I work for a company that has a patented learning module using the role play learning technique and a voice recognition engine to simulate role plays on one’s own computer.

Keep up the great posts and check out our website if your interested in finding more information.

www.dialogcoach.com

thanks.

Chris, thank you for bringing up the controversy around Kolb’s learning cycle and posting the link. Your comment helps me clarify what I was trying to say implicitly. I completed my master’s in a program based on experiential learning, using Kolb’s theory extensively to guide courses. The reflection aspect was very useful, and I think the usefulness of the cycle model is that it helps trainers/teachers keep in mind the cognitive work that learners do in order to learn. The problem, from my experience ;), is when teachers rely too much on it and assume that making us reflect is the gateway to all learning. So, reflection alone is not sufficient, but it is useful. However, there is a complex process that goes on for people when learning–and it might be different for everyone. Opportunities for more than reflection have to be made available as well for a successful course based on experiential learning–which is why I found Gee’s list of important criteria for good learning experiences useful.
Your second thought on situated learning is also an important point. I think the lesson here is that we can’t just throw activities at people and expect that they work because they are fun activities. Instead they have to be thought about and chosen with some mindfulness of the ultimate objectives–is it to give people confidence, expand creativity, open up new perspectives, or teach a concrete lesson about a topic. Each objective might be better suited to different activities such as role play, simulation, or real play.

Your comment has stimulated my thinking on this topic.

First, Kolb’s view of learning as a cycle, and the applicability of this, is hotly contested. Other models of adult learning abound, and its worth looking at the comments on Kolb at http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-explrn.htm. However, the contention that reflecting on experience is useful, and that multiple types of learning are useful, is a fairly safe idea. Its just that rather than a cycle it happens all the time all at once.

Second, Role Play - I also love role play, I think it is a great way of thinking differently, gaining confidence and skills. However, its drawback is that the learning is not situated, so “real play” might be better in some situations - playing yourself with a real situation, with others acting out parts that fit into that situation.