#1053: Learning through Partnership: Integrating Disciplinary and Experiential Knowledge in Teacher Education

This practice-oriented paper presents a Research-Practice Partnership between (organisation 1), a formal pre-service teacher-education institute (TEI), and (organisation 2), an experiential learning organisation. While the core design of the collaboration was informed by Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, this paper demonstrates how the integration of Gandhi’s principles of 3H (Head, Hand and Heart) facilitates non-linear, transformational reflections within a structured design. By analysing a 5-day-long urban expedition in Mumbai, we gained valuable insights about structuring immersive experiences, balancing guidance with autonomy, supporting diverse learners, and maintaining authentic engagement. Based on which we argue that the ‘Heart’ (affective immersion) acts as a catalyst that integrates the ‘Head’ (disciplinary knowledge - Knowledge that) with the ‘Hand’ (procedural knowledge-knowledge how). The paper also offers design principles for RPPs enabling transition of a "Legitimate Peripheral Participant " (LPP) from ‘periphery’ to the ‘core’ of the learning processes.