Quick answer
Experiential learning is learning by doing and then reflecting on it. Students take part in a real or realistic activity, such as an experiment, field visit, project, or role play, think about what happened, draw a general idea from it, and try it again. NEP 2020 makes experiential learning a standard teaching approach in every stage.
- The Kolb cycle has four steps: experience, reflect, conceptualise, experiment.
- Project based learning is a structured form of experiential learning.
- It builds the 21st century skills: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.
- Assess with rubrics and reflections, not just a final test.
What is the experiential learning cycle?
The best known model comes from David Kolb (1984). Learning moves through four stages, and the cycle repeats.
- Concrete experience. Students do something: measure shadows across the day, run a class shop, interview a local worker.
- Reflective observation. They describe what happened and what surprised them, in discussion or a journal.
- Abstract conceptualisation. They connect it to the concept: the movement of the sun, profit and loss, the economics of a trade.
- Active experimentation. They apply the idea to a new situation and test it.
What are examples of experiential learning in school?
- Science: grow plants under different light conditions and record growth.
- Maths: plan a class trip budget with real prices and distances.
- Social science: run a mock parliament or map the history of the school neighbourhood.
- Languages: produce a class newspaper or a short radio programme.
- Environment: carry out a waste audit of the school and propose changes.
- Vocational: spend bagless days with local artisans, as NEP 2020 suggests from Grade 6.
How does project based learning work?
Project based learning (PBL) organises learning around an extended project that answers a real question and ends in a product or presentation.
- Start with a driving question. For example: how can our school use less water?
- Plan in teams. Students divide roles, research, and plan, with checkpoints set by the teacher.
- Teach skills when needed. Short lessons on measurement, data handling, or writing are given as the project needs them.
- Build and present. Teams create a product, report, or model and present it to an audience, ideally beyond the class.
- Reflect and assess. Students reflect on process and learning; teachers assess against a shared rubric.
What are 21st century skills and how does this build them?
- Critical thinking
- Analysing information and solving problems without a single right answer.
- Creativity
- Generating and testing new ideas.
- Collaboration
- Working in teams with shared roles and accountability.
- Communication
- Presenting ideas clearly to different audiences.
Other lists add digital literacy, information literacy, and life skills such as flexibility and initiative. Projects build all of them because students must use them to finish the work.
How do teachers assess and record experiential learning?
Use a rubric that covers both content and skills, collect reflections and photos as evidence, and record results against learning outcomes. This feeds the holistic progress card that NEP 2020 describes and the competency based assessment boards are moving towards.
In Hudace SchoolOS, teachers can set projects as LMS assignments with submissions, record grades, and share outcomes with parents.
Frequently asked questions
What is experiential learning in simple words?
Learning by doing an activity, then thinking about it and using what you learned in a new situation.
Who developed the experiential learning theory?
David Kolb published the experiential learning cycle in 1984, building on the work of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget.
What is the difference between experiential learning and project based learning?
Experiential learning is the broad approach. Project based learning is one structured method within it, built around an extended project and a final product.
What are the 4 Cs of 21st century skills?
Critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.
Does NEP 2020 require experiential learning?
NEP 2020 recommends experiential learning as a standard approach in all stages, including hands-on, arts integrated, sports integrated, and story based learning.
How much class time should projects take?
Start with one project per term per subject group, then expand once teachers and students are comfortable with the process.