Experiential Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Main Room
Workshop
Physical
15:30
19 March 2025
As part of the Experiential Learning Congress in Poland, this 90-minute interactive workshop will explore the innovative synthesis of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, as presented in the book Experiential Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
Through a combination of discussion, experiential activities, and reflection, participants will engage with key concepts from both frameworks, examining how experiential learning can serve as a vehicle for critical consciousness and social transformation. The workshop will guide attendees through the practical application of Freirean dialogue and Kolb’s learning cycle in educational settings, fostering a participatory and transformative learning experience.
Key topics include:
The integration of dialogue, praxis, and experiential learning in education.
Moving beyond the banking model of education towards critical, experience-based pedagogy.
Practical tools for applying experiential pedagogy with diverse learners.
Designed for educators, trainers, and facilitators, this session will provide hands-on methods to create empowering, learner-centered educational environments that foster both critical thinking and action.
Join us in this dynamic exploration of how experiential learning can be a tool for liberation and social change!
Romy Alexandra
Mustafa Erdoğan
Romy Alexandra
Romy Alexandra is a Learning Experience Designer, Experiential Learning Trainer, and Facilitator on a mission to humanize workplaces and learning spaces. Whether in-person, remote, or hybrid, she specializes in cultivating transformative experiences and learning cultures that integrate psychological safety, experiential learning, and sustained behavior change.
A former Fulbright Scholar and Peace Corps Volunteer, Romy brings a global perspective and over a decade of facilitation expertise spanning 85 countries across four continents. She has worked with organizations across every sector - from government entities to global corporations - helping individuals and teams unlock their potential and build the collaborative competencies necessary for high performance. For example, Romy has partnered with renowned organizations such as the Dubai Government, Netflix, Allianz, WeTransfer, UNDP, WFP, UN Women, the European Youth Parliament, University of Maryland, and Tartu University to design and deliver impactful learning solutions.
Romy holds multiple certifications in Experiential Learning from the International Experiential Learning Network (IELN) and the Institute for Experiential Learning (IFEL), where she is now a core faculty member. She is also certified in psychological safety by Amy Edmondson´s The Fearless Organization and Leader Factor. In 2024, Romy was honored as a LinkedIn Top Voice for her thought leadership in experiential learning and workplace culture. Her work is rooted in the belief that fostering a culture of experiential learning and psychological safety drives innovation and high performance at every level of an organization.
Mustafa Erdoğan
Mustafa Erdogan is a specialist in non-formal education, a trainer, youth worker, and founder of the Experiential Training Center in Turkey. He has more than 20 years of experience in the field of civil society.Mustafa has a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature and a master’s degree in Management of Nongovernmental Organizations and Social Projects. He has been working as a trainer for European Union Education and Youth Programs since 2006, and is one of the founders of the International Experiential Learning Network (IELN). He has realized dozens of international projects aiming to strengthen the dialogue between formal and non-formal education.Mustafa has been working as a trainer and program designer in numerous training projects of prominent organizations such as Turkey’s Ministry of National Education, the Turkish National Agency for Youth Works and Adult Education, the Turkish Basketball Federation, the German Basketball Federation, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and GIZ German Cooperation Agency. He is the co-developer of the DeM Training for Trainers Program which is a practical synthesis of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. To date, he has delivered this Training for Trainers Program to more than 350 educators from 13 countries. He is also co-creator of DeM Rubric, a qualitative assessment tool for evaluating non-formal education programs’ compliance with experiential learning.His recent works are focused on ministerial-level international cooperation in the field of education and he advocates that rights-based social transformation is only possible through social transformation-based education.
