WHAT IS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING?
Introduction
Students and employers in recent years have embraced development that
will allow the learner to attain the practical skills that are necessary
to perform in the workplace. Students wish to take on tasks featuring significant
experiences with real outcomes that create concrete learning achievements
through participation and reflection. This is what experiential learning
is all about.
Although we are in the process of researching every aspect of experiential
learning, our main focus, and reason for taking on this endeavor, is based
on the desire to develop links between theory and practice, as well as,
education and the workforce.
Experiential learning can have an extremely broad or narrow definition
depending on what might be considered an "experience". If you study the
broad spectrum you will find that a simple definition of learning by doing,
or learning through direct contact with te subject matter, is not at all
adequate. In order to understand the full scope of experiential learning
we have developed a definition that meets the broader requirements.
Definition
Experiential learning is "knowledge, skills, and/or abilities attained
through observation, simulation, and/or participation that provides depth
and meaning to learning by engaging the mind and/or body through activity,
reflection, and application." (Craig 1997).
Ultimately it provides for affective and behavioural, as well as cognitive
learning. Whether it can be in the classroom, field of occupation, or the
great outdoors, experiential learning is a less abstract learning tool
that allows the participant to test theory while demanding that the learner
articulate their own questions and seek their own answers.
Theory
Experiential learning can take place in many
different settings and have many objectives. The more than fifty
forms of experiential learning researched can be found in every setting
from the classroom to a mountain top in Tibet. Depending on the setting
of the program, goals of the facilitator and participator, the situation
in which they are involved, and the outcomes attained, an experientail
learning program may fit all or some of either employment, educational,
personal development, or leisure based scenarios.
John Dewey
concluded that "all genuine education comes about through experience, this
does not mean that all experiences are genuinely or equally educative."
(1938:25). Although sometimes using different terms, those involved with
experiential learning agree with Dewey's theory that both continuity, which
is the ability of the experience to foster growth and development while
providing for future experiences and interaction, an exchange between the
internal or subjective elements of the experience (the participant) with
the external or objective aspects (the environment) are necessary for a
educative experience.
Academic theory is however in no way left out of the experiential learning
philosophy. Some literature, and experiential learning models, may, inadvertently
or not, fail to mention a need for theory. However, it is the base, if
possible, on which a quality experience should begin. It is not going to
be present prior to all experiences and is not crucial for every successful
experience but it does however give the learner a better understanding
of what to pursue and how to pursue it, as well as something to compare
the experience to. Friere possibly summed this up best in his philosophy
of assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation being the process of incorporating
new experiences with prior knowledge and accommodation, the process of
prior knowledge being altered by the new experience.
With the need for theory explained, it is important to understand why experience is an important aspect of learning. "Students who use information they are trying to learn, who challenge and grapple with their new knowledge, or who use it to solve problems, tend to learn more effectively than students who passively read, memorize, or merely absorb that to which they have been exposed." W.J. McKeachie (1963:1118). "Recent research on memory has shifted in attention from the material to be learned to the mental activities of the learner - learners remember not what they encounter while learning so much as what they do while learning." Fergus, Craik, & Tulving (1975:268-294). These quotes serve to affirm the need for experience as a melding tool in the acquisition of knowledge. Without it, knowledge may be acquired but the learner may never have the ability to truly understand the theory without an experience to use as a testing ground.
Dewey felt experience was a cycle of trying. One senses a concern, gets an idea, tries it out in an arena of applicability, undergoes or experiences the consequences, and confirms or reinterprets theory in the light of those consequences. In the best case, this process results in a reconstruction of experience, a re-codifying of habits, and an ongoing active questioning through further experimentation.
There are many models that discuss the theory
of experiential learning but perhaps the most recognized is that of David
Kolb. According to Kolb's experiential learning model;
learning, change, and growth are best facilitated by an integrated process
that begins with: 1)a concrete experience - the tangible qualities of the
immediate experience and the grasping of the knowledge that takes place.
2)reflective observation - a collection of data through observation and
critical thought regarding the experience. 3)abstract conceptualization
- the process of analyzing the data received and the internal process of
developing concepts and theory from the experience. 4)active experimentation
- a modification of behaviour and knowledge occurs, while the implications
of the future are considered. The completion of this cycle puts into practice
the concepts and theories that have been developed through the reflection
and conceptualization processes which in turn should create an environment
for future experiences.
Essential Elements of Successful Experiential Learning:
Experiential
Learning and Cooperative Education
The educational goal of colleges and universities is preparation for
professional life. With the use of such experiential learning programs
as cooperative education, a university offers the ultimate test of a students
learning, their ability to transfer, apply, and use the knowledge they
have gained. The student is no longer simply an educated person, he is
an educated person that has the skill to function, perform, and make decisions
in the workplace. The ultimate benefit comes as the acquisition of the
specific abilities necessary to perform coupled with the improvement of
skills in planning, goal setting, decision making, interpersonal communication,
and problem solving. This greatly improves the student's chances of gaining
quality employment upon graduation.
Wilson & Heiemann (1991) identified the three learning objectives
of work-experience programs such as cooperative education:
1) Academic Objectives - relating theory to practice and strengthening
and developing such cognitive skills as problem solving, decision making,
critical thinking, application, analysis, and synthesis.
2) Career Objectives - determining and testing career options,
developing job acquisition skills, developing career planning skills, and
understanding the world of work.
3) Personal Growth Objectives - developing self-confidence,
self-understanding, communications skills, personal and ethical values,
social interaction skills, and a sense of professionalism.
Without such programs as cooperative education, graduates may feel ill-prepared to set objectives for themselves or measure their development and performance in a work environment. A traditional education may present objectives for students in the form of tests and papers, but ignore the workplace measurements of time, cost, and consequence. This is what can result in a case of "reality shock" which occurs in a number of graduates who are not properly prepared for the professional world.
Programs such as this also create motivation in the classroom by rendering the subject matter more relevant. When a student understands and appreciates the practical application of theory they will also appreciate more the need for theory as a basis for practice. A study done the University of Waterloo in 1989 came to the conclusion that co-op grads came to view their education as more relevant and important to their careers while having more instrumental reasons for attending university.
The benefits to cooperative education don't end there. Due to cutbacks in many areas of formal training, particularly in entry-level positions, employers are motivated to hire those with experience. Employers also see experiences as providing more than job skills. In their eyes, cooperative education increases the chances that a person is punctual, stable, responsible, and possesses the qualities associated with productive employees.
The following are the advantages to an "experiential" co-operative education: