Conceptual Workshops

The next two chapters provide resources for understanding and creating what Donald Finkel called “conceptual workshops.”  I studied with Don at The Evergreen State College as an undergrad and so had the pleasure of learning how to teach with conceptual workshops first-hand.  These chapters, the first written by Don and the second my me, are meant to provide a version of that experience.

In “Experiences That Teach: Creating Blueprints for Learning” by Donald L. Finkel, you’ll find the complete text of “Chapter 6” and the “Appendix to Chapter 6” from Finkel’s 2000 book Teaching With Your Mouth Shut.  I recommend the whole of this book.  This chapter focuses on the merits and how-tos of teaching with conceptual workshops.

In Learning Through Experience:  Identifying Aims and Creating Conceptual Workshops, I provide a conceptual workshop for you to experience yourself.  This workshop serves both as an introduction to the form and a step-by-step guide to creating and teaching with conceptual workshops.