Students ‘teach’ what they’ve learned

Sela Brown '15

Brandeis students recently took a break from their busy academic routines, if only briefly, to become teachers.

‘DeisTalks - think TED Talks meet Brandeis - and the Experiential Learning Symposium provided students with two opportunities to speak with members of the Brandeis and local communities about knowledge they developed, or a learning experience they had, in or outside the classroom while studying at Brandeis.

Education for Students by Students (ESS), in conjunction with the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance, Library & Technology Services and the Experiential Learning program, sponsored ‘DeisTalks. The Office of Experiential Learning and Teaching hosted the Experiential Learning Symposium.

“Experiential learning is a methodology that helps connect theory and practice and is a very effective process for helping students develop a deeper understanding of an issue,” said Daniel Langenthal, director of experiential learning at Brandeis. “An added benefit is that it also has helped many students to identify their life’s passion and their career focus following graduation.”

The seven ‘DeisTalks subjects ranged from the benefits of a gap year, to being Muslim and gay, to analyzing the difference between computers and the human mind to discover what it really means to be human. The presenters shared their thoughts and experiences during their 5-7 minute talks, hoping to educate and engage the audience.

The Experiential Learning Symposium featured 23 topics to showcase the diverse ways students engage in experiential learning at Brandeis. Projects featured included the group-based study of occupational exposure to unhealthy chemicals and particulates in nail salons; StudyBuddy, a group independent study to build an ambitious web/mobile app for coordinating study groups in classes; the Global Medical Brigades’ trip to Honduras this year; and lobbying the Massachusetts State Legislature for in-state tuition for undocumented students.

Categories: Student Life

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