is a Q&A session to learn about the why, how and what next in the implementation of an experiential curriculum.
How could I use this webinar to support my team?
This webinar could be re-watched with your school leadership or teaching teams to develop a shared understanding of this approach. We have prepared some reflective questions that could also be used to inform discussions and begin to consider what this might look like in your context.
The webinar has been edited split into the following sections. We recommend that you pause, reflect and discuss with your teams after watching each section.
- 0.06 – James Searjeant, Headteacher at Wyborne Primary School in London, shares his experience of introducing and implementing an experiential curriculum in his school.
- 10.17 – Joe Hallgarten, Chief Executive at the Centre for Education and Youth, and Akosua Acheampong, Assistant Head at Bygrove Primary School, share their experiences of designing and implementing the ‘Explorers’ curriculum.
- 20.00 – Penny Hay, Professor of Imagination Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries and Reader in Creative Teaching and Learning at Bath Spa University, shares her wealth of expertise and experience implementing experiential learning in a range of contexts.
- 29.18 – A Q&A session with the researchers and practitioners above to further explore the challenges, opportunities and practicalities of introducing and implementing an experiential curriculum.
Reflective questions
As you watch the webinar, you may wish to note down insights that build on your understanding of this work and consider the following questions:
- What principles and practices resonate with your current understanding and application of experiential learning?
- How have the presentations shifted your current thinking around experiential learning? How could this inform your approach going forward?
- What are the challenges of adopting this approach? How have the presenters attempted to overcome these?
- What excites you about the examples shared in the presentations? Is there anything specific you would like to adopt in your own context?
- What are your key takeaways from the webinar?
- Are there any further questions you have about introducing, implementing or refining your current approach to experiential learning?
