What is Experiential Learning?

What is Experiential Learning?

Experiential Learning is the process of learning by doing. By engaging students in hands-on experiences and reflection, they are better able to connect theories and knowledge learned in the classroom to real-world situations.

David Kolb’s experiential learning model

Kolb, an American educational theorist, published his ideas about experiential learning in 1984. He suggested that the learning process is an integration of these four stages:

Concrete Experience - this means either learning something brand new or experiencing something familiar in a new way. Examples of this include learning to ride a bike, or playing an instrument.

Reflective Observation - the learner spends some time thinking about what happened or and reflecting on simple questions like ‘What went well?’, ‘What am I struggling with?’, and ‘What could I do differently?’ will help the learner to improve for next time.

Abstract Conceptualization - after the learner has reflected on their concrete experience, they may think about their next steps for improving and come up with a plan of action. This allows them to form new ideas or modify existing ideas so that they can act on it.

Active Experimentation - the learner applies what they have learnt from the initial experience and sees if there are any modifications when they try the experience for a second time. This is essentially an opportunity to test new ideas.

As a result of this active experimentation, the learner will have a new concrete experience and the cycle will start all over again. This cycle can keep going until the learner feels confident and happy with how the concrete experience pans out. By allowing learners to test their knowledge practically like this, you can ensure a higher retention of information.

Examples of Experiential Learning

There are many ways that experiential learning is used every day. Some examples include:

·        Going to the zoo to learn about animals through observation, instead of reading about them.

·        Growing a garden to learn about photosynthesis instead of watching a movie about it.

·        Hoping on a bicycle to try and learn to ride, instead of listening to your parent explain the concept

Benefits of Experiential Learning

There are many benefits of experiential learning for teachers and students, including:

·        Opportunity to immediately apply knowledge. Experiential learning can allow students to immediately apply things they are learning to real-world experiences. This helps them retain the information better.

·        Promotion of teamwork. Experiential learning often involves working in a team, so learning in this setting allows students to practice teamwork.

·        Improved motivation. Students are more motivated and excited about learning in experiential settings. Experiments are exciting and fun for students, and they will be passionate about learning.

·        Opportunity for reflection. Students using the experiential model are able to spend time reflecting about what they are experiencing and learning. This is valuable as they are able to better retain information when they can think about what’s happening to them.

·        Real world practice. Students can greatly benefit from learning that helps them prepare for the real world. Experiential learning is focused on using real situations to help students learn, so they are then better prepared for their future.

Experiential learning activities that can be included in the classroom

·        Field trips

·        Art projects

·        Science experiments

·        Mock cities and trials

·        Role playing

·        Reflection and journaling

·        Interactive classroom games

Students can greatly benefit from experiential learning inside their classroom. Utilizing projects and experiences inside the classroom will help students learn more effectively and enjoy their learning experiences.