Experiential education involves learning through direct experiences and interactions, often outside of the classroom. It focuses on understanding how students experience the learning process and creating an environment that enhances their education. Experiential learning is the process by which experiential education is applied and made real for students. Teachers facilitate the learning process and challenge students to create meaning and knowledge for themselves.
Experiential education is an educational process whereby a person learns through direct experiences and interactions rather than simply through lectures or reading. In this type of education, students are likely to take field trips and get out of the classroom to learn, and teachers often bring outside materials into class whenever possible. Certain fields of study, especially science and technology, often benefit greatly from this type of learning rather than didactic methods. Experiential education is typically an interactive experience mutually created and facilitated by a teacher and performed by a learner that creates meaning.
Often associated with experiential learning, they are interconnected but not synonymous. The difference is not merely semantic, for experiential learning is the actual process by which experiential education is applied and made real for students. In other words, experiential learning is more directly related to the learner and how he creates meaning in the learning process. Experiential education generally refers to an analysis of the entire process, including the teacher and the environment in which learning takes place.
This type of education is strongly rooted in understanding how the student experiences the learning process and how this can be used to enhance their education. In an experiential education, students and teachers often work together to create an experience that creates new information and practical meaning for the student. This is usually done by finding ways in which what is being studied can be made relevant to students, as students generally learn materials best when they understand why the information should be important to them.
For example, students learning about different animals could certainly learn by looking at pictures of animals and listening to the names and descriptions of different species. An experimental education, however, would move out of the classroom and students could go to a zoo where they could see animals firsthand. The different animal classifications become more relevant to students as they see how birds, mammals, fish, and subspecies are related and understand how these classifications facilitate discussion of animals.
An experiential education teacher creates the environment in which learning can take place and assists students in constructing meaning. The teacher in the previous example would point out different animals and discuss similarities between species and orders of animals. This teacher would likely also ask questions to establish the relevance of what students are learning. As a facilitator, the teacher would likely direct students’ thinking towards a better understanding of what they should learn and challenge students to create meaning and knowledge for themselves.
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