About Experiential Education

"What I hear, I forget.
 What I see, I know.
 What I do, I remember."

Experiential education theory and practice are intrinsically tied to the natural learning cycle of action and reflection. It can be applied to any subject area and requires that the teacher facilitate experiences and design or take advantage of natural environments to give the students opportunities to learn.

Sometimes the experience or environment is metaphorical, such as exploring the range of human interactions to better understand the dynamics of molecular bonds. Other times the experience or environment is a literal learning situation, such as going to a river to learn about the physics of force and vectors in relation to water.

Experiential education is sometimes used synonymously with outdoor education because it often drives the learning outdoors, in search of a higher-impact learning environment.

More information from the Association for Experiential Education