Understanding Experiential Learning vs. Experiential Education
Several years ago, I became the Director of Experiential Learning at Crossnore. Since then, I have often questioned what my title truly entails. I love my title and appreciate the intent behind it. In this post, I will discuss the difference between experiential learning and education, provide examples, and highlight their impact on young people.
Experiential learning and experiential education are not synonymous. Learning happens continuously, but learning through experience does not always qualify as experiential education. A major challenge in this field is the lack of shared language. Jay Roberts explains that defining ‘experiential’ methodologically can oversimplify a complex intellectual history. However, if we define it philosophically, it can become vague and difficult to apply practically.
Experiential learning is a subfield within experiential education. Experiential education is a systematic process that examines the structure and function of knowledge. In contrast, experiential learning occurs at an individual level. I will pair practice with theory to clarify these concepts.
History of Experiential Education
To understand experiential learning and education today, we must explore their historical roots. John Dewey, a leading philosopher of the experiential movement, described learning as the “quest for certainty.” He led the progressive education movement, which challenged the industrial model of education. Traditional education emphasized rote memorization and conformity, depriving students of creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
This traditional model aimed to transmit a fixed body of knowledge, prioritizing content over personal growth. In contrast, experiential education fosters personal development by helping individuals modify attitudes and behaviors.
Experiential Learning Cycle
In 1984, David Kolb authored the Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC) – a critical concept to this field. This concept posits that learning involves 4 stages: action, reflection, abstraction, and application.
Some have created shortened/alternative versions of the ELC, such as “What? So What? Now What?,” which can be a helpful way to practice active reflection on doing. This cycle is also critical in helping us to understand that we don’t learn just from doing – we learn from the process of reflection on what we did.
An example: think back to when you learned how to ride a bike, or you were a caregiver helping someone learn how to ride a bike. Eventually you got to the day when you had learned how to balance, you learned how the pedals worked, your helmet was fitted just right. You descend the big hill with the wind blowing across your cheeks, the sun is on your back, and it is glorious!! In the distance, you see a bush – but you’ve watched cartoons before, and you know that Wile E Coyote is probably inside of the bush and going to move it out of the way at just the right time (what a rascal). It’s now like 10 feet away and you’re getting a little more skeptical…5 feet…3..2..POW!
Ouch! You’ve got snot running down your face, you might have a skinned knee, the bush is all rustled up – it’s a mess. In this scenario, did you learn how to stop your bike? No! What hopefully happened soon after the crash was that a caregiver came up to you and said something like, “Oh no! Are you okay? What happened – did you forget to use your brakes?” And then there’s the lightbulb moment! That moment of reflection with your caregiver brough the insight that you could perpetually crash into bushes to stop your bike, but that’s going to be rather painful, and you’d have to carefully choose where you ride your bike. Or, the next time you practice, you could squeeze the handbrake or pedal backwards and the brakes on your bike will stop you!
Another concept baked into the ELC is that of primary and secondary experience. This states that we don’t learn just from concrete action, but that we have an entirely different learning process that happens when you reflect upon it. Consider one of your favorite childhood toys or items. It may be very difficult to accurately remember your very first time engaging with that toy – but can you remember it? What do you notice? (That’s your primary experience.)
Now think about how you feel in this moment as you think about that toy or item. What meaning does that toy have for you after you’ve reflected on that toy for years, and how is that different from how you initially felt about it? (That’s your secondary experience – which is often where the majority of learning happens).
What does Application Look Like in Child Welfare?
In child welfare, an experiential approach fosters resilience, independence, and positive social connections. Many young people in the system have endured grief and pain. Even the most in-depth reflection cannot always make their experiences feel logical.
Experiential education provides a guided, reflective process that connects experiences to broader implications. Activities like team-building exercises, adventure therapy, and community service projects promote collaboration, trust, and empathy. Educators facilitate reflection, helping young people apply their learning to real-life situations.
Experiential education offers structured environments where youth can practice new skills in realistic settings. For example, working in a community garden teaches planting and harvesting while also fostering patience, responsibility, and teamwork.
Experiential learning, by contrast, is open-ended and flexible. It empowers youth by allowing them to explore their interests, make mistakes, and learn through trial and error. A child engaging with art supplies may create a painting that expresses emotions they struggle to articulate. Through this process, they learn self-expression, resilience, and emotional regulation. Facilitators encourage reflection, helping children take ownership of their learning.
Experience Builds Resilience
Last Fall I was able to see Raquel McCloud deliver a powerful message to some of Crossnore’s Foster Parents at our Because of You event. In that message, Raquel shared 9 factors that help cultivate resilience:
- Self-worth
- Physical well-being
- Emotional self-regulation
- Cognitive flexibility
- Optimism
- Active coping skills
- Academic or career support
- Maintaining supportive social networks
- Having a sense of purpose or spirituality
In a child welfare setting, experiential education can provide structured activities that help children develop active coping strategies and emotional self-regulation. For instance, group activities like low-ropes courses encourage children to practice trust and collaboration in a safe, structured environment, with facilitators helping them reflect on these skills and apply them in their daily lives. Experiential education activities like community service projects or collaborative cooking lessons provide structured ways for youth to practice social skills and build confidence. Facilitators can help guide them through challenges and create space for meaningful reflection on their role within a group or community.
Experiential learning can support a child’s healing journey by allowing them to engage in self-directed exploration. Art therapy, gardening, or journaling activities allow children to express emotions and build resilience in their own way. These self-directed experiences honor the child’s unique experiences and perspectives, making space for them to engage in healing on their own terms. Experiential learning might involve giving youth the freedom to choose how they contribute to a shared project, such as designing a community event. This less-structured approach allows them to take ownership of their contributions and apply their own creativity and problem-solving skills, which fosters self-efficacy and self-worth in a way that structured settings sometimes don’t allow.
Conclusion
Both experiential education and experiential learning offer valuable tools for supporting young people in child welfare settings. Structured experiential education activities help build essential skills within a safe, goal-oriented environment, while experiential learning allows for self-directed discovery, giving children space to grow in a way that feels authentic to them.
One easy takeaway tool to bolster your experiential practice is Jacobson and Ruddy’s 5 Questions model: What did you notice? Why did that happen? Does that happen in life? Why does that happen? How can you use that?
Whether you use these questions with yourself, your colleagues, or a young person in your care, these can be critical to creating an openness to learning – rather than predetermined lessons that have been selected for us.
