THE GIFT KARMA SOCIAL EXPERIMENT BASED ON EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Abstract

This research adapts the concept from "gift economy" to approach a "Gift Karma" social experiment that allows students to participate in learning-based social experiments via applying visualization, digital storytelling, action research methods. Compared with the traditional teaching methods, this learning activities is more complex than the classroom-based learning methods. In the research, the four stages of experiential learning were designed in a 14-week course, using nine learning modes and four teacher roles to observe the differences in different learning modes, how to create better collaborative learning effects, and how to learn from the persons and the environment. In response to the research problems, we found that: (1) experiential learning helps students to see their relationship with society or fear, jump out of the habit of learning, and construct new thinking and perspective to explore their social issues; (2) since the third stage of experiential learning, students have been able to put forward different ways of discussing social issues, and clearly reflect learning in different stages of discussion and reflection; (3) The transformation of teachers' four roles is of great help in teaching, but teachers themselves need to have a high degree of awareness and adjust at any time to meet the needs of students' learning.