6 Reasons to Utilize Experiential Learning in the Classroom

In 1996, a survey was conducted by McCall, Lombardo & Eichinger at the Centre for Creative Leadership, USA. The survey asked 200 executives how they believed they learned. The outcome of this survey is known as the 70:20:10 model. All organizations and businesses have widely used this model to boost organizational learning and develop new learning methods.

This model has been revolutionary when it comes to learning and development. The model states that 70% of knowledge comes from challenging, hands-on assignments or work-based learning, 20% from developmental relationships where employees learn from their peers and mentors, and the final 10% comes from traditional coursework and training in an educational setting.

While the model has received criticism, in reality, it has changed the approach to learning and development. This method cannot just be employed to boost learning at a workplace but can also be used in educational institutes to modernize teaching methods. Rote and didactic learning style has always dominated traditional schooling. Teachers were expected to come into the classroom and deliver the lesson to the students. The lectures were solely focused on teaching without any engagement or participation, and the learning outcomes were assessed periodically like written tests or exams.

The 70:20:10 learning model showed an entirely different approach to education than the didactic style. And this is what educators are aiming to do now.

Teachers are encouraged to adopt ways to make their classes more interactive and engaging, to make children study to learn and not just study for grades. Many universities are now offering Master of Science in Education and Leadership online as well as on-campus, amongst many other degrees and certifications in education for teachers. These degrees focus on curriculum design, research-based teaching strategies, and strategies to keep students motivated and engaged throughout lessons.

What is Experiential Learning?

One of the strategies teachers are taught now is to utilize experiential learning in classrooms. This type of learning involves teaching through experience. Through this method, the ‘doers’ usually get their hands dirty and actively experiment. This helps them grasp concepts better as they use their 5 senses to understand the process and the outcomes better. On the other hand, the ‘watchers’ observe others and learn based on what they see. They use reflective observation and relate it to their past experiences and concepts for better understanding.

The method is learner-centric and the students are expected to demonstrate the concepts and theories physically in a safe, monitored environment to relearn from their experience. Researches prove that the retention rate from experiential learning is over 90%.

In this article, we’ve listed down some proven benefits that can intrigue any teacher, like you, to change your teaching strategy and employ experiential learning to yield better results in class. 

Benefits of Experiential Learning:

Mirrored reality helps in grasping concepts

In an experiential learning exercise, students solve a real problem, which is exactly like the challenges in real life. In real-time, learners test their understanding of the theories they’ve studied in their textbooks and observe the results to strengthen their concepts even more. Teachers should give students chances to redo if they are unable to achieve the desired results. This direct interaction with the concepts helps students retain knowledge more.

Creative Outcomes

There can be many different outcomes to a challenge. By letting students be curious and creative, you can let them experiment and seek their own distinctive solutions. By repetition and discovering new solutions, students can put 2 and 2 together much better and can identify what particular action of theirs affected the challenge in what way and how.

Learning from mistakes

A mistake is never invaluable. In fact, the best teacher is a mistake! In experiential learning, students experience that some actions can have undesirable outcomes or that some approaches show better results than others. By learning, unlearning and relearning, students are able to revisit the concepts and their actions by observing their mistakes and then avoiding them in the future.

Encourages Teamwork and Communication Skills

In schools, experiential learning is usually done in pairs or groups. Effective coordination and communication is the key to successful teamwork. Teaming up students allows them to develop the patience to listen to others’ opinions. It also helps them sharpen their communication skills and express their thought processes to their team.

Some students show leadership qualities when working in teams, while some become followers because of their shy nature. As a teacher, you can observe this and help boost shy students’ confidence. These skills can benefit students in their future careers greatly.

Feedback

As a teacher, you should constantly observe students and give them feedback and constructive opinions when needed. Every session should be planned in a way that general instructions are provided in the beginning. After, the students should be given enough freedom to experiment and learn. Once done, detailed feedback should be given so that students can figure out where they went wrong or what to avoid next time.

Boosts eagerness

Active engagement of students makes them eager to learn. Engaging students in activities where they’re given authority and responsibility has proven to make them want to learn more. If you make it a little competitive or promise some reward, the eagerness reaches new heights.

Involving students in activities, especially something physical, wakes their sleepy minds and improves their attention span. What they learn in a hyper-competitive environment is easily retained.

Conclusion

The millennial generation has seen massive advancements in technology, making them accustomed to excessive stimulation.

Reading textbooks or long research papers seems boring to them. They are used to flashy screens, informative images and short videos packed up with all the information they need. This is why the education sector is also using modern methods and technology in classrooms so that the students do not lose interest and stay attentive throughout the lesson.

Experiential learning opens newer opportunities for students to learn from other than through reading textbooks. Learning through experiences teaches them concepts and valuable life lessons and skills that can go a long way with them.