Experiential learning involves learning through doing rather than just listening. The teacher believes this sticks information better in students' minds. Experiential learning was developed by David Kolb and involves different learning styles. The teacher uses hands-on activities that engage feeling, thinking, doing, and watching to appeal to different learners. Activities include group projects, debates, videos, and journals to engage these different stages of Kolb's experiential learning cycle. The teacher believes challenging students in this way uses all their abilities and has a bigger impact than just teaching to preferences.

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Shelby B. Owens
Teaching Philosophy
Spring 2016
A wise man once said, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn
by doing them”. This wise man was Aristotle. I chose to use Experiential Learning in my class
room because I believe to truly learn something, we must do it. It is important to learn
experientially because this is how information “sticks”. I have been implementing experiential
learning in my classroom since the moment I started teaching. And from that moment, I have
seen true learning take place.
Experiential Learning was developed by David A. Kolb. Kolb suggests, “Experiential
Learning Theory encompasses an explanation of the different types of learning styles that
individuals have. Through this theory we are able to understand the various strategies and
processes that people go through to learn new information.”
Past, as well as present, teaching ideologies focus primarily on the idea of the teacher
lecturing, and students listening to memorize and regurgitate. I choose to teach with a hands on
approach to cultivate reflection and retention. In my class room, my students learn through
feeling, thinking, doing, and watching. In class activities go through all stages of this cycle.
To appeal to students who learn best by feeling, students demonstrate, participate in
group projects, and role play. This creates avenues for knowledge to be acquired through the
manipulation process.
Thinking occurs when students using information to create theories to explain
observations. Logic and concepts are the foundation of learning. Lectures, note-taking, and
designated reading assignment help create a framework for processing information.
In the doing stage, the focus is to learn by doing. Giving students a chance to test the
ideas is the catalyst for learning. Sample instructional strategies include incorporating
experiments, debates, and case studies.
The last stage watching. Learning, in this phase of the cycle, is grounded in observation
and reflection. Class activates tend to include observing dramatizations, watching videos, and
journaling. As one student physically manipulates the concept, the “watcher” observes what is
taking place and reflects on those behaviors.
I choose to use the Experiential Learning Theory in all phases of my teaching. I believe
that when students are pushed outside of their comfort zones, that is where the magic happens.
When we only teach students according to their learning preference, they are never challenged.
Challenging students is a part of my job. When students are challenged, they use all of their
abilities to learn; feeling, thinking, doing, and watching. It is these aspects of learning that truly
impact students. Learning in my teaching style, is less about the outcome, and more about the
process.

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