How people learn - paradoxes and surprises of people development during Horse Assisted Education Programs

Agata Wiatrowska, HorseSense, Poland

8th Annual EAHAE Conference7-9 September 2012

"Back to the Roots - Up to the Future“

Experiencing learning processes during Horse Assisted Education

What is my observation?What I experience?Is it my own process?Is it participant or group process?

Or both?

Observation:

Work in atmoshpere of silence

No comments in the bigger group

Very litte space for experimenting, at least at the beginning

Silent people

Possible learning processes:

Facilitator:

Is there any process? Things are going good way?

Participants:

Development experience opens new shifts in psyche, words are not avaiable for themExperiencing something very personalNormal state for introvertic people

?

Observation:

Fear to admit that you can learn from horses

Abracadabra with horses?

Resistance to learn from horses

Possible learning processes:

Facilitator:

Good lesson for „ego” - > not everbody feels this as brilliant

Participants:

Experiencing Cosmos trip

Observation:

Easy finding of comments and reflection

Entusiastic approach to the method

Having fun

Happy learning

Possible learning processes:

Facilitator:

Finally „normal learning process”

Very diffrent areas

Wow! It is really briliant method

Participants:

Finally „normal learning process”

Very diffrent areas

Observation:

Suprised what they see at the camera after horse exercise

Falling a sleep after picadero

Feel not comfortable to deliver such a experience to other people

People having „though” time

Possible learning processes:

Facilitator:

Feeling of guilt, what could we do to avoid it, was it neccessery?

Participants:

Verifiing self-mage

Connecting with something very important, very hidden inside, behind the masks

Oservation:

Showing horse experience

Do not talk about themselves much

They are not suprised with horse behaviour

Expect their participants to talk about themselves

People talking only about horses

Possible learning processes:

Facilitator:Ethical dilemma at the TTT, people refuse to work themselves, but are very enthusiastic about making other people work…

Participants:Using horses to talk about themselves – projectionTrying to stay in comfort zonesTrying to reach the development experience through other people

Observation:

Looking for answer by facilitators

Looking for answer in their minds

Looking for clear rules and intruction to avoid more chaos

People who experience

chaos inside themselfes

Possible learning processes:

Facilitator:

Hope, that „the new” will survive

Participants:

Seeing new possibilities activates reorganization of old psychic structuresChanging belifes about themselves, other people, the word

Observation:

Experience beyond words

Atmoshpere of miracle

Deep experience

Miracle

Meeting „Grandfather”

Good learning processes for you!

Thank you