The Absolute Value of Experiential Learning

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” 

There are few greater truths than what Confucius stated above.  How many times have you heard students complain about feeling disconnected in their classroom learning endeavors and how much more engaged they report being about learning that involves hands-one experiences?

I am not a teenager and I know I learn better and more comprehensively when I am actively involved in my learning process.  I love tennis and am a lifelong player; if am working on adding topspin to my notoriously flat shots (I like to hit VERY hard), you can tell me how to do it a hundred, or show moreover and over again, but it is not until I try doing it that it makes any sense or lasting inways.

Young adults are at one of their most malleable times in their cycle of learning; what better way to foster a love for learning and lasting learning than engaging in activities that engage mind, body and soul?  It is for these reasons that semester schools, summer experiences and gap semesters and years are so meaningful.  These opportunities for active learning provide chances not only to learn by doing but also the ability to reflect on both the content and the process.

Here are just some of the many benefits of experiential learning:

• Creates real-world relevance: It is easy to discount lectures if the material doesn’t seem to pertain to the real world. With experiential learning, data and concepts are applied  to hands-on tasks that yield tangible results. By interacting with the material, it becomes real. And, each student’s learning experience will be guided by his or her unique perspective, and thus each will interact with the information and the task in different ways—creating different results, and as such, mirroring “real” society.

• Encourages creativity: Real world problems often have more than one solution. Experiential learning is a platform that motivates students to engage the creative portions of their brain and seek their own unique solution to the problem or task. This creative problem-solving, and the variety of results produced, enriches the learning experience and the notion of how solutions are applied in authentic settings.

• Provides opportunity for reflection: Reflective observation is a key component of experiential learning theory. The dovetailing of concrete experiences with more abstract concepts and then reflecting on the applications, students utilize more regions of their brains and personally connect to the material. This reflection extends beyond independent interaction with the material and concepts and encapsulates observations of how others have incorporated and interpreted the same content.

• Teaches the value of mistakes: “Failure” is a good thing in that we learn more from it than from continual success. Experiential learning involves trial and error. Through involvement in hands-on tasks, students discover that some approaches work better than others. Even though they begin to understand that certain methods don’t work, the act of trying a methodology and then deciding to abandon it  is a valuable part of the learning process. Students learn not to fear mistakes but to recognize the benefit they provide to isolating more effective approaches and theories.

• Accelerates learning: Practicing a skill strengthens the neural connections in the brain, making us, essentially, “smarter.” Hands-on activities require practice, problem-solving, and decision-making. Student engagement is increased through these processes, so learning accelerates and retention improves.

• Guides students toward the future: Whether helping migrating seals, issues with immigration at the border or seeking new medical inroads and solutions, through experiential learning opportunities students start to uncover and enhance skills, aptitudes, and passions. The competencies acquired apply to all disciplines and this journey of self-discovery sets them on a more defined path toward what they want to pursue after graduation, including college and careers.

• Prepares students for adult life: Experiential learning activities are communal with students working in groups. These team projects build incomparable world-ready skills; students learn to work more effectively together, developing a plan of action and capitalizing on the unique strengths of each team member. In turn, the students learn how to lead, how to think critically, and how to pivot and adapt to changing circumstances.

Some of the purest forms of immersive, experiential learning available to students can be found in meaningful summer activities, volunteering, Gap years and Semester schools.  These opportunities are wonderful for alternative learners but equally meaningful for a more mainstream student. Skills are built differently when students are learning by doing and reflecting on what leads to progress and solutions. They get to discover knowledge and insights through their own efforts and to witness the immediate application of this knowledge and information. In addition to some of the hard and soft skills referenced above, students create  life-long  friendships and passions, practice and execute teamwork, collaboration and collegiality, and get to know the exhilaration associated with being motivated about learning.