Teachers’ Guidelines

4.2 Duration of Each Meeting and Duration and Frequency of the Whole Laboratory

The purpose of OFF-BOOK is to work successfully on difficulties and diseases, by creating a positive environment at school, among mates, and between students and teachers. The most effective proposal for this aim is the institution of a regular laboratory, whose duration is about the whole school year, once a week. From twenty to thirty encounters of one or two hours can build a solid base to work well.

Two hours of duration for a meeting ensure a deeper work. In fact, we always suggest, during the laboratory sessions, to have two different approaches: the mental one and the physical one.

For example, at the beginning and at the end of a meeting, it is useful to ask students some considerations about the path, or the exercises done, or thoughts about the arguments. But it is very important to separate this moment from the rest of work, in which mental approach has to be denied. Remember that this proposal wants to reduce the power of rationality and judgement, and to restore the primacy of emotions, of body language, of freedom to be oneself.

If it is not possible to engage a complete path, it can also be useful a medium term duration work: ten encounters of one or two hours. Obviously, because of the limited time available, it is necessary to focus as much as possible on the topics of the work. For example, if the aim of the laboratory is to face the phenomenon of bullying, the ten encounters need to be calibrated on it. In this case it is not recommended to work on a final performance. It could be too stressful because of the lack of the right time to absorb the materials. It is better to address to another type of feedback.

Otherwise, a more intensive and concentrated work can be useful. For example, three entire days of workshop, for a total of about twenty hours. This type of work is very different from the other options. It is a breakup, a very intensive experience, that can produce deep results, especially in relationships between members and in the deconstruction of schemes, helping by hard work to abandon barriers. This option is more risky, pedagogically speaking, than the other two. So we recommend the guide of a trained educator.

Online Resources

• Experiential Learning in Washington, D.C.: A Study of Student Motivations and Expectations A Practical Guide to Experiential Learning Environments written by Joli Barker tells about lessons, stacks of resources and materials and put together a plan of action that elicit effective learning experience for students. Joli Barker speaks about teory and practical issues too, such as planning session and time needed in experiential learning as mathod or learning approach..
• Experiential learning needs time, experiential learners need supportInternships and experiential learning programs typically span the length of a semester, but preliminary findings of a new University of Houston study indicate that's not long enough for students to get the full benefits. At issue are the students' expectations and their advisors' guidance.