Incorporating Experiential Learning Techniques

   Incorporating Experiential Learning Techniques

Dakota Nicley

Ball State University

Dakota N.

Commented On: Group 3: Narrative Learning - Delana Noil

  

Literature Review

Experiential learning is rudimentarily based on the theories of many educational philosophers of the 20^th century such as John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, Jean Piaget, etc. They championed the integration of experience and reflection into education to foster active learners in the classroom (Girvan, Conneely, and Tangney, 2016; Kolb and Kolb, 2005). In the field of education, there has been a call for a greater commitment to learners as they develop 21^st century skills (Girvan, Conneely, and Tangney, 2016; Hawtry, 2007; Kolb and Kolb, 2005; Munoz, Miller, and Poole, 2016), and experiential learning achieves this through personally involving adult learners in an active role in the learning process. This method of learning has established success in professional development, and across a wide range of secondary and post-secondary educational programs including adult education, business, engineering, STEM, career and technical education, and so on (Broussard and Teng, 2019; Girvan, Conneely, and Tangney, 2016; Hajshirmohammadi, 2017, Kolb and Kolb, 2005; Piercy, 2013).

As suggested by Hawtry (2007), experiential learning is characterized by the integration of participatory learning opportunities that actively engage adult learners in their education. Some examples of experiential learning can include apprenticeships, internships, assistantships, role-playing, simulations, conferences and other scholarly presentations, fieldwork, workshops, volunteering, and studying abroad (Piercy, 2013; UT, 2019). This learning theory has become an important component in student-centered teaching strategies because it allows adult learners to foster connections between content and experience through real-world observation, active participation, abstraction, application, and reflection (Hajshirmohammadi, 2017, Kolb and Kolb, 2005; Piercy, 2013). In this learning model, knowledge is constructed through the transformation of experience (Kolb and Kolb, 2005; Piercy, 2013). Experiential learning aims to engage the adult with the material, connect it in a way that fosters an enjoyable experience in the learning process, and allow for reflection to facilitate motivation and better learning outcomes (Girvan, Conneely, and Tangney, 2016; Hawtry, 2007; Kolb and Kolb, 2005; Piercy, 2013).

This requires facilitators to create opportunities for adult learners to use their own problem-solving heuristics to solve problems. As echoed in the literature, experience comes through action, reflection on that action and experience, evaluation of the new information, and further actions as a response to reflection (Girvan, Conneely, and Tangney, 2016). Experience in this type of learning environment may be harder for some than others, which is a drawback of experiential learning as some students can be resistant to this model and more open to responding to traditional methods. On the other hand, as suggested by Hawtry (2007), experiential learning can improve student engagement, student performance, and student satisfaction. This can open the door for lifelong learning, where the individual can consistently draw upon prior knowledge and experience outside of the classroom.

Theme: Experiential Learning in Adult Professional Development

Professional development is the personal process of developing one’s competence, skill, and knowledge through training to accommodate old ideas with new ideas and improve the quality of one’s performance.  Experiential learning in professional development can be particularly effective because an individual can tap into their past experiences and connect them to new ideas (Girvan, Conneely, and Tangney, 2016). Sharing experiences is already ingrained into many development conferences. Keynote speakers and presenters will incorporate reflection and experience in their presentation to connect to the audience. Additionally, educators who go to a professional development conference may be exposed to new technology and teaching approaches that they were previously not aware of. The experience they have can serve as a motivator for them to change up their classroom curriculum to incorporate new teaching methods, technology, or they may reinforce methods they currently employ in the classroom (Girvan, Conneely, and Tangney, 2016).

Theme: Experiential Learning in Student Organizations

Experiential learning is a cornerstone in successful student organizations (Munoz, Miller, and Poole, 2016). Adult students can join campus organizations as an opportunity to augment a wide array of 21st-century skills like critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and so on. Munoz, Miller, and Poole (2016) suggest student organizations are also great places to communicate with other students and find networking opportunities that can wind up turning into additional experience, internships, and even job opportunities. These environments allow students to learn as a result of direct experience, which aligns with the philosophy of experiential learning. Student organizations can facilitate professional development by providing opportunities for a learner to delve deeper into a field of interest. This sort of experience supersedes passively learning by listening to a lecture throughout the academic year. Student organizations allow learners to interact with industry leaders, train, compete (in certain organizations), and all sorts of other events that equate to both knowledge and experience on a résumé.

