College Newsletter

From the Principal

The Benefits of Experiential Learning

The statement, “experience is the best teacher,” is a statement that as the year goes on, I appreciate more and more. Throughout my career I have completed quite a lot of post-graduate study and have always made it my business to keep up to date with professional literature. I have always found learning to be of great value and have always enjoyed taking on the challenge of study. Experience, however, if it is to be of value, is something we should reflect on and make the connection as to how the experience has helped us to grow. 

 

As contemporary educators, we are required to seek out ways in which the experience of learning can help our students to build upon their own understanding of themselves, and the world around them. Experiential learning is a way in which our students can connect what they learn in class to the real world. At Lakeside College, experiential learning takes place across the school: sometimes in obvious ways, at other times in more subtle ways. 

 

So, how do we define experiential learning?

 

Experiential learning is a formative process involving students physically, socially, intellectually, cognitively and emotionally in a concrete experience. These learning experiences can help with the development of skills, knowledge, behaviours and values, since it allows students to interact with the environment and (hopefully) find meaning in the learning object. Interacting with an environment allows students to witness, know and manipulate different situations to give meaning to the content seen in class. (https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/what-experiential-learning-and-why-it-crucial-todays-world )

 

Within our Primary School, we practice both play based and experiential learning providing our students with the following benefits:

  1. Experiential learning enables children to pursue their own areas of interest and to work through problems as they arise in a real-life situation. They are not simply working out what 2 + 2 equals because the teacher says it’s important, they are working out how many toys they have, how many biscuits the dog eats, or how many pairs of shoes they need to pick up. A common complaint from both primary school and high school-age children is that they don’t see the point of some of the work they are being asked to. Experiential learning demonstrates the practical uses of maths, science and other learning areas.
  2. Experiential learning can also be important for letting kids experience the reality of ‘failure’ and how to overcome setbacks and challenges. They can feel pride when they eventually find a way to do something because they learned to do it themselves, not because someone told them the answer.
  3. Experiential learning is collaborative, and enables children to work out their own unique strategy (with some support), rather than following a set formula to arrive at an answer. They will be more likely to think creatively in the future, rather than assuming that all problems have “right” and “wrong” answers and “right” and “wrong” ways of getting there.
  4. Play enables children to act out alternative scenarios, and to find different ways to express social or emotional difficulties. They can learn assertiveness, social skills, leadership qualities and how to solve group-conflict through role-play and using the play space as a rehearsal for real-life situations. Learning is not just about academic pursuits but also about life skills.
  5. It is very important to realise that we can learn from children too. Sometimes they tell us something about themselves or the world that we might not have noticed because we are so busy telling them how things should be done. Some of the most interesting observations come from children, because they are still figuring out how the world works, and finding their own place within it.

(https://melbournechildpsychology.com.au/blog/play-experiential-learning-early-childhood/#:~:text=Experiential%20learning%20enables%20children%20to,in%20a%20real%2Dlife%20situations.)

 

Within the secondary school classroom, there are equal benefits to adopting experiential learning activities to assist students. By stepping away from traditional teaching methods, students have the opportunity to explore concepts through active participation, creativity and reflection. Here are three major benefits of experiential learning for secondary students especially:‍

 

Gain practical understanding

One of the biggest challenges students face, is connecting academic concepts to the real world. When students are given the opportunity to apply knowledge and data in a real-world setting, they play an active role in addition to theory and mastery of concepts—not just memorising facts. To overcome this challenge, all learners need to have equitable access to experiential learning, either via integrating work-based learning into the curriculum or by finding opportunities to partner with businesses to supply real-world projects. ‍

 

Build stronger connections

When students get their hands dirty with experiential learning and see firsthand how abstract concepts apply to the modern world, they engage multiple regions of their brains, and make stronger connections with the material. Reflecting on actions and outcomes also helps students gain a deeper understanding of their own learning styles and preferences, leading to greater self-awareness and aiding in career clarity and areas of career interests.

 

Transform the learning process

Even though it took Thomas Edison hundreds of attempts to create the lightbulb, mistakes are still viewed with a negative stigma. Experiential learning challenges this. As students engage in hands-on tasks, they find some approaches work better than others and discard the methods that don’t work. These “mistakes” are no longer viewed as failures but rather as areas to improve, transforming the entire learning process.

(https://www.riipen.com/blog/experiential-learning-benefits#benefits-of-experiential-learning-for-students )

 

 

Reflection

 

Finding Joy in the Small Moments

 

Recently, I had privilege of sharing this reflection with staff. The inspiration for this reflection came recently when one of our Prep students walked through the administration building smiling from ear to ear and carrying a small bag. Before we could ask him anything, he proudly exclaimed, “I have a surprise!” Curious, I asked him what the surprise was, but he replied that he couldn't tell me because it was for his friend John. I followed him as he walked into one of the Boardrooms and enthusiastically announced to his OT, "Surprise!" By this stage, we were all having a good laugh at what had just happened. It turns out the young man from Prep had organised for his OT to have one of the special cakes he had brought to celebrate his birthday. The whole incident definitely had the cute factor, but more importantly showed the level of appreciation our student had for his OT and how excited he was to share what he had brought for him. 

 

In the midst of our busy day of work, it is important to cultivate an attitude of gratitude that enables us to find joy in the small moments.  For me, finding joy in the small moments is what it means to live our lives of faithfulness and hope. We can find moments of joy in so many things. This could be, the smile of a co-worker, a steaming cup of coffee (Triple shot of course), the view outside a window – small things like this can serve to foster a sense of contentment that seeks and finds the positive in the mundane of every day. This is so aptly expressed in Psalm 16: 9-11.

 

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices; but my body also rests secure. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 

In Christ

 

Robert Tassoni

Principal