The experience has always been
the best teacher, and the knowledge gained through experience is superior to
most of the other types of learning. Learning through experience is a part of
human nature, and every single individual applies this learning style, long
before the self awareness and self conscious starts to develop.
Theoretical knowledge is a great
base for gaining and adopting new skills, but listening and reading are simply
not enough. Doing things, repeating them over and over, while changing the
conditions and/or surroundings, is necessary for self development. Learning
should be an adventure, because the brain requires excitement and stimulation,
in order to accumulate, grow, and transform the theoretical knowledge into
practical and concrete actions. Resolving the problems for which we don’t have
the theoretical knowledge, push us to our limits, and force us to use all the
skills and knowledge we have about other topics. Only when we reach our limits,
we will be able to discover what skills we don’t have or have to improve, and
what else do we have to learn.
What is Experiential Learning?
Experiential learning is a way of
improving existing and gaining new skills and knowledge, based on individual
experience. Experiential learning supports the active participation of each
individual, as a way of personal and career development. If the experience is
interactive, emotional, and challenging, it will enforce the further learning
process. Physical presence is not enough, and the individuals who are not
completely involved in the experience, will not gain any valuable knowledge.
Therefore, the experiential learning requires thoughtful participation and involvement.
Experiential learning theory
(ELT) has been developed by the American psychologist David Kolb and published
in the late 1970s. Kolb defined learning as “the process whereby knowledge is
created through the transformation of experience”. Based on the experiential
learning theory, our failures and mistakes are the results of our incapability
to learn from the experience.
Experiential learning is
especially important for career development and can be implemented as a part of
the training for new and/or current employees. Sessions can be organized as
individual or group activities, where participants can learn and improve
different skills, new techniques, competencies, and knowledge. The essence of
experiential learning is not only the EXPERIENCE that happened, but also the
answer to HOW DO WE USE that experience.
Experiential learning has 3 critical moments:
1 – The individual will become
aware of the skills that have to be improved/gained, only when the problem
(which has to be resolved) appears
2 – Individual will be willing to
learn more only in case of a need for a new knowledge
3 – The experience gained through
the process problem solving is more useful than the information on how to solve
problem.
What are the cycles of Experiential Learning?
The process of experiential
learning has the following stages:
1. Experience
Learning starts when an
individual faces concrete experience and focuses on its understanding. The
process of understanding the specific experience begins with observation,
sense, and/or reaction. Experience can be an activity like mountaineering,
hiking, but also a team building and creative workshop. When an individual is
involved in a certain activity, the individual participates in the experience
at the same time.
2. Reflection on experience
Reflection is an essential part
of the learning process and implies the collection of information about the
experience an individual had. By answering the questions like “what has been
done” or “what has been observed”, a person emotionally starts to connect with
the previous experience. Without the emotional connection, the activity can't
be transformed into a concrete experience, and further, into the usable
knowledge.
3. Conceptualization
After reflecting on the
experience, individuals are making specific conclusions, on a personal level.
They become aware of the difference before and after the experience. It is
completely up to an individual to decide how to use gained knowledge in daily
activates.
4. Planning and experimentation
Introducing new skills and
knowledge in future activities, projects, and life, in general, is the final
step. This type of learning represents a model of active learn, and benefits
not only the individual, but also its community and company. Again, it is
completely up to an individual to decide how to use it.
Conclusion