Experiential learning is the process of learning through experience, and can be more accurately explained as  "learning through reflection on doing", 

Learning through experience is a highly valued approach in organisational learning as it keeps the focus of the learning on practical application. 

Learning through experience is about encouraging learners to have a go at putting into practice what they’ve learnt.  It’s about applying their learning to the real world, eg on the job (or if that’s not possible then through simulations, case studies etc), and being supported by a facilitator/teacher/coach/mentor to reflect on their efforts to develop their technique to the required standard.

Kolbs 4-stage learning cycle an explanation of the cycle of experiential learning that applies to all learners.  http://www.jcu.edu.au/wiledpack/modules/fsl/JCU_090344.html

Experiential learning is an iterative process that helps embed the learning so that the new skill or knowledge is as easy to use as driving a car.  It helps move the learning from the learner’s working memory to their long term memory, it strengthens neural pathways and turns them into highways.  But I’ll talk more about this in ‘11 ways to create great instructional design #4 Understand how people learn – The Neuroscience of Learning’).

In this blog I want to share 3 important adult learning theories that underpin experiential learning and by knowing them will help you to design great learning experiences for people.  They are:

1. Constructivism
   
2. Social
   
3. Repetition/Variation
   

Here is a brief description of each theory and some ideas for how to use them.

Join me to learn about Instructional Design so you can confidently design quality learning programs that get results.  
Book now for iNSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN ESSENTIALS with the Australian Institute of Training and Development
Adelaide 9 September - Hobart 27 October - Melbourne 11 November

References
Doolittle P.E. & Hicks D. (2003) Constructivism as a Theoretical Foundation for the Use of Technology in Social Studies, Theory & Research in Social Education, 31:1, 72-104, DOI: 10.1080/00933104.2003.10473216

Fenwick, T.J (2001) Experiential Learning: A Theoretical Critique from Five Persectives.  Information Services No. 385., Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Washington DC.

Marton & Trigwell (2000) Variatio Est Mater Studiorum pp. 381-395, Higher Education Research and Development, Vol 19. Issue 3 2000

Wenger, E. (2012) Communities of practice and social learning systems: the career of a concept

Wenger, E. (1998), Communities of Practice, Learning, Meaning and Identity, Cambridge University Press, New York NY

To be a great instructional designer, you need to understand how people learn: how they make sense of their experiences.  How people process information and create knowledge.  What motivates them to learn?  What kind of learning space will give people the best opportunity to learn?

It’s important to understand that there is no one theory or principle that covers all of the complexities about how people learn.  In this blog we’re going to start by looking at Knowles’ 6 Adult Learning Principles.

Adults are internally motivated and self-directed

• Adults need to be free to direct themselves – make sure you involve them in their learning process and build in as much opportunity as you can for your learners to take charge of their learning.

Adults bring their life experiences and knowledge to their learning experiences  

• Adults want respect – for who they are and for the expertise they bring with them.  Respect needs to be built into the way the learning program is designed.  Adults also want to be able to connect what they are learning to what they already know – it’s how we all make sense of our world.

Adults are goal oriented

• They need to know what the end game is, the goal, and how they are going to get there.

Adults are relevancy oriented

• Relevance is enormously important.  Your learners need to know how the learning is going to help them.  If the learning isn’t relevant, then you are wasting their time. 
  
• If you are designing a workplace-learning program that is compulsory for staff to attend, relevance becomes even more important – it will help your learners to engage with the learning even though it was not their choice to do it.

Adults are practical

• If your learners are going to make the effort to learn something, then it needs to be useful.   How will the learning help them do their work better/faster/more confidently?  
  
• Keep your design tight and keep it focused on what the learners really need to know and do.

Adult learners like to be respected.  

• Your instructional design needs to honour the wisdom in the room, recognize that not all the wisdom is in the room and open up the learning to happen.

Join me to learn about instructional design so you can confidently design quality learning programs that get results.  Book now for Instructional Design Essentials at the Australian Institute of Training and Development: Adelaide 9 September - Hobart 27 October - Melbourne 11 November

 As a learning architect it’s the thing I like doing the most.

But when you look at the way Instructional Design is explained, it sounds like the most boring thing out.  Here are a couple of examples:

• The process by which instruction is improved through the analysis of learning needs and systematic development of learning materials
  
• The practice of creating instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skill more efficient, effective and appealing…Informed by pedagogically and andragogically sound principles’ 

Instructional design is so much more than that!  Instructional design is exciting, challenging and  rewarding.  It never gets boring. 

Instructional design is about creating great learning experiences that give people the best opportunity to learn, to achieve their potential and succeed in their work.  It's is also about giving the organisaiton the results it's looking for. 

Instructional design is a science and an art. 

The science is in knowing about adult learning principles; adult learning theories; cognitive psychology; the neuroscience of learning; learner expectations and mental models; flexible learning; technology assisted learning eg mobile learning, video learning, eLearning, online learning; blended learning; flipped classrooms; micro learning and 70:20:10.

The art lies in creatively bringing these concepts together in different combinations to design tailored learning programs that puts the learner at the centre of the learning experience and provides the solution that the organisaiton is looking for.

Join me to learn about instructional design so you can confidently design quality learning programs that get results.  Book now for Instructional Design Essentials at the Australian Institute of Training and Development: Adelaide 9 September - Hobart 27 October - Melbourne 11 November