Learning by Doing, Essay Example

Methodology

When conducting experiential design, learners usually conduct experimental work in the laboratory. It is common for instructors to design the experiments for the students to perform, occasionally allowing students little to do but follow directives. It is essential that learners become more involved in these experiments to have a better understanding.

Discussion

The guiding principle of establishing educational chances for learners need to reflect on the “learning by doing” philosophy and pay attention to content that entails proven facts. Usually, “learning by doing” focuses on engaging and offering hands-on experience to students. The objective of this technique is for students to construct a mental model, which permits for high-order performance (Hackathorn et al., 2011). Basically, building lesson plans must pay attention to “making, practicing producing and observing” exercises instead of instructors’ directed learning. Educators can establish such an approach through several guidelines, which include:

1. Permitting students to collaborate: Collaborative learning is a technique where students create a meaningful project together (Mekonnen, 2020). For instance, the instructor may require a small group of students to develop a list of skills necessary for a successful leader. The approach has several benefits for learners. To start with, collaborative environments permit learners to share their experiences, which in turn, become teachable moments to others. Besides, the collaborative practices often permit learners to learn how to benefit from the strengths of fellow students. Secondly, learners start to master the skill of collaboration. Communication, listening, teamwork and compromise are all improved by the experience.
2. Self-Directed Group Exploration: In the current internet and multi-media tools world, acquiring fast and bulk information is accessible. With help from educators, the challenge for learners is with the information overload to differentiate between facts and fiction. Encouraging self-directed research and investigation urge learners to focus on the evidence rather than authority for educators (Gibbs, 1988). Many learners live in an authoritarian world with no or little chance to make personal decisions since almost everyone tells them what and when to do things. Knowing the way to navigate through information will improve students’ learning and competencies. For instance, the educator may call upon students in a small group to explore the pet that is best suited in a particular climate. In this case, students will utilize different research tools independently.
3. Sharing outcomes of activity-based experience: A vital element to an effective “learning by doing” approach is offering the chance for learners to share their results of the self-evaluation and experience their performance as a team. After permitting learners to recap their experience or sharing the knowledge they gathered from the activity, it is essential to ask them ‘if they could have repeated the activity, what would they have done differently?” or “what improvements would they have made?” These reflective questions permit learners to self-identify areas of improvement and improve their visionary thinking. Teachers may also utilize this sharing period to assist learners with what they have learned to life experiences. For instance, instructors may ask ‘what were some of the ways you interacted with the group that may be utilized when serving on student council?” Finally, the sharing period is essential since it communicates the experience of the small group to the larger learning group.

References

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit.

Hackathorn, J., Solomon, E. D., Blankmeyer, K. L., Tennial, R. E., & Garczynski, A. M. (2011). Learning by Doing: An Empirical Study of Active Teaching Techniques. Journal of Effective Teaching, 11(2), 40-54.

Mekonnen, F. D. (2020). Evaluating the Effectiveness of’Learning by Doing’Teaching Strategy in a Research Methodology Course, Hargeisa, Somaliland. African Educational Research Journal, 8(1), 13-19.