Basic HTML Version
EARTH UNIVERSITY
EDUCATIONAL MODEL
6
7
EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPIES
EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPIES
the traditional role of simply transferring information.
Through SCL, students develop skills that enable
them to become autonomous, lifelong learners. With
this in mind, the facilitator designs experiences that
deliberately encourage students to construct their own
ideas and knowledge. At EARTH, we acknowledge that a
constructivist approach is the foundation of SCL and the
students’ development as autonomous leaders.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Experiential Learning (EL) is the process in which
students construct knowledge by engaging in experiences
deliberately designed to facilitate learning. At EARTH, we
recognize that learning tends to be more meaningful to the
extent that it is linked to direct experience. EL provides
students opportunities for constructing knowledge and
developing skills that will enable them to give immediate
significance and relevance to their learning. For this reason,
facilitators at EARTH concentrate on encouraging learning
through direct experience and reflection, working with
students to critically analyze their experiences so they
will develop their own judgment and evaluation criteria.
Students assess their work, not just according to others’
At EARTH, the learning process for students is founded
on two educational principles: Student-Centered Learning
and Experiential Learning. These educational principles
guide the development of the teaching and learning
processes at EARTH.
STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING
At EARTH we practice Student-Centered Learning
(SCL) that requires that students, both individually and in
groups, explore problems and become active participants
in knowledge generation, rather than being passive
receptors of knowledge. In this scenario, the student
plays an active part in determining the most appropriate
forms of learning, taking into account his or her learning
style. Furthermore, students learn to solve problems that
arise during the course of their studies, and thus arrive at
conclusions through reflection and structured judgments,
both of which increase critical reasoning abilities.
With SCL, the professor assumes the role of a learning
facilitator and concentrates on the design and application
of processes that enable the students to play an active
role in their own learning, while keeping in mind the
students’ learning styles.The professor thus leaves behind
EDUCAT IONAL
PRINCI PLES
definitions, but reflectively with their colleagues and
individually.This facilitates the students’ comprehension of
circumstances that arise in their personal development,
and encourages the search for creative solutions.
STUDENT
CENTERED
LEARNING
EXPERIENTIAL
LEARNING
• Student: Learner
• Professor: Facilitator
• Autonomous learner
• Lifelong learner
• High levels of learning
- Creativity and innovation
- Search for solutions
- Critical thinking
- Independence and responsibility
- Focus on process
• Students construct their learning
process and develop abilities through
experience
• Professors design and facilitate the
experiences
• Students link experiences with critical
analysis
• Professors encourage students to
understand problems and to seek
creative solutions