Experiential Learning

Geez, this stuff about learning has some long words. Take the title of this post:

Experiential Learning.

Let’s chunk it: ex-peer-ee-en-shel

Like a lot of long words, the meaning is pretty simple. It simply means that you can learn by trying out new things. Newborn babies do it all the time by putting things in their mouths.

You learn a lot of things through trying them out. Mostly, you make decisions about what you’ve experienced. That plate of vegetables with dinner? You try them out and, like many kids, you decide you don’t like them. Before you decide, though, you have to experience the taste. You have to be actively involved in the process.

You learn by doing.

Next, remember your experience. Food tastes get stored quickly in your memory. The memories are powerful. If the taste of brussels sprouts gave you a bad experience once, your brain will remind you when you encounter them again.

For experiential learning to be even more powerful, try telling someone why you don’t like brussels sprouts. Words like ‘yuck’ are okay, but to give your thinking an extra kick, try some words that describe how you feel about them. How do they look? What do they feel like? What does their colour remind you of? And smell–don’t forget how they smell.