Do you remember what your child told you when they last came back home from school? Was it just about the friends they made, the games they played, or also about some interesting lesson or learning experience? Or, did they just avoid talking about school altogether, instead just sitting quietly and cramming through notes for an upcoming exam?
In most cases, the latter happens.
Research shows that students retain only about 5% of what they hear in a lecture. But when they learn by doing, that number climbs to as much as 75%. That is when they also develop an active interest in learning, when they closely experience the concepts instead of just reading or memorizing them. Thus, the learning experience then becomes worth talking about for them.
Educational institutions like MVM School, one of the top boarding schools in India, have been at the forefront of pioneering this shift, integrating experiential learning into the curriculum. But what exactly is experiential learning? How does it help? Read on to find out!
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What is Experiential Learning?
Well, at its core, the concept is much, much older than many people realise. John Dewey wrote about it as far back as 1938, arguing that genuine education comes from lived experience, not just instruction. David Kolb built on this in 1984, introducing a learning cycle that educators around the world still refer to today.
Simply said, experiential learning is the art of learning by doing. The basic premise of it being that children learn best when they try things, observe what happens, and then think about what it means.
How Does Experiential Learning Work?
Kolb's cycle mentions three connected elements of experiential learning:
- Knowledge: the concepts and facts a child already carries from formal learning and past experience.
- Activity: the application of that knowledge in a real situation.
- Reflection: the process of looking back, analysing, and drawing new meaning from the experience.
That last part, reflection, is what most traditional schooling skips. And without it, most of what a child learns evaporates within days.
For experiential learning to work well, it also needs to give students real ownership. They should be making decisions, taking responsibility for outcomes, and engaging not just intellectually but creatively, socially, and sometimes physically too. A good experiential learning environment plans for mistakes as much as it plans for successes.
What is the Importance of Experiential Learning?
Experiential learning has been shown to have a wide range of benefits that contribute to a child’s development over time. Here's a brief idea as to how experiential learning helps students:
- Learn Concepts Easily: Students may struggle to grasp concepts that have nothing to do with the “real world.” Experiential learning allows students to apply data and ideas in a real-world situation in which they also play an active role. The information becomes more real to the student as they interact with it.
- Allows Creative Expression: Experiential learning is one of the most effective methods for teaching creative problem-solving. Real-world content teaches children that there are multiple solutions to problems and encourages them to seek their own unique solutions to hands-on tasks.
- Reflect on Experiences: Students engage more regions of their brain and make stronger connections with the material by combining concrete experiences with abstract concepts and then reflecting on the results. They are encouraged to consider how their actions affected the issue and how their results may have differed from those of other students.
- Turn Mistakes turn into Valuable Learning Opportunities: As students work on hands-on projects, they will discover that some approaches work better than others. They discard ineffective methods, but the act of trying something and then abandoning it – normally regarded as a “mistake” – becomes an important part of the learning process. Students learn to value their mistakes rather than fear them.
- Improved Attitudes Toward Learning: Experiential learning is intended to stimulate students’ emotions while also improving their knowledge and skills. Students who take an active role in the learning process may experience greater gratification from their studies.
- Encourages Physical Activity: Several experiential learning methods, such as field trips and outdoor activities, encourage physical activity as well. This is critical because it encourages children to live healthy lifestyles. Furthermore, it may be a fun way for children to exercise while studying.
- Makes Learning a Passion: When learning is engaging and enjoyable for children, they are more likely to develop a love of learning. This could spark a lifelong interest and investigation. Experiential learning can help children understand the importance of learning and encourage them to continue learning after they leave the classroom.
- Allows Children to Explore Interests: Experiential learning can also help children learn about themselves. By trying new things and stepping outside of their comfort zones, they may discover what they enjoy doing and what they excel at. They can use this self-awareness to make important future decisions.
MVM School: Experiential Learning through Personalized Journeys
Maruthi Vidya Mandira (MVM), located in Aluru, Devanahalli, near Bengaluru, is a CBSE-affiliated school built around exactly this kind of thinking. Set away from the noise and distractions of city life, MVM offers both a day school and a residential boarding programme and has grown to be recognised as one of the best residential schools in Bangalore.
One of the more striking examples of experiential learning in MVM is the school bringing a Digital Mobile Planetarium right onto campus, letting students truly experience space instead of just reading about it. Similarly, students have visited places like the Prime Minister Memorial Gallery in Delhi, connecting history lessons to something real and tangible that they could walk through and reflect on.
The students are also actively involved in NCC, including a 10-day Zonal Training Camp at Vidyashilp University. In fact, students even made a police station visit to learn more about civic systems. In addition to this, the school has a unique Agri-Education program and vocational training to encourage students to engage deeply with their subjects through practical application and critical thinking.
Established with a vision to provide "Knowledge is structured in consciousness," MVM School's stance on experiential learning is deeply rooted in the Maharishi Consciousness-Based Education system. The educators here believe that true learning happens when a student connects their inner self with the outer world. This is achieved through Transcendental Meditation and Yoga, which prepare the mind to be more receptive and reflective.
It is crucial to remember that children do not remember the notes they copy down but the experiments that surprise them. These surprises are created by hands-on learning that experiential learning makes possible. Schools like MVM School make this possible, treating every part of a child's day as an opportunity to grow.
To know more information about similar schools in the area, check out this list of the best boarding schools in India.
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