Experiential Learning

Experiential learning can also be described as learning by doing, learning through experience, and learning through discovery and exploration. It also allows learners to deepen their understanding of any task while nurturing their knowledge in safe environments. First learners will explore, watch, or read about something and then actively participate in an extensive investigation (a lab, simulation, exploration, etc.). Then learners will reflect on the experience and share their observation and knowledge only after actively engaging in the learning experience by doing and practice the task.

We can identify steps for experiential learning:

• Concrete experience as learners gains substantial expertise by participating in a complex task or activity that set in a deep context.

• Reflection on their work as learning by doing helps learners do abstract conceptualization and gain better observations into their work.

• Active Experimentation as learners develops enthusiasm to experiment with their findings/hypothesis in their daily lives after completing the task or activity.

• Repetition as the learners will keep repeating the doing part as needed.

The experiential learning methodology is highly effective in facilitating personalised learning.

One of the viral methods in applying experiential learning is "Flipping classroom." It has transformed teaching practice as teachers are no longer stand in front of the students for some time teaching and giving instructions.

Teachers no longer stand in front of students and talk at them for thirty to sixty minutes. This progressive change has allowed them to take on a different role with students. The teacher becomes a guide by the side and more facilitating the lesson than giving the instruction.

Teaching my daughter how to ride a bicycle:

When my daughter was six years old, she wanted to learn how to ride a bike. I made her watch a video (explore) on how to ride a bike. Then we went out on the road, and she watched (observed) how her dad was driving the bike. Next, she asked her dad some clarifying questions (reflect). She watched him biking again, and then she decided to try it (applying knowledge). We repeated these steps until she was able to keep her balance well and felt confident about herself then started to bike.