Learning by DOING

My theoretical foundation is 1^st experience, then theory. Theory without experience or application is a useless spinning of one’s wheels. Interaction, leadership, conflicts, cross-cultural differences, creative thinking, planning, goal-seeking, motivation, feelings, & values are so intertwined & interdependent that to attempt to learn or understand anything without considering all these facets together in one’s learning process scatters the energies unnecessarily. We grow by consciously considering & playing with all the mentioned variables & their innumerable manifestations & seeing ourselves as integrated beings, not one’s having various independent drives & parts & pieces.

During workshops, the setting & weather being agreeable, we climb trees, tumble on the grass, play outdoors. Having tried out some ideas with our own hides, we then

• share what we experienced, what we felt & thought, what we are now feeling & thinking;

• develop personal insights;

• find theoretical implications; &

• explore how our learnings relate to & can be applied to our daily lives.

The learnings flow from the processing, debriefing, reflection that is done throughout & following each activity. Having to discuss what has happened or is happening forces us to rethink our old ways of thinking, interacting, being.

What you learn in these dynamic events will not be obsolete technology next month, but can be utilized throughout the remainder of your lives.