Experiential Learning

This entire blog post is taken from the article, "Adult Learning" by Julie Conlan, Sarah Grabowski, and Katie Smith.  

Experiential Learning

"Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand." Confucius, circa 450 BC

Experiential learning is a learning theory that is learner-centered and operates on the premise that individuals learn best by experience. A good way to describe this theory is "learning by doing". Experiential learning thus has the learner directly involved with the material being studied instead of just thinking and talking about that material.

Experiential learning:

• Is a cyclic process involving setting goals, thinking, planning, experimenting and making decisions, and finally action, followed by observing, reflecting and reviewing
• Uses participants' own experience and their own reflection about that experience, rather than lecture as the primary approach to learning. Experiential learning theory allows for the generation of understanding and allows for the transfer of skills and knowledge.
• Involves doing something and discovering what it is like, how it made the learner feel, what it meant to the learner, i.e. experiential learning is their experience and no one else's.
• Is, therefore, particularly effective in adult education as it addresses the cognitive, emotional and the physical aspect of the learner

Case Study: A group of oncology nurses is participating in a three day in-service training course. The nurses' training sessions were conducted using the experiential learning theory. The nurses were each presented with a real-life scenario involving a challenge that an oncology nurse might face. The problem is presented to them in a real-life simulation. Once the challenge has been laid out for them each nurse must search out resources for information that might help them deal with the particular situation. Once each nurse has done the research to his/her satisfaction he/she must then face the scenario and deal with the challenge as effectively as he/she can. When each nurse has completed the scenario, the group comes back together for a group discussion about what methods worked and what methods did not work. The nurses then evaluate themselves on the effectiveness of their research as well as the effectiveness of the implementation of the research. On the final day of the in-service each nurse is given the chance to face the challenge again after the discussion and reflection.

Advantages/Strengths:

• Experiential learning theory builds on experience. This is especially important in adult learning because simply by living, adults bring a wealth of experience to every learning situtation they face.
• Experiential learning theory is a holistic learning approach
• Experiential learning theory is most effective when the learning has intrinsic motivation which is a common characteristic in adult learning

Disadvantages/Weaknesses:

• Experiential learning theory does not take into account differences in cultural experiences or conditions
• It is less clear where elements of learning such as goals, purpose and intentions fit into experiential learning theory
• It may not help us understand and explain change and new experiences

Reference

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult Learning.  In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, and Technology.  Retrieved from: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning