Common Challenges, Shared Priorities: Experiential Learning and the GISCEL Ten Theses

This article considers current educational perspectives related to experiential learning (EL) with reference to the concept of democratic linguistic education as laid out in the GISCEL Ten Theses, a foundational work in the area of linguistic and semiotic research. It looks at general educational processes as related to the dynamics of symbolic use through language and communication. Starting with an analysis of the semiotic and theoretical principles that underpin linguistic education, the article considers how the principles of democratic linguistic education are, in fact, foundational to current EL theories. These principles are highly relevant to the field of language learning and to the overall development of literacy skills within populations, not just from a scholastic view of language education but also from a political perspective, where the goal of education is not the passing of an exam or attainment of a good course grade, but the growth of functional literacy skills necessary to be an active and informed member of contemporary society.