Educators know that a student learns more quickly and retains more information when the subject matter pertains to them personally, and doing makes learning extremely personal. As Sir Richard Branson says, "You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over."
Wikipedia defines experiential learning as "the process of learning through experience" and, more specifically, "learning through reflection on doing." The process of experiential learning involves both self-initiative and self-assessment as well as hands-on activity, so students and teachers alike can benefit from the many advantages and benefits of experiential learning activities in the classroom.
Benefits of Experiential Learning
Creates real-world relevance
Students may tune out lectures if they think the material doesn't pertain to the real world. Experiential learning activities take data and concepts and apply them to hands-on tasks, yielding real results. As the student interacts with the information, it becomes real to them. Of course, each student's learning experience will be guided by their unique perspective, and thus each will interact with the information and the task in different ways—and may have different results. In this way, experiential learning activities in the classroom emulate "real" society.
Provides opportunity for creativity
In our world, problems often have more than one solution. Experiential learning activities enable the student 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 classroom as a whole and is one of the key benefits of experiential learning.
Provides opportunity for reflection
Reflective observation is an integral component of experiential learning theory and one of the prime benefits of experiential learning. By incorporating concrete experiences with abstract concepts and reflecting on the outcome, students engage more regions of their brains and make personal connections with the material. They analyze how their actions affected the outcome and how their outcome may have differed from those of other students. This analysis helps them better understand how the concepts they've learned can be applied to other circumstances.
Teaches the value of mistakes
Experiential learning activities involve trial by error, which is an important benefit of experiential learning. As students engage in hands-on tasks, they find that some approaches work better than others. They discard the methods that don't work, but the act of trying something and then abandoning it actually becomes a valuable part of the learning process. Students learn not to fear mistakes, but to benefit from, and remember, them.
Accelerates learning
As discussed in our article about "How the Brain Learns", the act of practicing a skill strengthens the neural connections in the brain, making us, in effect, "smarter." Hands-on experiential learning activities require practice, problem-solving, and decision-making. As student engagement increases through these processes, learning accelerates, and retention improves. This accelerated learning is a major benefit of experiential learning.
Guides students toward the future
Many experiential learning activities are career-oriented because they're grounded in real-world applications. Through these activities, students start to discover and develop their skills, aptitudes, and passions. This self-discovery, which is a significant benefit of experiential learning, sets them on a more defined path to what they want to pursue after graduation, including college and careers.
Prepares students for adult life
Most experiential learning activities are communal in nature, with students working in groups. Through these team projects, 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 adapt to changing circumstances. Preparing students for future success is one of the most impactful benefits of experiential learning.
With all of the ways experiential learning activities engage students' emotions while enhancing their knowledge and skills, who wouldn't want to implement experiential learning in their classroom to reap these benefits of experiential learning? Additionally, when students see the concrete fruits of their labor, they experience greater gratification and pride, enhancing their enthusiasm for continued learning.
Want more? These related articles provide additional teacher resources on the topic of Experiential Learning and its benefits:
Experiential Learning Activities for Your Classroom
Book Review: Experiential Learning: A Best Practice Handbook for Educators and Trainers
Experiential Learning Around the U.S. - Part 1 of Our New On-going Series
Editor's note: This is an updated version of an original article published in October of 2020.
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