Cultivating the Craft: A Case Study of The Application of John Dewey's Experiential Learning Cycle to Creative Writing Classes

Abstract

This paper discusses John Dewey’s theory of experiential learning and its implications for teaching creative writing at the secondary and post-secondary levels. Dewey (1938) states that education is not a mere transfer of information, but a continuous cycle of experience, reflection and reconstruction. Creative writing is a discipline that deals with invention, revision, and interpretation of lived and imagined experiences. It is therefore an ideal context for implementing this educational cycle. Using a qualitative single-case study design, this paper documents the redesign of a creative writing workshop around four interlocking phases derived from Dewey's philosophy and its later formalisation in experiential learning theory: concrete experience, reflective observation, conceptualisation, and active experimentation. Data were drawn from instructor field notes, student drafts and revisions, and reflective journals collected across one instructional unit. Findings suggest that structuring the writing process around Dewey's cycle increased student engagement, deepened revision practices, and helped students construct a working theory of their own craft. The paper concludes with implications for writing pedagogy and recommendations for teachers who want to design experience-centred curricula.