Experiential Learning.

Experiential learning. Ryerson University defines experiential learning in its simplest form as learning from experience or learning by doing. It first immerses learners in an experience and then encourages  reflection about the experience to develop new skills, new attitudes, or new ways of thinking. I chose this way of learning because as a teacher, I could see myself using this method of teaching more of the others. I feel as if I would have the most success helping students comprehend and use the information that is being taught to them. An example of a classroom using this approach would include the student managing their own learning. When this happens, the teacher basically puts the responsibility of the material being taught on the students. The teacher sets the students up for success by doing this. Not only does this allow them to reflect on past scenarios that will help the students figure out how to use the curriculum but it also teaches them how to take control on their learning. I think that this method helps prepare students to understand other lessons and how to use the information that they learn.

When I was researching this learning method, one video really helped me understand the approach. This video helped bring this approach to reality for me and visually see what it would look like in the classroom.  I think that it showed but what experiential learning was along with what it looked like in the classroom.

When researching people on twitter that used the method, some experts I found were Jill Schoenberg who is passionate about helping kids build and improve their self-esteem through experiential learning and creative expression. I also found Ines Wichert who is from London and is also passionate about career development, experiential learning, leadership development and diversity. She is also an author and I found a lot of great debates on her twitter page. Lastly, I found Liz Fiala-Kerns. This woman is a PR Professor along with being a experiential learning advocate from Illinois.

I think that as I become a teacher, one thing that I am going to incorporate into my classroom are field trips. I think this is a great example of using experiential learning because it basically hands the students all of the information that is needed to succeed and lets them use their imagination and prior experiences to understand the material.