ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a variety of approaches to experiential learning and details the group relations or systems psychodynamic approach within it. It explores the ideas and theories concerning experiential learning of a wide variety of thinkers, including Aristotle, William James, Dewey, Lewin, Schon, and Kolb. A theory of experiential learning is one that suggests that a uniquely valuable source for learning—especially in the realm of human behaviour on the individual and group level—lies in the experience of everyday life and the conceptualization and reflection on it. In theories of experiential learning have emerged from a wide range of sources. One of these derives from William James, who drew a distinction that echoed one drawn by Aristotle. In the education field, Dewey—probably the most influential educationalist in the twentieth century—has argued strongly that learning and experience are profoundly interconnected.