Implications

Experiential learning is a method that can be implemented in settings both inside and out of the classroom. For an experience to be considered experiential learning it needs to have a framework that incorporates the opportunity for active personal involvement of the individual, opportunity for personal development of skills, and provide a relatable experience that the adult the learner can attach meaning to. Research by Munoz, Miller, and Poole (2016) echo this point in their research on the effectiveness of experiential learning on student organization participation; they suggest that engagement increases when educators can facilitate opportunities for students to get as a professional, network, and experience real-world events to apply skills and knowledge to (Munoz, Miller, and Poole, 2016).

To implement this learning technique would ideally require institutions to accommodate this type of program into its curriculum in order to champion the program and foster a culture supporting it. Educators wanting to use this need to consider blocking out time for each specific sequence in the experiential learning process. First, there would have to be a lesson plan to highlight a specific learning goal. From this one can further define the opportunity for the learner to observe and encode information through lecture, group collaboration, and inside and outside classroom activities. From here the learners should be put in the driver’s seat while the facilitator takes a guiding role to keep them on track. There should be minimal passive learning occurring in the classroom as learners must have personal involvement in what is being learned. Additionally, experiential learning is more effective over multiple sessions, so it would be pragmatic to plan out an appropriate number of lessons in advance to manage time. Experiential learning activities in action can range from classroom debates, presentations, and experiments to internships, community service, and an array of opportunities in-between that allow for development through personal involvement.  

Reflections

I believe that experiential learning is relevant today because many secondary and post-secondary institutions have begun to integrate it into their curricula. This student-centered technique can enhance education through increasing student engagement, which makes it a benefit to almost any learning environment. As concluded by research from Hawtry (2007), students report higher enjoyment of experiential learning opportunities and may be open to seeing more experiential learning techniques used in their courses.

Even more so, experiential learning has seen use in the workforce because it can effectively be used in employee training and professional development. In the next ten years, our society will have more job growth in technical careers. Careers from business, automotive technician, plumber, nurse, aviation technician, steamfitter, carpenter, electrician, and construction manager will require a blend of years of experience, classroom education, and on-the-job experience. This means it is important for educators to facilitate opportunities to connect education with experience and have students to reflect on how what they are learning is important to their development.  

Table

	Themes in the literature	Implications
Theme 1	Experiential learning and getting the learner active in their education	-Constructing knowledge and skill through direct experience -Learning by doing -Theorists of experience John Dewey, Vygotsky, Piaget
Theme 2	The model of experiential learning	- The main steps can include observation by learners, experience, action, abstraction, application, and reflection
Theme 3	Experiential learning in professional development	-Professional development conferences -Keynote speaking -Networking -Oral presentations or poster -Emerging technologies and student-centered education
Theme 4	Learning through the transformation of experience	-past experiences influence present learning -Creating positive associations between classroom learning, activities -Importance of the role of reflection in connecting experience in the classroom to past experiences of the learners
Theme 5	Experiential learning in student organizations	-Professional development opportunities -Improving the 21st century skills through experience -Skill-building opportunities -Students simulate the experience of partnerships with businesses or other stakeholders

References

Broussard, D. J., Teng, J. E. (2019). Models for enhancing the development of experiential learning approaches within mobile health technologies. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 50(3), 195-203.

Girvan, C., Conneely, C., Tangney, B. (2016). Extending experiential learning in teacher professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 58, 129-139.

Hajshirmohammadi, A. (2017). Incorporating experiential learning in engineering courses. IEEE Communications Magazine, 55(1), 166-169.

Hawtry, K. (2007). Using experiential learning techniques. The Journal of Economic Education 38(2), 143-152.

Kolb, Y. A., Kolb, A. D. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(2), 193-212.

Munoz, L., Miller, R., Poole, M. S. (2016). Professional student organizations and experiential learning activities: What drives student intentions to participate? Journal of Education for Business 91(1), 45-51.

Piercy, N. (2013). Evaluating experiential learning in the business context: Contributions to group-based and cross-functional working. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 50(2), 202-213.

The University of Tennessee Knoxville. (2019). Resource Guide. Retrieved from https://experiencelearning.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2018/04/442930-ELResourceBookUpdate-v2.0accessible-smaller.pdf