Experiential Learning: Hands-On Benefits
Experiential learning roughly means “learning by doing” or more specifically learning that involves a direct experience, focused reflection on that experience and application of newly learned skill to new situations. However, to us experiential learning means making learning fun and interesting through unique and immersive experiences!
Experiential learning is an invaluable tool for many reasons, but here are just a few:
Enhance Curriculum and Retention: By utilizing an experience, rather than traditional teaching methods like texts and worksheets, students are better able to grasp and retain concepts. “Learning by doing” allows students to immerse and see themselves in the content, creating more reflection and recollection after the experience. Hands-on and tactile interactives like touchscreens and tables, virtual reality and more allow students to interact firsthand with the subject matter, leading to more overall comprehension.
Increase Engagement: Experiential learning offers the opportunity to make learning fun! Through interactives, technology, activities and even games, a fully immersive experiential environment can help students better connect with the material by making it enjoyable. They might not even realize they’re learning the subject matter as they will be more focused on the experience, however this memorable connection will better help them apply what they’ve learned later.
Spark Interest: While learning about various topics in the classroom or through traditional teaching methods can help students discover their passions and future goals, it pales in comparison to learning in a real world setting or through hands-on, immersive experiences. Experiential learning can feature interactives that mimic real-world applications or focus heavily on certain vocational career paths, making it a vital part of helping students discover new areas of interest.
