This module aims to help you get more ideas about how to use values in debriefing and open discussions.
PowerPoint slideshow:
The last part of experiential learning exercises or trainings is usually a debriefing part. In an experiential learning context, debriefing can be described as the process during which participants actually learn from their experience.
Debriefing is essentially a structured discussion guided by the facilitator. During this discussion, the facilitator poses certain questions which help the participants (1) learn from their experience and (2) bring the learning outcomes to their own needs. Of course, debriefing takes place in various contexts which involve an experience that can help somebody learn something; for instance, in teaching, training, at work, in the local community, when somebody takes care of another person, etc.
Below you can see Kolb’s experiential learning cycle – debriefing would be placed in the second stage, i.e. reflective observation, during which the participants reflect on the experience they had and think of what they learned and how they can use this knowledge in the future.
Debriefing is a really important step in the learning process, especially in experiential learning contexts, as in those cases the participants may need some more help in order to understand what has just happened, what they have learned and how this knowledge can be of use to them in the real world in the future. Also, let’s not forget that in experiential learning, the exercises used are mostly highly-engaging and game-based; therefore, the participants may sometimes forget about the educational aspect of them. In those cases, debriefing can help as it brings them back to reality, i.e. the learning scope of the exercises.
There are some simple steps you can follow in order to make sure the debriefing process is carried out properly in a training context. Once you have fully taken in the basic principles you should follow and you have mastered these simple techniques, you will be able to prepare your own debriefing questions.
These are some basic principles you should keep in mind:
Remember to start with general questions which focus on the exercise you have just completed and then move on to deeper questions and to questions which have to do with future experiences.
First of all, ask the participants how they liked the exercise they have just completed and whether it was easy or hard for them. Try to get them to mention specific feelings, if possible.
Also, ask the participants whether they fulfilled or not the aim of the exercise and why they think so. Also, ask them what they have learned from the things they managed to achieve or the things they failed to achieve.
For example, if the aim of the exercise was to construct something as a group, you may ask: “do you think you succeeded in constructing x”, “why do you think you succeeded/failed”, “what has your success/failure taught you”, “how can you succeed in the future”.
Ask them to point out any interesting parts of the exercise.
For example, if the exercise was a team building one aiming to get the participants to know each other, ask them what interesting pieces of information they got from their fellow participants.