Experiential Teaching in an Adult Development Course: Promoting an Understanding of Intergenerational Interactions

Abstract

Twelve students in a developmental psychology service-learning course engaged in a service-learning project with two groups of elders in an urban setting. Nine members of the class provided quantitative and qualitative feedback on this experiential learning experience. Survey results indicated that students believed the project increased their interest in the content area and that the project was a valuable aspect of the course. Based on student reflection papers in the course, students could identify specific ways the project helped them to learn course content. Finally, two interviewed students commented on how the project helped dismantle ageist preconceptions they held prior to completing the course. The project illustrates the advantages of experiential teaching in promoting interactions and understanding between diverse age groups. Three recommendations for implementing experiential teaching in community psychology and service-learning courses are presented.

KEYWORDS:

• collaboration
• experiential teaching
• service-learning

Acknowledgments

We thank the Fall 2011 Adult Development class at Carlow University for a wonderful first term with this project. We also thank the Sisters of Mercy, Women of West Oakland, Jermaine McKinley, Chrys Gabrich, and Jessica Friedrichs for making this project possible.