Experiential Learning
This method involves engaging learners in a learning experience that allows them to make mistakes and learn from them, understand meaning and develop understanding. It is sometimes called ‘learning by doing’ or ‘active learning’.
Experiential learning comes from constructivist theory of learning. The learner develops an idea of how the world works by linking new knowledge to existing knowledge.
The theory explains how mistakes lead to learning. Mistakes happen when have a new experience that does not match our previous experience. This makes us check and
correct our understanding.
This means it is 'deep' learning; if we learn by repetition then it is 'shallow' learning. Experiential learning leads to affective (feeling) as well as cognitive (thinking) learning. It can help develop empathy and change attitudes.
How:
- encouraging learners to think of mistakes as opportunities to learn and reflect on experience,
- experiments, practical tasks, role play,
- real-life projects, work experience,
- practice-theory-practice and plan-do-review cycles,
- activities that use learners’ experiences as a starting point,
- co-operative learning.
