Laboratory Learning

We do not necessarily learn from experience. Does a teacher have 25 years teaching experience or 1 year teaching experience 25 times? Learning in an “experiential” laboratory assumes that we learn best by doing and then analyzing that experience and drawing insights from it. As a participant, you are expected to become actively engaged in the group’s activities. Often participants are expected to focus on their interaction with other group members in the “here and now” in so far as this is possible.

Participants create a learning laboratory which becomes a safe, supportive learning environment in which participants are encouraged to try new, more effective interpersonal and group behaviour. The exact content of the “lab” depends on the advertised learning objectives of the session.

“Labs” are not therapy and while the laboratory may be considered “therapeutic” in the true sense of the word, it is not intended to resolve serious emotional or interpersonal relationship problems. Anyone in therapy should check with their therapist before registering for a laboratory.

Because of the intensity of the learning and the nature of the experience, laboratories are six days long and cannot be shortened. They also require a residential learning environment including social, cultural, recreation and educational components.

Work Conferences

Although more structured than the learning laboratory, work conferences are unique programs of learning experience often addressing original pieces of content in a non-traditional manner. Although theory pieces of research are introduced at appropriate times the sessions are highly participatory and lack the formal structure of a lecture.

For example, the Public Participation Work Conference for Senior Executive & Policy Makers is built around an original simulation exercise created by KLOG staff. International participants from around the world representing a dozen cultures and languages, at our Work Conference we offered in Finland, claimed that they experienced in several hours what would have taken several years to observe in a community. They also concluded that the simulation was culture free so it could be used in any country.

Work Conferences are a minimum of three days in length in order to maximize the learnings.

Workshops

KLOG workshops are designed to impart specific skills in a certain content/course area of instruction. Although more structured than seminars or laboratories they are still highly participatory and rely on the learning objectives of the participants. Course content is often presented using non-traditional methods such as role plays or original simulation exercises designed by KLOG staff and adapted to the particular learning needs of the group.

Workshops are of shorter duration and generally last for two full days often spread over three days such as an extended weekend (beginning late on Friday and lasting until Sunday). The pre-employment workshop lasts for five days.

Seminars

Seminars are similar to workshops in delivery methods in that they are based on participants specific interests and are highly participatory. They also have a slightly broader focus than a particular skill usually dealt with in a workshop. They are geared towards understanding basic principles of human development and for this reason are more generally for management, supervisors, or boards of directors, as opposed to online workers. THey are based on original research and combine presentations on theory as well as practice.

The difference between seminars and workshops is that seminars are often shorter in duration, usually a couple of days or just a few hours.