Learning through experience
Experiential learning is learning through action, reflection, drawing conclusions and testing them in subsequent situations.
Definition
It does not mean merely experiencing events. It requires a cycle: experience, reflection, conclusion and a new attempt. Without reflection, experience can only perpetuate old patterns; without a test, the conclusion remains a theory.
Key ideas
- Action
- Reflection
- Experiment
Practice and life
After an important event, write down: what happened, what I noticed, what I learned and what I will do differently next time.
Common misconceptions
It is a mistake to think that experience alone automatically gives wisdom. The second mistake is to reflect without taking action again.
> Experience only teaches when it is noticed and tested again.
> — Guru Element
Questions for self-reflection
- What experience am I analyzing?
- What conclusion does it draw from it?
- How will I test this conclusion?