Learning environments that are grounded in the experiences of the participants, and engages them in active rather than passive learning, are generally believed to be most effective for adults. There are a range of learning strategies that draw on prior knowledge and create opportunities for engagement with new knowledge so that personal meaning can be created.

This represents constructivist learning in which participants are given opportunities to practice and enhance their abilities to organise and structure knowledge through reflection on experience and interaction with others

This can be achieved through workshop activities in which:

new knowledge/theory is presented:
- personal experiences in relation to the new knowledge are shared or written down;
- discussion and dialogue is promoted; and
- opportunities are provided to assimilate, synthesise and reflect on new understandings.
a practical and useful end product or goal is achieved.

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is often thought of as a learning cycle.

Mouse over the four phases in the experiential learning cycle below to learn more about each one.

 

In a workshop, experiential learning occurs when:

Facilitators choose techniques that tap participants' prior experiences and involve them in analysing their experiences.

Sharing or writing personal stories are powerful ways to engage with prior experiences so that problems can be clarified, and dialogue started.

Participants who engage in dialogue with each other can start to critically analyse their experiences in relation to the educational issue or curriculum problem under consideration.
Participants are not passive, but are encouraged to interact and engage in dialogue.

While there is value and economy in presenting mini-lectures during a training course to deliver new information and theory, the passive nature of this learning strategy leaves facilitators with little understanding of the perceptions of the new knowledge that participants are gaining.

It also disadvantages participants as they do not have a chance to synthesise and assimilate the new knowledge.

If the presentation of new information is combined with interactive experiences, then it is more likely to be critically assimilated into the individual meaning systems of participants.

See Module 18 of Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future for a comprehensive introduction to experiential learning.

Learning Styles

People all learn in different ways. Facilitators should cater for as wide a range of individual learning styles as possible.

Learning styles tend to occur on a continuum from concrete involvement, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation to active experimentation.

Individuals also vary in the ways they use different areas of their brains to interpret and understand new concepts and information. For example, some prefer to focus on words (verbal/linguistic); some interpret pictures and symbols well (visual/spatial); others respond well to music (musical/rhythmic); some respond to movement (kinesthetic); some people prefer to work alone( intrapersonal); and still others relate well to social/group situations (interpersonal).

Despite strong preferences to one or more of these, people tend to favour a variety of approaches during workshops. Therefore, whenever possible, facilitators should provide a range of activities to maximise the learning opportunities for participants.