We offer our training for teachers who are trying to set new educational goals and to learn new teaching methods in favour of a better development of their students.
If the school and the school environment gives emotional experiences to children, and instead of competitive situations (suppression of the others) it provides interaction and cooperation, it can truly improve the student 's personality, unfold their self-reliance, leads them in the way of being active. It does not teaches curriculum but creates opportunities for the students to learn what is trust, communication, successful leadership, problem-solving and self-confidence. Those are the things which cannot be learned from school books. This is our responsibility as a teacher to develop those skills in our students, in addition to help them achieving their best school results.

Experiential learning engages students in critical thinking, problem solving and decision making in contexts that are personally relevant to them. This approach to learning also involves making opportunities for debriefing and consolidation of ideas and skills through feedback, reflection, and the application of the ideas and skills to new situations.

Experiential education is particularly suitable for the establishment and development of the following skills:
• Working in a group: cooperation, mutual understanding and acceptance, helpfulness, common thinking, team spirit
• Communication skills
• Self-confidence and trust in others
• Personal, partner and environmental responsibility
• Entrepreneurship and courage
• Individual and group problem solving, decision-making and situation awareness skills
• Conflict-resolution skills
• Improving self-knowledge, recognizing personal limits and personal values
• Improvising skills and creativity
• Adaptibility

The aims of the training:
• To enrich methodical palette of teaching;
• To appreciate the value of student-centred experiential learning;
• To analyse the elements of experiential learning;
• To learn new games and activities which can be conducted in the classroom;
• To develop guidelines for teaching through experiential approaches; and
• To relate experiential learning to education process in school;.

The main topics of the training
Theory
• The theoretical base of experiential education, the experiential learning cycle, the principle of graduation
• Group rules, group dynamics, the phases of group development
• Exploring the comfort-, learning- and panic zone; risk assessment, preparing for extraordinary situations
Experiential learning activities
• Warm up games and activities with simple tools
• Communication in pair work and in small groups
• Team-building and trust-building games and activities
• Problem-solving exercises
Facilitator role
• Designing, delivering and debriefing experiential education activities within the framework of school lessons
• Risk assessment, risk management, creating a physical and emotional safe environment
• The importance and role of evaluation and reflection, methods and techniques how to use them

The course is highly practical. Detailed information regarding the program of the course, methodology and preparation will be sent to granted participants.
Accommodation will be provided in the Outward Bound International Youth Center in Sovata. Participants will be assisted with pre-departure support consisting of the necessary information required to reach destination and to successfully manage within the course period in the new country.
Cultural events will be offered in the famos Spa Sovata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovata and in the oldest inhabited fortress in Europe, Sighisoara–Schässburg-Segesvár https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sighi%C8%99oara

Day by day program:

First day

Activity

Type

Aims/Goals

-Warming up interactive activities

-Getting to know each others

-Expectations, objectives

-Contract

-Team building activities

-City Bound (interactive discovery of Sovata)

Indoor

&
Outdoor

-Getting to know the training structure

-Getting to know each other

-Having fun

-Improving communication skills

-Getting familiar with the methods

Second day

-Interactive team building activities

-Theoretical sessions

-Preparation for expedition

-Expedition in a Gurghiului mountains, orientation with map and compass

Indoor&
Outdoor

-Improving effective communication

-Improving team work

-Developing strategic thinking, problem solving

-Developing adaptability, flexibility

-Laying down limits

-Task division, planning

Third day

-Expedition in a Ghiurghiului mountains, orientation with a map and compass

-Interactive problem solving activities

-Getting back from the expedition

Outdoor

-Laying down limits

-Getting to know each other

-Improving effective communication

-Developing strategic thinking,

problem solving

-Task division, planning

-Conflict management

Fourth day

-Evaluation of the expedition

-Interactive team building activities

-Theoretical sessions

-Cultural evening

Indoor

-Transfer to the real life and work

-Acquiring flexibility

-Intercultural learning

Fifth day

-Ropes course activities

-Intercultural city challenge in Sighisoara

Outdoor

-Developing teamwork

-Developing effective communication

-Expanding boundaries

-Improving self confidence

-Intercultural learning
Sixth day

-Interactive problem solving activities

-Theoretical sessions

Indoor

&
Outdoor

-Improving effective communication

-Improving team work

-Developing strategic thinking,

problem solving

-Developing adaptability, flexibility

-Task division, planning

Seventh day

-Designing, delivering and debriefing an experiential education activity

Indoor

&
Outdoor

-Learning to apply experiential education activities

Eight day

-Using the experiential method in the classroom

-Final evaluation

Indoor

-Sharing and raising awareness of experiences

-Transfer to the real life and work

-Commitments

Price: 855 Euro (includes training fee, accommodation, food, transportation within the course)