ABSTRACT

This chapter begins with argument of John Dewey that "the historical obstacles which prevent understanding are insurmountable". Given the philosophical complexity of both terms-experience and education-it is no wonder that many view what Dewey in another context labeled the quest for certainty around experiential education as a fool's errand. Experiential education involves a broader and more systematic pedagogical process. Education, properly conceived, involves important questions about the structure and function of knowledge, the ethical imperatives of such knowledge, and the purposes to which learning ought to adhere. The University of Canterbury in New Zealand was left wondering what to do. The city center was devastated, many academic buildings were unsafe to hold classes, and yet they had thousands of students living on campus and in nearby communities who were ready to attend class. In addition to extending the location of learning outside the university itself, this curriculum situation reveals several other aspects of experiential education.