An Experiential Learning Approach to the Teaching of Criminology, Juvenile Delinquency, and Social Deviance.

According to Kolb, learning must include an experiential component if it is to be most effective. This paper describes a program that makes it possible to incorporate experiential learning conveniently into the teaching of criminology, juvenile delinquency, social deviance, and related subjects. The program, called Discovery, has been used for five years as the basis for a pair of criminal justice classes at a state college in western Massachusetts. The program enables undergraduates to conduct a series of interviews and group discussions with jail inmates and incarcerated juvenile delinquents.