Explore the definition, theory and applications for Experiential Learning Online.

1. Experiential Learning/Online
“I hear, I know, I see, I remember, I do, I understand.”
Confucius, China‟s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political
theorist.

2. Agenda

3. Definition
• Experiential learning is "knowledge, skills, and/or abilities attained
through
o observation, simulation, and/or participation,
o provides depth and meaning to learning,
o engages the mind and/or body through activity, reflection, and
application." (Craig 1997).
• Experiential learning can have an extremely broad or narrow definition
depending on what might be considered an "experience."
http://people.uleth.ca/~steve.craig/whatis.htm

4. Types: Experiential Learning
• Applied Study • Internship
• Apprenticeship • Mentoring
• Contract Learning • Practicum
• Cross-Cultural Study • Problem Based
Learning
Note: There are more than 50 classifications (types) of Experiential
Learning.

5. History
• Value of experience as a tool for creating knowledge and
human development was seen as early as the 4th century B.C.
• In the 20th Century, the work of John Dewey brought forth the
concept of learning through experience. This has been valued
as an important foundation for the formal education setting
(Dewey, 1938).
• In the 1910‟s, 20‟s, and 30‟s Dewey challenged educators to
create educational programs that did not isolate education
from experiences.
http://people.uleth.ca/~steve.craig/history.htm

6. History (contd)
• In the 60‟s and 70‟s psychologists, sociologists, and educators
believed in the value of experience.
• Among these are
Piaget, Chickering, Tumin, Bloom, Friere, Gardner, and Lewin.
• Most recently, David Kolb has been a proponent in support of
experiential learning stating that learning is a multi-dimensional
process (Kolb 1984).
http://people.uleth.ca/~steve.craig/history.htm

7. Learning Environment
• Experiential learning can take place in varied learning environments and
have varied learning objectives.
• Depending on the
o setting of the program,
o goals of the facilitator and participants,
o the situation in which they are involved,
o and the outcomes attained,
o an experiential learning program may fit all or some of either
employment, educational, personal development, or leisure based
scenarios.
• Ultimately it provides for affective and behavioral, as well as cognitive
learning.

8. Learning Theory
• "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“ (McKeachie 1963).
• "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).

9. Learning Theory (contd)
According to Dewey (1938) experience is a “Cycle of Trying.”
• Cycle of Trying: a problem has to be solved, one 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.
• This process results in a reconstruction of experience, a re-
codifying of habits, and an ongoing active questioning through
further experimentation.

10. Learning Cycles (sequencing)
• An 'experiential learning cycle' is a means of representing sequences in experiential
learning.
• „Experiential learning' is often used by providers of training or education to refer to a
structured learning sequence which is guided by a cyclical model of experiential
learning.
• It is often assumed that the stages of a 'learning cycle' are managed by a facilitator,
but they can also be self-managed or even 'unmanaged' in the sense that learning
from experience is a normal everyday process for most people.
• From a trainer's perspective, an experiential learning cycle is a 2, 3, 4 or 5 stage
learning sequence which encourages continuity from one experience to another.

12. Greenway‟s Learning Model
According to Greenaway (1995), an experiential learning cycle is "a structured
learning sequence which is guided by a cyclical model."
Note: the following model is based off Kolb‟s Learning Model.
• Act ===> do something--anything, in fact. Run a meeting, give a presentation, have a difficult
conversation.
• Reflect ===> look back on your experience and assess the results. Determine what
happened, what went well and what didn't.
• Conceptualize ===> make sense of your experience. Seek to understand why things turned
out as they did. Draw some conclusions and make some hypotheses.
• Apply ===> put those hypotheses to the test. Don't simply re-act. Instead, have a conscious
plan to do things differently to be more effective. And begin the cycle again.

