School of Education Study Tour

School of Education Study Tour

Experiential Learning in the Walled City

The streets of Lahore’s Walled City became a living classroom for students from the MPhil Linguistics and TESOL and Educational Leadership and Management (ELM) programs during a departmental study tour held on April 25, 2026. Designed as an experiential learning initiative, the visit connected classroom theory with authentic real-world environments through field engagement and cultural immersion.

The study tour combined sociolinguistic observation in the historic Walled City of Lahore with an immersive "History by Night" experience at Lahore Fort, offering students a unique opportunity to engage with language, education, culture, and history beyond the traditional classroom setting.

Exploring Language in the Walled City

The first segment of the tour took students through the vibrant and historically rich alleys of the Walled City. Surrounded by the sounds, interactions, and diversity of everyday urban life, students from the Linguistics and TESOL programme conducted guided observations and informal data collection as part of their Sociolinguistics course.

The environment provided an ideal setting for examining patterns of language variation in naturally occurring interactions. Students observed phenomena such as code-switching, context-sensitive language use, and variations in communication across different social groups. The experience allowed them to connect theoretical concepts from the classroom with real linguistic behaviour in public spaces.

Learning Beyond Formal Classrooms

At the same time, students from the Educational Leadership and Management (ELM) programme explored the Walled City as a lived educational environment. Rather than viewing learning as something confined to schools or classrooms, they examined how social and cultural spaces themselves function as sites of education.

Through observation and reflection, ELM students analysed overt and hidden forms of curriculum operating within society. Their discussions focused on concomitant, phantom, and societal curricula and their influence on educational processes, socialisation, and meaning-making beyond formal classroom structures. This allowed them to critically engage with how learning is shaped not only by formal curriculum but also by the social and cultural environments in which individuals are situated.

History by Night at Lahore Fort

The second segment of the tour brought all participants to the historic Lahore Fort for the "History by Night" experience. Illuminated against the evening sky, the fort created a powerful and atmospheric setting for students to engage with the past in an immersive and memorable way.

Participants witnessed live re-enactments of significant historical events, with performers dressed in period costumes bringing historical scenes and dialogues to life through storytelling and performance. The experience transformed history from something read in books into something students could see, hear, and emotionally connect with.

The evening also featured classical dance performances and a traditional dhamal, adding further cultural depth and vibrancy to the experience. The integration of architecture, performance, and narrative created a powerful experiential learning environment that allowed participants to engage with history in an embodied and affective way.

Bringing Theory and Practice Together

The study tour reflected the core principles of experiential learning by placing students in authentic, context-rich environments where academic theory could be explored through direct experience.

For Linguistics and TESOL students, the visit offered an opportunity to ground their understanding of sociolinguistic theory in real-world linguistic interactions. For ELM students, it provided insight into the many ways learning operates within society and culture beyond formal institutions.

Overall, the tour encouraged meaningful interdisciplinary engagement across linguistics, education, history, and cultural heritage. By transforming the streets of Lahore and the Lahore Fort into spaces of inquiry and reflection, the experience demonstrated how some of the most impactful learning takes place beyond the walls of a classroom.