Experiential learning can be described as ôa process by which knowledge is created through the transformation of experienceö (Corbett, 473). The theory of experiential learning provides insight into the mechanisms of learning and the different adaptations that people exhibit toward learning. An understanding of experiential learning theory is not only valuable in reference to the process of formal education but is also a useful adjunct to other personal lifelong learning skills, because it can be used in conjunction with a learning styles model that enables the individual to identify how he learns best.
The term ôexperiential learningö can be understood in two distinct waysùfirst, as Borzak describes it, as a mode of learning that occurs by a ôdirect encounter with the phenomena being studied rather than merely thinking about the encounter,ö and second, per Houle, as ôeducation that occurs as a direct participation in the events of lifeö (Smith). Peter Jarvis points out that much of the literature on experiential learning ôis actually about learning from primary experience,ö i.e., learning through sensory experiences (Smith). Weil and McGill conceptualize experiential learning as categorized into four ôvillagesö: Village One (assessing learning derived from life and work experience), Village Two (experiential learning as a catalyst for changes in education following school), Village Three (experiential learning as a means of raising group consciousness), and Village Four (experiential learning in relation to personal growth and self-awareness) (Smith).
One of the best-known theorists on experiential learning is David A. Kolb, who with Roger Fry developed a model for the learning process that clarifies how learning occurs through experience (Smith). The model depicts a continuous circular learning progression, starting with concrete experience, proceeding to observation and reflection, followed by the formation...