13. Kolb‟s Learning Model
According to Kolb‟s (1984) Learning Model, learning, change, and growth are
best facilitated by an integrated process that begins with:
• Concrete Experience ===> the tangible qualities of the immediate experience and the grasping
of knowledge
• Reflective Observing ===> a Collection of data through observation and critical thought
regarding these experiences.
• Abstract Conceptualizing ===> the process of analyzing the data received and an internal
process of developing concepts and theory from the experience.
• Active Experimenting ===> a modification of behavior and knowledge occurs, while the
implications of future actions are considered. New Concepts in new situations

14. Factors that Shape Learning
Styles
• David Kolb (1971) developed the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) to assess
individual learning styles.
• While individuals tested on the LSI show many different patterns of scores,
research on the instrument has identified four statistically prevalent learning
styles
o Diverging,
o Assimilating,
o Converging, and
o Accommodating
http://www.edbatista.com/2007/10/experiential.html

15. Factors: Diverging Learning
Styles
The Diverging style‟s dominant learning abilities are
o Concrete Experience (CE) and Reflective Observation
(RO).
o People with this learning style are best at viewing concrete
situations from many different points of view.
o They prefer working in groups, listening with an open mind,
and receiving personalized feed back.
http://www.edbatista.com/2007/10/experiential.html

16. Factors: Assimilating Learning
Styles
The Assimilating style‟s dominant learning abilities are
o Abstract Conceptualization (AC) and Reflective Observation
(RO).
o People with this learning style are best at understanding a
wide range of information and arranging it into concise,
logical form.
o Individuals with an Assimilating style are less focused on
people and more interested in ideas and abstract concepts.

17. Factors: Converging Learning
Styles
The Converging style‟s dominant learning abilities are
o Abstract Conceptualization (AC) and Active Experimentation (AE).
o People with this learning style are best at finding practical uses for
ideas and theories.
o They have the ability to solve problems and make decisions based on
finding solutions to questions or problems.
o Individuals with a Converging learning style prefer to deal with technical
tasks and problems rather than with social issues and interpersonal
issues.

18. Factors: Accommodating Learning
Styles
The Accommodating style‟s dominant learning abilities are
o Concrete Experience (CE) and Active Experimentation (AE).
o People with this learning style have the ability to learn from
primarily “hand-on” experience.
o They enjoy carrying out plans and involving themselves in new
and challenging experiences.
http://www.edbatista.com/2007/10/experiential.html

19. Experiential Learning Models and
Styles
• A closer examination of the Experiential Learning model suggests that
learning requires abilities that are polar opposites,
• and the learner must continually choose which set of learning abilities is to
be used in specific learning situations.
• We resolve the conflict between concrete vs. abstract, and between active
vs. reflective in some patterned, characteristic ways.
• We call these patterned ways “learning styles.”
http://www.edbatista.com/2007/10/experiential.html

20. Experiential Learning Models and Styles
(contd)
• In grasping experience some of us perceive new information through
experiencing the concrete, tangible, felt qualities of the world, relying
on our senses and immersing ourselves in concrete reality.
• Others tend to perceive, grasp, or take hold of new information through
symbolic representation or abstract conceptualization – thinking about,
analyzing, or systematically planning, rather than using sensation as a
guide.
• Similarly, in transforming or processing experience some of us tend to
carefully watch others who are involved in the experience and reflect
on what happens, while others choose to jump right in and start doing
things.

21. Conclusion
• In the emerging, networked world of information-based economies, learning is
becoming more important than productivity in determining a person's 28 or an
organization's adaptation, survival, and growth (Kelly, 1999).
• Increasingly complex and service-oriented jobs demand flexibility as a requirement
for success.
• We believe that Experiential Learning Theory helps us to understand learning and
flexibility at a deeper and yet more comprehensive level than previously.
• It also provides guidance for applications to helping people improve their learning
and designing better processes in education and development.
• For those with an interest in learning organizations, it provides a theory and
assessment methods for the inclusion of the study of individual differences while
addressing learning at many levels in organizations and society.

22. References
Craig, S. (1997). What is experiential learning? Unpublished manuscript University of Lethbridge, UK.
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Fergus, I., Craik, & Tulving, E. (1975). Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory. Journal of
Experimental Psychology 104(3) 268-294.
Greenway, R. (1995). Powerful learning experiences in management learning and development. Doctoral Thesis. University of
Lancaster, UK. Centre for the Study of Management Learning.
Kelly, K. (1999). New rules for a new economy: 10 radical strategies for a connected world. New York: Viking Press.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall.
Kolb, D. A., Rubin, I. M., & McIntyre, J. (Eds., 1971). Organizational psychology: An experiential approach. Englewood
Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
McKeachie, W. J. (1963). Research on teaching at the college and university level. In N. L. Gage (Ed.), Handbook of
Research on Teaching. Chicago, Ill: Rand McNally.