The Experiential Learning Cycle -
Promoting Positive Teaching Practices
Regardless of yourteaching experience, the Experiential Learning Cycle {ELC} provides a framework
for informing and transforming our teaching practices. [to see the first post on this, click here]

Educators can use this
basic process to frame how they approach teaching and learning. With a little effort and a bit of
practice, teachers can support their own understanding of what helps/hinders
learning and their ability to improve their own teaching practice.
Using the ELC is a critical way in informing and transforming your teaching practice.
The Stages of the Experiential Learning Cycle:
Stage
|
Title
|
Description
|
1
|
Concrete Experience
|
Having a real
teaching experience in class.
|
2
|
Reflection and Observation
|
Think about the
experience and what seemed to help/hinder learning.
|
3
|
Abstract Conceptualization
|
Generalizing about
how the experience informs us of the teaching & learning paradigm.
|
4
|
Active Experimentation
|
Planning how this experience will affect the next
teaching experience that we have.
|
If we unpack these stages, we get something like this….
Concrete Experience: This is a step-by-step description of the segment of our teaching that we would like to focus on. This may be a whole lesson or even a technique that you used or an activity that you tried. It's always helpful to somehow recreate the steps of the lesson in order to uncover the golden nuggets of learning that await.
Abstract Conceptualization: By
this point, some sort of generalization about what the experience has taught us
in terms of teaching and learning is clearer. It might be that you really noticed how dividing the lesson into tiny baby steps helped the students; It could be that you realize how invaluable modeling an activity is to its success. Whatever the learning is, pay attention to 'why'.
Active Experimentation: Here,
we take our learnings and project them onto the future. Hopefully the reflection has given us an idea of what to keep doing and what to change. By using this experience to consciously approach future classes, we open ourselves up to more opportunities for growth. It is this 'action point' that we give ourselves that keeps us learning as much (if not more) than our students.
Since ELC is a cycle and not a circle, we travel through these stages every time we have a teaching/learning experience.
Being conscious of this process and making conscious changes when necessary, helps protect us from the 'running rat' syndrome in going around and around in circles without any progress.
It is also true that we can enter this process at any stage:
At stage #4: I just planned a neat activity to work on comparative adjectives. I’m going to try it out and see what happens….
At stage #3: I just read a book about strategies for teaching comparative adjectives; based on this knowledge I’m going to…..
At stage #2: I noticed that students really seemed to be stuck on comparative adjectives. How come they seemed lost…….?
At stage #1: I just taught a lesson on comparative adjectives. This is what happened….
Let’s explore how this looks if we jump into this process from stage 1, the concrete experience (Notice the colors)….
I used an inductive approach to
working with comparative adjectives.
Students separated the adjectives into categories. Then, they added the comparative
(er/ier/more) to the adjectives.
After that, the class came up with a rule. Then, in pairs they put the rule into practice by describing
people using the adjectives.
Finally, they gave short presentations to their peers using the
comparative adjectives. I noticed that Raul and Olga seemed more involved that normally
is the case. Even though they
struggle, they kept up with the process.
Esteban seemed a bit bored in the beginning and stopped answering questions
(a first) but once the pair and group work started he got really involved. It could have been because I wasn’t
quite comfortable with helping the students make the connections. The students said they like the
experience of ‘discovering’ grammatical rules. Inductive approaches to learning can be very beneficial. This is where students come up with the
rules from examples. They engage
students and make them think more critically about language. Though it’s challenging to plan, I can
see how encouraging students to draw their own conclusions can encourage their
complete attention. It really
helps students take more responsibility for their own learning. The next time I teach, I’m going to use a similar strategy of
getting the students to come up with the rules from the examples that I give
them. Then, I’m going to make sure
they have a chance to apply that knowledge in language practice. I am going to make sure to show both
examples and non-examples so that the lesson is clearer to the students.
Here is another example (notice the lack of colors); try to identify the stages:
1.
Well, I was
nearing the end of the lesson and I wanted the students to cocktail around
3.
pictures they
had. I then wanted them to swap
pictures and find another partner.
I
4.
told them what
to do and got them up. For the
next five minutes, the students just
6.
and Jose asked
one another the question twice, but they didn’t interact with anyone
7.
else. I saw Jaciel asking a bunch of people
around her, and I even heard her respond
8.
using a variety
of different verbs, but I didn’t see anyone else do it. So, why did it
9.
fail? Well, I think it was the
instructions. I told them what to
do, but I didn’t model
10. it and didn’t have students model it either. So, they
never saw how it was supposed
11.
to look and I
never got a chance to see if they understood me. This really highlights
14.
before having
everyone do it. So, the next time
I teach, I am going to make the
15.
instructions
crystal clear. First I’m going to
tell them, then I’ll show them, and finally
Which lines correspond to………………………….…...?
- Concrete Experience:
- Reflection and Observation:
- Abstract Conceptualization:
- Active Experimentation:
can be a powerful tool to encourage teachers to
consciously approach how they inform and transform their own teaching
practices. While the formalized structure may look strange,
the internal
processes are quite natural.
Using the ELC gives us a lens through which we can look objectively at our own teaching and what we do that helps/hinders learning.
processes are quite natural.
Using the ELC gives us a lens through which we can look objectively at our own teaching and what we do that helps/hinders learning.
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