Definition & Overview

Experiential education (or "learning by doing") is the process of actively engaging students in an authentic experience that will have benefits and consequences. Students make discoveries and experiment with knowledge themselves instead of hearing or reading about the experiences of others. Students also reflect on their experiences, thus developing new skills, new attitudes, and new theories or ways of thinking (Kraft & Sakofs, 1988). Experiential education is related to the constructivist learning theory.

Types of experiential educational opportunities range from, but are not limited to:

Wilderness Therapy, Service Learning, Internship, Externships, Outdoor Education, Field Practicum, Environmental Education, Research opportunities, and more.

The Journal of Experiential Education published by the Association for Experiential Education, provides a broad range of academic articles for theorists and practioneers alike, that address issues such as:

Preparing the Next Generation: Social Justice in Outdoor Education and Training
Karen Warraen, Spring 2002, Volume 25, No1  

Landfullness in Adventure-Based Programming: Promoting Reconnection to the Land
Molly Baker, 2005, Volume 27, No 3

A Comparison of Internship Stage Models: Evidence from Intern Experiences
J.F Diambra, K.G. Cole-Zakrzewski, & Josh Booher, 2004 Volume 27 No 2

Service Learning as a Site for Critical Pedogogy: A Case of Collabortation, Caring, and Defamiliarization Across Borders.
John King, 2004 Volume 26, No 3