Experiential learning is, in short form, learning through experiences. This means it is heavily hands-on, explorative, and fully engaging for children. In the current (traditional) classroom setting, students do engage in activities – often at a desk, table, or station. Teachers have a desk in the classroom, and every student has a desk. Teachers have a lot of posters, décor, activities, models, etc., throughout the classroom to provide key opportunities to achieve the same result: hands-on, explorative, and engaging learning.
However, through the exhibit spaces in an experiential learning model … teachers are better equipped to help young learners with guided lessons and activities inside museum-quality interactive experiences. Exhibits are fully hands-on, explorative, and engaging for children, and thus supportive of the educator’s objectives to provide background understanding and knowledge through experience.
As we know, it is one thing to HEAR about something or see a picture of it on paper. It is completely another to HEAR, SEE, SMELL, TOUCH, and (at times) TASTE. A child’s understanding of an apple, for example, becomes more vivid through experiencing what it is (rather than hearing about what it is). The same is true when immersing a child in an underwater exhibit with life-size models, an explorative room about space with a rocket ship,; and much more.