What is Experiential Learning Theory? Explore How We Apply it at the Ranch
Imagine sitting in a classroom, reading a set of instructions on how to plant a tree. Now, picture yourself outside in the field, under the warm sun, feeling the soil between your fingers as you plant a sapling. Which scenario would fully engage your senses and help you retain the skill? As humans, we learn best by doing—this principle lies at the heart of experiential learning theory.
At Deeply Rooted Ranch, we embrace this concept and its power to spark curiosity and foster meaningful connections with the world around us. Let's explore this learning framework and how we practice experiential learning (EL) here at the ranch.
What is Experiential Learning Theory? Understanding the Framework
Published in 1984 by renowned American educational theorist and psychologist David A Kolb, experiential learning theory proposes that the best way to learn is through real-world life experiences, reflection, and transforming them into new knowledge.
The experiential learning cycle is spread across four stages—concrete learning, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The first two stages of the cycle involve engaging in a direct experience and processing it, while the next two focus on transforming an experience into a learning concept.
Concrete learning: The learner engages in a new real-world experience or interprets past experiences in a new light.
Reflective observation: At this stage, the learner reflects on their experience personally and connects it with their own feelings and ideas about it.
Abstract conceptualization: After reflection, they form new ideas or adjust their thinking based on their experience and reflection.
Active experimentation: Finally, this stage involves applying the new ideas to the world around them and fine-tuning their understanding based on the responses. This process can happen over a short period or over a long span of time.
The Four Experiential Learning Styles
Another key aspect of the experiential learning theory is that every individual has their own learning tendencies that emphasize some stages of the learning cycle over others. Or in layman’s terms: people learn differently.
There are four broad learning styles, based on which stages are more dominant for each person.
1 - Diverging
Dominant learning stages: Concrete experience and reflective observation
Learners in this group love to think creatively and rely on the power of imagination to look at things from different perspectives. They enjoy brainstorming sessions and collaborating with others in group discussions where they can hear several points of view.
2 - Assimilating
Dominant learning stages: Abstract conceptualization and reflective observation
This learning style values reasoning and analyzing facts, often by themselves, to process an experience rather than discussions. These learners prefer lectures and solo projects that allow them time to think independently instead of working in groups.
3 - Converging
Dominant learning stage: Abstract conceptualization and active experimentation
Converging learners are problem-solvers who like to apply what they have learned to practical situations. They like to experiment with new concepts and explore technical solutions instead of relying on the subjective perspectives of others.
4 - Accommodating
Dominant learning stage: Concrete experiences and active experimentation
These learners are intuitive and adaptable, using trial and error to solve problems and fine-tuning their learning based on real-world experiences. They're more practical in their approach and are usually good with people.
Reflect: Did you see yourself in one of these learning styles? What about your partner? Kids?
How We Use Experiential Learning at Deeply Rooted Ranch
At Deeply Rooted Ranch, we believe the best learning happens when fully immersed in the environment. That's why we prioritize hands-on experiences that allow our community to explore, learn, and apply their knowledge firsthand. Whether we're tending to our market gardens, caring for animals, or cooking with regenerative vegetables, every community event or activity helps participants engage, discover, and grow.
Farm School for Homeschoolers
For one day a week for two months, our farm school program helps homeschooling children connect with nature and learn valuable skills at our regenerative ranch. Our activities include everything from scavenger hunts and training our livestock guardian dogs to harvesting vegetables and learning different farm jobs.
For us, it’s important that the experiential learning at Farm School truly connects theoretical subjects to real-life experiences. We want the next generation to grow up being exposed to holistic decision-making through play and team building. Over the course of the program, kids learn the basics of ranching, regenerative farming, and cooking with freshly harvested produce.
Click Here to See our Spring Farm School Schedule
Summer Day Camps at the Ranch
We also host immersive day camps all summer long for children aged 8 to 14. These camps offer hands-on farm activities in a playful setting on our 120-acre ranch.
Our camp itinerary is designed to encourage participants to build a deep connection to the land while teaching essential skills like gardening, ranching, cooking, and soil ecology.
Click Here to Sign Your Kid Up for Summer Camp!
Why is This So Important to Us?
Direct, real-world experiences play an important role in shaping who we are, our values, and our choices. However, conventional learning confined to classrooms tends to isolate students from their local environment and encourage rote learning, which doesn't give them an opportunity to discover their own interests.
The absence of a local context can lead to decision-making that prioritizes short-term gains and fails to see the big picture. Over generations, it has convinced us that humans are separate from the intricate web of life. We think this is the root of a lot of the problems we face right now.
We use experiential learning because it encourages us to engage with the world around us. It instills adaptability and holistic decision-making by teaching us to rely on real-world experiences while staying anchored in the theory and our feelings.
It also levels the playing field so that people who learn better outside of a classroom can grasp the material too. This brings a sense of gratification and builds the self-confidence that is important for navigating the challenges of the modern world.
Want to Bring Experiential Learning to Your Community?
If you are a farmer, educator or eco-enthusiast who wants to harness experiential learning to bring eco-literacy to your communities, we highly recommend exploring the Fearless Farmer Eco-Literacy Program. Built by certified curriculum designers with an expertise in experiential learning, ecology and place-based education, this hybrid program offers a holistic understanding of how ecology and regenerative farming are connected, along with how to teach these concepts to the people in your own community.
The eco-literacy program combines online learning with an on-site intensive to incorporate all four stages of experiential learning. Meaning you’ll be immersed in this learning theory as you learn to teach with it!
Over the course of eight to ten sessions (depending on the pathway you choose), you will delve into various concepts, reinforced by online discussions, self-guided learning and place-based activities. And throughout the whole course, you will be prompted to connect with your own group and share your learnings with the Fearless Farmers community.
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