Learning the Experiential Way

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Learning the Experiential Way

• Heads-On, Hands-On
• The Power of Experiential Learning

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Performance Outcomes for this program

• Upon completing this training, learners will be
  able to
• Name and define the steps in an experiential
  learning cycle.
• Correctly match a series of typical questions to
  the appropriate step of the experiential learning
  cycle
• Distinguish between content and its related skill
  set

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• Describe how a particular body of content (with
  which they are familiar) can be presented in a
  series of experiential learning cycles
• Express willingness and confidence in personally
  using experiential learning methodology with
  youth
• Describe how an experiential learning cycle
  differs for K through 3rd, 4th through 6th, 7th
  through 9th, and 10th through 12th grade
  audiences.

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Kolbs Experiential Learning Model
Experience The activity, perform it
Do
Share The results, reactions, observations
publicly
Apply What was learned to a similar or different
situation practice
Reflect
Apply
Process By discussing, looking at the experience,
analyze, reflect
Generalize To connect the experience to the
real-world examples
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DoExperience (Doing)

• The leader describes the activity before telling
  or showing how to do it. Encourage youth to ask
  questions such as, What do you expect to see?
  The facilitator or teacher is focusing the
  learners attention or setting the stage for the
  learning experience.
• The youth experience the activity, or Do it.
  Except for basic instructions, the youth do
  before being told or shown how.
• Doing questions How is it working? What else
  might your try? What might make it easier?

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ReflectSharing and Processing

• Share what happened
• The leader develops questions that they will ask
  the students about their experience and their
  reaction to it
• Youth share the results, reactions, and
  observations publicly.
• Sharing questions What did you do? What
  happened? What was the most difficult? What was
  the easiest?

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ReflectSharing and Processing

• Leader develops questions that will ask about
  something the learners considered important
• The youth will process by discussing, looking at
  the experience, analyzing, reflecting
• Processing questions What problems or issues
  seemed to occur over and over? What similar
  experiences have you had? How did you feel when.
  . . .?

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ApplyGeneralize and Apply

• Generalize is the So What
• Leaders will develop questions that will ask
  students how the experience related to their own
  lives.
• Youth generalize to connect the experience to
  real-world examples. These prompt the learners
  to consider how what was learned can be used in
  other situations

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• Generalizing questions What did you learn about
  yourself through this activity? What did you
  learn about (the life skill, i.e., making
  decisions)? How does this activity relate to real
  life and not just to this activity? How did you
  go about deciding what to do?

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ApplyGeneralize and Apply

• Apply is the Now What
• The leader develops questions that ask the
  students how they could use what they learned in
  similar or different situations.
• The youth apply what was learned and practice.
• Applying questions What is another situation in
  which this skill can be used? How will the
  issues raised by this activity be useful in the
  future? How will you act differently in the
  future as a result of this activity?

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Skills needed by facilitators of Experiential
Learning

• Focusget the attention of the group
• Observationpay attention not only to what the
  youth are doing but also to how they are doing it
• Questioningeach step of the model calls for
  different types of questions
• Support and Feedbackit is important to interact
  positively and believably with the learners
• Debriefing make sure that all the important
  opportunities for learning are pursued.

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• Dotty M. Burrows
• Extension Educator
• 4-H Youth Development
• Carroll County