Experiential Learning

"Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand”

Confucius

What is Experiential Learning?

Experiential learning focuses on learning for the individual. As an example imagine
explaining how a software tool works by describing it as opposed to allowing the learner to
use the tool to acquire first-hand experience. Similarly for soft skills training, Experiential
Learning means placing the learner in a relevant context, roleplaying a particular situation
or going through a difficult conversation while understanding what works and what doesn’t.
This is in contrast with simply being told what to do when you find yourself in a particular
situation.

Why Experiential Learning matters?

Experiential Learning encourages an individual to use his own initiative when learning,
become curious about various methods, find out what works for him best and finally
evaluate his own performance as he goes through the experience. Because the learner is
encouraged to get involved in the subject matter rather than passively consuming
information, he is more likely to learn and retain that learning experience in the future.

What is the difference between Experiential Learning

and traditional classroom techniques?
Traditional classroom techniques are mainly lecture driven with large number of learners
present in the class. The learners are effectively expected to listen and understand.
Numerous studies show that there can be several problems with this method:

 The learning experience is slow. The trainer may have to cover a topic several times
before it is fully understood.
 The traditional lecturing method puts more pressure on the trainer than the learner.
The trainer does most of the work, most of the talking and most of the thinking,
while the learner passively listens. Many studies show that human attention span is
much smaller than the duration of a typical class. Leaners are likely to drift, day
dream, fall behind or simply loose interest in the topic. This is the opposite of what
we desire.
 The information exchange is one-directional from a trainer to learners. Learners are
not encouraged to learn from each other and the trainer does not have an
opportunity to understand where learners struggle or where they need most training.
 Learners are treated the same way irrespective of their learning styles and
capabilities.
What does Experiential Learning mean to you as a
trainer?
To be an effective trainer, you must create an immersive environment for your learners.
This allows your learners to gain knowledge from you, from other learners and the
environment you have created for them. This accelerates learning and makes it much more
personal. Your aim is to get them excited and enthusiastic about the topic so that they get
hooked on the experience.

Many techniques are used to enhance the learning environment and engage the leaners. For
soft skills courses, some examples are given below:

 Allow learners to explore the subject in their own time

 Use role plays with heavy emphasis on conversational techniques to help learners
improve their communication skills across the board
 Create novel exercises that appeal to all the senses. This makes the experience more
memorable and hence more useful in the future
 Get the learners to get off their chairs and use all their senses, interact with the
subject matter, role play with others in real-world scenario and interact with props.
 Reduce monotone lecturing and replace it with materials that constantly force
learners to think and evaluate their current knowledge.
 Encourage problem solving rather than passive listening
 Praise learners for their achievements so they are encouraged to put more effort into
learning the skills.
David Kolb’s Model of Experiential Learning