From Experience to Neo-Experiential Education: Variations on a Theme

Abstract

This article considers several variations of experience within the intersecting fields of outdoor, environmental, and experiential education. I argue that, to date, too little work has been undertaken interrogating the theoretical and philosophical use of the term “experiential.” This has resulted in a relatively homogeneous and simple construction of the role of experience in education that misrepresents both the complexity and the level of contestation in the discourse. In an attempt to begin to address this problem, I propose three variations of experiential education: experience as interaction, embodied experience, and experience as praxis. Each of the three variations is discussed in terms of their defining characteristics and the promises and challenges of their various constructions of experience. I argue further that each of these variations are threatened by the rise of a fourth variation, what I term neo-experiential education, which neatly combines market logics of efficiency, standardization, and control. I conclude with a call for more theoretical and philosophical work in this area.

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