Studies have revealed and we all have experienced that students retain the information they learn through doing some practical activity. This process of gaining knowledge by experience is termed experiential learning. It involves both self-assessments as well as self-initiative. It incorporates hands-on activities and benefits both teachers and students. Ignitepad truly believes that the concept is rightly equivalent to the fact that you don’t learn the trade unless you burn your hands or a kid does not learn to walk without falling once in a while. Real knowledge is gained during the failures. Books seldom teach one about the drawbacks, pains, and disadvantages. These negatives are understood better when a child steps out to test the waters. Sketching is also one of those activities that get perfect with practice.
Experiential learning is more attuned to the real world. It provides the option of sorting out subjects that students deem irrelevant to the real world. Picking information from the theory and concepts, the experiential method of learning applies the same to a game, activity, or experiment to explain the outcome to the students. Seeing is believing! Experiencing is real learning! Ignitepad offers online music classes for kids
.
Another aspect of experiential learning is that it is also based on the perception of each student. Every student has a different way of doing things, hence their results will also be different or dissimilar. They may perceive things differently. This will lead to the conclusion that there are many ways of doing the same thing and that there can be different outcomes to the same action/activity. This makes the world more creative and accepting. This concept also forms the basis of Ignitepad’s Python classes
.
Students also learn to accept the difference of opinion as they know that the same fact can be perceived differently by different people depending on their personal experiences. Experiential learning emulates the real wide world and different experiences we may have in society at large.
Experiential learning must be part of the main curriculum as it has many benefits for students.
Creativity
Experiential learning enables students to engage in a creative way of carrying out a task creating room for self-exploration and experimentation. This hones the creative skills of students. They use their brain to find solutions to the problem/activity at hand.
Mistakes
As the name suggests experiential learning is all about trial by error. Students are allowed to experiment and make mistakes. The hands-on activity that they engage in, makes them understand that some methods of doing work give a better outcome than others. They are given the choice of discarding those that don’t give favorable results. Trying and making mistakes become part and parcel of their learning and they start taking failures in their strides. They learn from them and move on.
Reflection
Once the activity is over in an experiential method of learning, students reflect on their process of doing it and observe the steps to evaluate the outcome. By doing the same they learn to improvise an activity or a task. The skills of self-analysis and improvisation come in handy in their real-life experiences too.
Quick learning
Student engagement is more in the experiential method of learning. More engagement means enhanced focus and quick learning. Hands-on activities that the students engage themselves in need consistency, problem-solving, practice, as well as decision-making. This improves their capability to retain information for long.
Preparation
Experiential learning generally makes students do activities in groups. Students learn to perform effectively as a team. They develop together a plan and utilize the unique talent of each member. Students learn to do critical analysis and learn to lead. They also imbibe the skill to adapt well to changing situations. This prepares them for adult life.
Better future
Most projects in experiential learning are real-life inspired and career-oriented. All these projects aim at developing aptitude, life skills, and passion in learners. The self-discovery mode that they work on, in this method, puts them on the right track which is more defined and clear in terms of what they prefer pursuing after they complete their education. They get clarity on things to pursue later for a better future.
It is always gratifying to witness the fruit of labor. Students experience this fact early on in life, making them enthusiastic and confident about learning and implementing the lessons in their real life.
Also, Read:
The importance of co-curricular activities in the growth of a child