Knowledge Management

Interpreting Experiential Learning

Classically, experiential learning is interpreted by most educationalists as blending theory and practice. The premise is that students complement classroom instruction with hands-on activities; they learn by doing. At one end of the spectrum, experiential learning for the Santa Cruz Waldorf School’s eighth-grade class is to put students through a “ropes course” using simple games and more complex, active problem-solving initiatives involving scenarios and dangerous missions. It mirrors the outward bound courses that many organizations undertake to engender bonding and problem solving. At the other end of the spectrum, experiential learning is the use of internships and other types of apprenticeships, while ...