Cohort Building through Experiential Learning

Abstract

Universities are exploring ways to better prepare teachers for the classroom and to keep them there. Building cohorts of pre-service teachers is one of the ways currently under scrutiny. The University of Memphis began a new cohort-based, grant-funded program entitled Recruitment and Retention through Reinvention of Teacher Education (3Rs) to prepare middle-school math and science teachers in the summer of 2006. This article presents the results of a qualitative study on the effects of a four-day experiential learning program on the development of the 3Rs cohort of middle school pre-service teachers. Participants indicated that their experience was an effective way to build a graduate student cohort. Close relationships with each other were developed and support from the faculty was noted. Few pressing concerns were voiced. Getting away for an overnight stay, focus on educational best practices, and demonstrating the need and importance of this experience were listed as essential to the program.

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“…Students reflected more on the sense of community identity, with one student remarking that "banding together" with unfamiliar people brought feelings of satisfaction, while another student reflected on feelings of gratification by seeing the world and of sharing experiences with others. The benefits of learning in through community engagement has been noted in prior research, for example, Seed (2008) asserts that socialization within a cohort increases motivation to learn, improves skill development, and fosters reflection and the opportunity to learn from peers. Our study suggests that in addition to establishing a sense of community and providing opportunities for skill development, experiential learning also evokes feelings of happiness for the learner (with respect to satisfaction and gratification).…”

Broadening horizons: development of multi-site teamworking skills within interdisciplinary doctoral training

“…The structure of the academic setting for doctoral education has been shown to be extremely important for completion rates of students and in supporting student wellbeing (Seed, 2008). One particular arrangement for doctoral education is the concept of a cohort model.…”

“…One particular arrangement for doctoral education is the concept of a cohort model. This model provides an important shared culture, enhancing social, personal and education outcomes and provides students with goal seeking assistance from their peers (Seed, 2008). Other structures which support completion of doctoral studies and student wellbeing include the use of specific tasks and guidelines, support from departments and supervisors, dedicated working spaces, well-structured deadlines, organised seminars which give social support and feedback on PhD progress (deValero, 2001;Bolli, Agasisti, and Johnes, 2015).…”

Applying Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory to an Event Management Course: Practical Guidelines for Educators

“…For instance, Hicks (1996) evaluated the success of EL in a postgraduate project management program where students enhanced their interpersonal skills. More generally, EL has been recognized as a teaching method to promote teamwork and cohort building (Seed, 2008) and to encourage students to become better citizens through critical thinking (Heinrich et al, 2015). Despite all these studies, there is a significant need to explore how EL can be effectively implemented in practice, including its planning to assessment (Heinrich & Green, 2020).…”