Coach Brady discusses his other new role at the school, and adds some perspective to this third of the ‘Triangle Offense’
In addition to joining Malvern as the new football coach, Mr. Brady has been announced as the first-ever Director of Experiential Learning.
According to an email sent to faculty by Mr. Talbot, Mr. Brady was hired into this role as the result of a closed search. Mr. Talbot stated “In this case, securing a unique candidate who could help us achieve two goals (football = near term, Dir. of Experiential Learning = long-term) motivated the closed search.”
After originally reaching out to Mr. Brady when he was announced as the new football coach, we reached out to him again regarding his new role at the school as the Director of Experiential Learning. Read below as Mr. Aaron Brady discusses what experiential learning is and what his recently announced Director of Experiential Learning title will entail:
JB: What do you define as experiential learning?
AB: Experiential Learning is the opportunity to learn through application. Experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience, i.e., “learning from experience”. The experience can be staged or left open. Aristotle once said, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them”.
JB: What will your main roles be as the first Director of Experiential Learning?
AB: Main responsibility will be to continue to build opportunities for students to become involved in “real life” learning. For example, we have students who are working with fellow alumni on a small startup company. They are applying what they are learning in the classroom to real life situations. This year, we have already given 55 unique students the opportunity to experience student-centered learning in a project-based or experiential based way. The job is to expand these opportunities and ensure that it is integrated into the curriculum in a seamless, yet intentional way.
JB: How do you plan to provide the opportunity for experiential learning opportunities for students and teachers?
AB: The goal is to work with the alumni and local business community to create as many opportunities as possible. Since the position is new, it will take some time to collaborate with the academic side to ensure that we are integrating these opportunities into the curriculum in the best way possible. That said, the new modified block schedule may allow more time for students to elect certain opportunities outside the classroom.
To give you examples of what exactly experiential learning is like here is an excerpt from Mr. Talbot’s email to the faculty:
“For example, John Ostick is currently the liaison for 10 students engaged in a project-based internship for a local company. Those boys are working in two teams of five to solve one of the company’s marketing challenges.Three additional boys [are] interning for a technology/sports medicine start up founded a Malvern Prep alumnus (you may recall that this internship prompted the conversion of the Visitors Center 1st floor).”
Malvern is clearly dedicated wholeheartedly to experiential learning, as indicated by Mr. Talbot’s ‘Triangle Offense’ graphic. With a new Director of Experiential Learning, and a picture released this past winter telling us experiential learning is at the forefront of our learning now, Malvern has certainly begun to get the ball rolling on Experiential Learning for this upcoming year.
