Often students learn best by trying things for themselves and experiencing it for themselves. Klob stated, “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience”, this lead to his development of the learning cycle with four phases; the cycle is continuous and unending. Students can enter the cycle at any of the four phases, which include active experimentation, concert experience, reflective observation and abstract conceptualization. The advantage of this model is that the student can choose where to enter the cycle and spend as much time in each phase as possible. Students develop different skills at each phase of the process of learning, they need time to reflect and draw connections to and from the experiences, and they are to be learning from. They also need time to examine information about the concepts that they are learning about] .
(McLeod, 2010 updated 2013)
“The conditions needed to ensure that experiential learning is effective have been identified by the Association for Experiential Education:
§ Experiential learning occurs when carefully chosen experiences are supported by reflection, critical analysis and synthesis.
§ Experiences are structured to require the student to take initiative, make decisions and be accountable for results.
§ Throughout the experiential learning process, the student is actively engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative and constructing meaning.
§ Students are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully and/or physically. This involvement produces a perception that the learning task is authentic.
§ The results of the learning are personal and form the basis for future experience and learning.
§ Relationships are developed and nurtured: student to self, student to others and student to the world at large.
§ The instructor and student may experience success, failure, adventure, risk-taking and uncertainty, because the outcomes of the experience cannot totally be predicted.
§ Opportunities are nurtured for students and instructors to explore and examine their own values.
§ The instructor’s primary roles include setting suitable experiences, posing problems, setting boundaries, supporting students, insuring physical and emotional safety, and facilitating the learning process.
§ The instructor recognizes and encourages spontaneous opportunities for learning.
§ Instructors strive to be aware of their biases, judgments and pre-conceptions, and how these influence the student.
§ The design of the learning experience includes the possibility to learn from natural consequences, mistakes and successes. “ (University of Waterloo, 2013)
(McLeod, 2010 updated 2013)
“The conditions needed to ensure that experiential learning is effective have been identified by the Association for Experiential Education:
§ Experiential learning occurs when carefully chosen experiences are supported by reflection, critical analysis and synthesis.
§ Experiences are structured to require the student to take initiative, make decisions and be accountable for results.
§ Throughout the experiential learning process, the student is actively engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative and constructing meaning.
§ Students are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully and/or physically. This involvement produces a perception that the learning task is authentic.
§ The results of the learning are personal and form the basis for future experience and learning.
§ Relationships are developed and nurtured: student to self, student to others and student to the world at large.
§ The instructor and student may experience success, failure, adventure, risk-taking and uncertainty, because the outcomes of the experience cannot totally be predicted.
§ Opportunities are nurtured for students and instructors to explore and examine their own values.
§ The instructor’s primary roles include setting suitable experiences, posing problems, setting boundaries, supporting students, insuring physical and emotional safety, and facilitating the learning process.
§ The instructor recognizes and encourages spontaneous opportunities for learning.
§ Instructors strive to be aware of their biases, judgments and pre-conceptions, and how these influence the student.
§ The design of the learning experience includes the possibility to learn from natural consequences, mistakes and successes. “ (University of Waterloo, 2013)