Expressions of solidarity: Student responses during experiential encounters  

Experiential enquiry-based learning offers unique opportunities for students to be immersed in unfamiliar environments that challenge both cognitive and emotional states. Their experiences can be transformative through critical reflection of their own positionality and connection with their surroundings. This can lead to expressions of solidarity that are seen to emerge when being in borderland spaces and being challenged by “others”. Such expressions can emerge through fleeting empathetic engagement with local social, political, and environmental issues. Solidarity can also be expressed as a sense of unity amongst students sharing a common challenging experience within the demands of a learning or assessment activity.

This presentation reveals the importance of emotional experiences and resulting expressions of solidarity that manifest through a series of encounters. By identifying critical reflections from students using reflective methods, expressions of solidarity are made visible. Expressions of solidarity are powerful in revealing the transformative impact that these experiences have on learners. From this presentation, you will learn about the transformative potential of experiential enquiry-based learning and how experiential encounters can enable students to engage empathetically with a range of social, political, and environmental issues.