Sourcebook of Experiential Education: Key Thinkers and Their Contributions

Experiential education is a philosophy and methodology for building knowledge, developing skills, and clarifying values by engaging learners in direct experience and focused reflection. To understand experiential education, what should one be reading? This sourcebook introduces philosophers, educators, and other practitioners whose work is relevant to anyone seeking answers to this question. Following brief snapshots of John Dewey and Kurt Hahn, the book is organized in four sections:

• Philosophers and Educational Theorists
• Nature Educators and Outdoor Educators
• Psychologists and Sociologists
• School and Program Founders.

Each chapter focuses on an individual whose philosophy and practice exemplify a biographical and historical model for reaching a deeper understanding of experiential education. An appendix includes short biographical sketches of forty-five additional people whose contributions to experiential education deserve a closer look. This volume provides a much-needed overview and foundations for the field – for students in courses addressing experiential education, challenge education, outdoor experiential education, recreation education, and related fields; for learning theorists and curriculum specialists; for experiential educators; and for educational philosophers.

Thomas E. Smith, Founder/Director of the Raccoon Institute and Independent Psychologist/ Wilderness Guide, has taught psychology and education at colleges and universities and is a frequent presenter, consultant, and trainer at regional, national, and international conference workshops on experiential /adventure/ challenge/ outdoor education.

Clifford E. Knapp, Professor Emeritus, Northern Illinois University, has taught at all levels of education, elementary through graduate school, and is a frequent presenter at state, national, and international conferences offering workshops in experiential education and place-based education.