LAUSR

There is a strong scholarly debate about the differences between experiential education and informal education. A variety of terms have been used to apply to informal education, including extra-curricular activities, non-formal education, co-curricular activities and allied activities. Scholars have distinguished between three different forms of learning: formal learning, within school classroom settings; informal education, as a “lifelong process” of ongoing learning through exposure to different experiences; and non-formal education, which relates to organised educational activities outside of the formal, school framework (Dave 1976; La Belle 1981, 1982). In this special issue, we are taking the approach that experiential education refers to a specific pedagogy, which can take place in formal, informal and non-formal settings and contexts. Reuven Kahane (1997, 2004) was the first renowned scholar to delineate the eight elements of experiential education, which he calls “codes of behaviour” within formal, informal and non-formal settings. These include: “voluntarism” (free choice), “multiplexity” (wide spectrum of activities), “symmetry” (balanced relationships without a hierarchy), “dualism” (expressing contesting views), “moratorium” (postponement of commitments), “modularity” (eclectic construction of activities), “expressive instrumentalism” (activities performed both for their own sake and as stepping stones towards the achievement of future goals) and “pragmatic symbolism” (ascribing meaning to symbols) (Kahane 1997, pp. 23–30), and the integration of experiential and instrumental activities, enabling a meaningful educational encounter, as discussed in our own article included in this issue. In their overview of informal education, Shlomi Romi and Mirjam Schmida (2009) stress the educational advantages of non-formal education, that is education outside of the formal classroom. As they elaborate, this involves drawing on free choice and individual decision-making involving a democratic process, which is more relevant to education in the postmodern era. This is the main focus of our special issue.