Experiential learning is the practice of learning through doing. It encourages the student to have first-hand experiences with the materials, rather than learning through someone else’s experiences in textbook or lecture. It’s a learning style that has been studied thoroughly for decades, and one that is proven to be beneficial for all ages of students.
The main steps of experiential learning are: experiencing, observing, analyzing, and experimenting. Enquiry based learning helps students to:
- Develop skills in problem-solving and critical thinking
- Learn through involvement with the material, rather than by memorizing a set of facts.
- Recognize patterns and apply knowledge to a wide variety of situations instead of just how it pertains to the current lesson.
- Make independent decisions based on their knowledge of a subject.
