What is Experiential Learning?

Put simply, Experiential Learning is learning by experiencing the task. In 1984 Kolb built on the work of other learning model academics where their ideas were more rigid. 

In Kolb’s work, however, there are four stages to the experiential learning cycle (although you don’t need to go through every stage to be successful).

Concrete Experience (feeling)

The person experiences the learning directly and how they feel about it. 

Reflective Observation (observing/watching)

The person considers what they have learnt in this new experience. 

Abstract Conceptualisation (thinking)

The person’s reflection gives rise to adapting their thinking.

Active Experiment (doing)

The learner applies this new thinking in the real world to see what happens.

He also suggested that there were two continuums that demonstrate the different styles in which we prefer to learn;  the Processing Continuum looks at how a person approaches the task (from watching to doing)  and the Perception Continuum that considers how a person feels about the task (from feelings to thinking).

Putting Experiential Learning into practise….or practice.

The theory of experiential learning works because it enables learners of all types, and at all stages (knowledge, skills and experience) to engage in the learning process and to attain what they need. 

Further work by Nancy Kline around time to think brings together Reflect, Connect and Apply, which our ethos embraces.  The reflective practice model is now embedded in most coaching and leadership thinking, leading with the ‘do’, or a challenge is commonplace.

Let’s look at an example of a sports performance coach. Their role is to ‘break it down’ for the player, show them the elements that need improvement and to take them through the planned steps to build it up to a new way of moving to connect with the ball, run better, jump higher, etc.

All too often, we rush from reflect to apply and, as a result, it doesn’t change the behaviour in the long term. In some cases, the learner may notice a difference in performance immediately but the behaviour or action isn't sustained. Where the changes are subtle, the learner may not be able to apply beyond the dedicated session. So how do you embed it?

What we’re aiming for is to connect to an idea and, therefore, make sense of it. This process has little to do with the skill itself. By going beyond the skills we have the opportunity to join the dots  - taking the new idea and one's own views and bouncing back and forth between them whilst reflecting, or reviewing what we have learnt with what conclusions we make about them both…. until they merge into one. The learner is now more likely to retain this new idea as they have taken ownership of it within their value system - in sport, in business or in life.

This is core to what we do at Beyond the Skills (and now you’ll understand why we are so apply named). Our challenges are designed to transcend beyond the skills to apply meaningful learning into the learner’s belief system. We learn best when it’s fun, we’re engaged and it has a purpose - and we want the world to have access to them.

We’re on a mission to bring play back to our learning experiences and we have a number of experiential learning challenges and products available to help with developing what we call the Skills of the Future. Let’s look at your products