They say that experience is the best teacher, as ingenious and as hard-working as they come! How does experience teach us?
Most definitions of experiential learning have something to do with “hands-on learning” or “learning by doing.” In outdoor education, experiential learning could involve developing survival skills while hiking in the wilderness. In a chemistry class, experiential learning could involve conducting laboratory experiments in order to learn about molecular theory.
In the context of faith, experiential learning can take many forms—everything from participatory Bible study to embodied exercises to guided discussions. One of the models used by the Anabaptist Learning Workshop (ALW) involves starting a workshop by inviting participants to describe their experience related to the topic, looking for patterns in that experience, and then adding new information, new theory, or new activities to build on that experience.
One of the myths about experiential learning is that it consists of people getting together to pool their ignorance. Quite to the contrary,
in a well-prepared experiential workshop, the facilitator enables participants to explore the topic in creative and impactful ways, including learning from the expertise of the facilitator. As the workshop unfolds, participants become co-creators of knowledge along with the facilitator.
At the end of the day, experiential learning is about transformation. Through guided reflection on our life experience, we change. Through experiencing something new together—in a classroom or in a workshop environment—we become a community of change.
I invite you to join us for some experiential learning and add your experience into the mix. Check out our workshops.
