Experiential Learning
Experiential Learning is a process by which educators engage students through a cycle of direct experience, reflection, analysis and experimentation. It encourages deep learning, inspires personal growth and promotes active citizenship.
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Based on real-world questions and applications | ![]() |
Promotes deep understanding over memorization | ![]() |
Leads to mastery of academic and life skills |
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BEGINNING SCHOOL | LOWER SCHOOL | MIDDLE SCHOOL | UPPER SCHOOL |
FALL STUDY | THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE | HYLA WOODS UNITS | ECOLOGICAL STATISTICS |
Students collect and sort evidence, and move between classroom study areas designated for different types of exploration. | Students explore the immigrant experience in America through classroom study, role-playing, and visits to historic neighborhoods. | Students study the characteristics of an aquatic ecosystem, collect data in nature, and analyze their findings in the classroom. |
Students in Ecology and Statistics courses collect stream water samples on campus, and work together to assess fertilizer residue levels. |
Teachers encourage students to describe what they observed and wonder aloud, and ounderstand the work and rewards of study. | With “question journals,” students consider larger issues: Why did immigrants choose America, and why did they choose to stay? | The researchers are challenged to make sense of the information they collected:
How can it be used to tell if an ecosystem is healthy? |
The team applies math knowledge to interpret the data, and science knowledge to reflect on the ecological implications. |
As students collect facts, they consider how their newfound knowledge is changing what they previously thought to be true. | Students explore the concept of immigration from a personal point of view, embodying character’s journeys along on a “story path.” | Eco-narrative blogs are produced, with students expressing their thoughts through questions, conjecture, and imagined scenarios. |
With new understandings about bioswales and aquifers–and human impact on their environment–they begin to imagine alternatives. |
Students gain skills they can use to pursue any interest: examination, observation, and inquiry, and using books as research tools. |
By considering multiple perspectives, students develop critical thinking skills that can be applied to other interests or fields of study. |
Students learn cross-cutting concepts and gain skills in systems thinking, including modeling, structure and function, and cause and effect. |
Students see how the statistical models they used to analyze cause and effect can be applied to almost any collection of data. |