Using Experiential Learning
to Develop Team Skills

A workshop provided by Roger Greenaway

About this workshop

• This workshop highlights some of the key issues, strategies and opportunities to consider when using experiential learning to develop team skills.
• The emphasis in this workshop is on how to develop team skills.
• The workshop includes some brief practical exercises - allowing you some 'experiential' insights into the possibilities.

• How involved? A spectrum from superficial to total.
• How positive? Learning from mistakes or achievements.
• How much reviewing? Balancing experience and review.
• How much say do learners have? How is this decided?

• Off-the-shelf models - their uses and limitations
• Learner-generated models - clarifying and developing them
• Learning from here-and-now team experiences - on-the-job and off-the-job

• Through personal reflection - norms and exceptions
• Through feedback from others - how my behaviour affects others
• Avoiding labels and stereotypes - multiple realities and moving on

• Reviewing tools that help teams explore their own processes
• Activities that highlight weaknesses
• Activities that highlight strengths

• Experiencing different activities with the same team
• Experiencing different roles and responsibilities within the same team
• Experiencing different teams with different people

• The importance of liking experiential learning
• Nit-picking vs. studying success
• Destroying barriers to success and making recipes for success

• Experiential methods help everyone to stay focused on skills development.
• Experimentation helps to discourage stereotyping and stagnation
• A positive focus removes fears about learning by doing.

• Web pages at reviewing.co.uk that are relevant to the workshop:
  • Reviewing Success strategies for getting the positive/negative balance right in reviewing.
  • Active Reviewing Article about bringing the worlds of talk and action together.
  • Review Discussions conversation or interrogation? tips for involving everyone.
  • Reviewing with Pictures how to use ready-made and learner-made pictures in reviewing.
  • Reviewing with Large Groups Issues, solutions, strategies and methods.
  • High Speed Reviewing how to review a lot in a short time
  • Experiential Learning Cycles descriptions and limitations
• To explore more of The Guide to Active Reviewing search from the home page
• To explore 'Experiential Learning' on the Web start with Tim Pickles' article.
• To explore 'Team Skills' on the web, start at the team building links section in this guide.

The presenter is Roger Greenaway. He provides trainer-training in reviewing skills worldwide. He is the author of handbooks about experiential learning. Roger draws on his experiences as a development trainer and on his doctorate in management learning. He is currently involved in the development of S/NVQ Level 4 in Development Training.