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What is Experiential Learning, and Why Does it Matter Now?
5 Characteristics of Experiential Learning
Stream sampling during Field Ecology class, photo by Dan Susman
By Dan Susman, Dean of Experiential Learning & Science Faculty
Imagine if your surgeon had only learned the theory of an operation before they operated on you – how would you feel? Imagine someone explained to your kids how to tie their shoes with a PowerPoint presentation – would they learn it? Guess what, the same logic goes for all kinds of learning – if you don’t have an opportunity to practice, make mistakes, and reflect on how to do better next time it is really tough to learn.
What is The Meaning of Experiential Learning?
Experiential education at its core is how humans have learned throughout our existence and continues to be the best way that humans learn. Therefore, it is not new or experimental and, in fact, it is the teaching practice that has more evidence behind it’s effectiveness than any other. Though Experiential Learning is happening everywhere all the time, it is also an intentionally and widely-adopted best practice in everything from medical schools to colleges and universities all the way down to pre-school learning experiences.
Elements of Experiential Learning
Experiential Education has roots in teaching philosophies of indigenous peoples worldwide, though the term itself was popularized in the West by John Dewey, an educator and philosopher from the turn of the 20th century. David Kolb, Kurt Hahn, Marina Ewald, and many others have built on these ideas and created a framework for how experiential learning works in any setting. Kolb’s “Experiential Learning Cycle” is outlined below.
Concrete Experience
This is where the Experiential Learning cycle gets its name and is the most obvious – where students have an experience or do an activity. This could be so many different things, from performing an experiment in a science class or reciting a dramatic reading in English to doing service for the community or going out into the wilderness on a backpacking trip.
Reflective Observation
Reflection is the means by which a student makes meaning of their experience. At Midland we like to say, “meaningful experiences help make students make meaning of their lives.” Reflection is key to making meaning! There are so many ways to reflect, including journals, portfolios, role plays, games, model construction, and discussions.
Abstract Conceptualization
This stage of the Kolb cycle helps students take what they learned from the experience and apply it to new contexts. In traditional schooling, this is often where learning starts – we’d lecture first, then go practice using those textbook skills in a lab or on a project. In Experiential Learning, this stage typically comes after having an experience and reflecting on it. This builds students’ curiosity and gives them space to begin to form their own ideas and begin to make deep and meaningful connections.
Heading out for science class on the property, photo by Dan Susman
Active Experimentation
According to writer Saul McLeod this is where “the learner applies their learnings [abstract concepts] to the world around them to see what results.” This last stage gives students the opportunity to actively try out what they’ve learned across different parts of the class, school, or their lives. The active experimentation part is key to integrating deep and meaningful learning beyond the classroom setting.
Effectiveness of Experiential Learning
It has been shown again and again that transformative learning experiences are most likely to happen when applying the principles of Experiential Learning. In a rapidly changing world, where 21st century skills such as teamwork, collaboration, and leadership are more important than ever, Experiential Education is a tried and tested path to give all students the education they deserve.
Experiential and Project-Based Learning at Midland
Experiential learning is fully integrated into Midland’s curriculum from the work students do daily to tend to our campus to how our students learn in our classrooms. Whether it’s taking ecological samples of our local creek to see the effects of wildfire on water in Field Ecology class, doing trail work to support recreation in our National Forests in Outdoor Leadership, or tending to the animals and crops that help nourish our community on the farm, experiential learning is at the center of a Midland education.
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