Experiential learning

Experiential learning develops knowledge and skills through direct experience, reflection, and application. It connects action with deliberate efforts to interpret and use what happened.

Experiential learning cycle: A recurring sequence in which experience is reflected on, interpreted, and used to guide further action. It describes the central movement from experience through reflection to renewed practice.
John Dewey: An American philosopher and educator who argued that education grows through experience and inquiry. His account of experience and reflection helped establish a modern educational foundation for the concept.
Problem-based learning: An instructional approach in which learners develop knowledge by investigating complex problems. Learners gain experience by working through problems before receiving complete explanations.
Direct instruction: A teacher-led approach that presents information and models procedures explicitly. It foregrounds explanation and demonstration rather than learning primarily through direct experience.
Reflective practice: The deliberate examination of experience to improve understanding and future action. Reflection turns an activity into evidence for learning rather than mere participation.
Kurt Lewin: A German-American psychologist known for field theory, group dynamics, and action research. His action research linked practical intervention with observation and reflection.
Service-learning: An educational approach combining community service with structured learning and reflection. It joins direct community engagement to explicit reflection on academic and civic learning.
Experiential education: An educational philosophy that uses purposeful experience as a central means of teaching and learning. It is the broader educational tradition in which experiential learning is commonly situated.
Metacognition: Awareness and regulation of one’s own thinking and learning processes. Learners monitor what an experience taught them and what remains uncertain.
David A. Kolb: An American educational theorist who developed a widely used model of experiential learning. His 1984 framework gave the concept a recognizable four-stage cycle.

Linked from 20 pages