Experiential learning: defining parameters, contextual foundations, and influential contributions

There are many ways that people might learn from their experiences, for example, through everyday life, social interaction, or by going to a conference or other event. But are all these experiences “experiential learning”? After all, they are all potential learning experiences. Many experiential learning theorists would say not. Experience alone does not necessarily lead to learning. Something has to happen to these experiences: There has to be an intention, a readiness to grasp and transform the experience in some way and at some point in order to learn from it. One way to do this is by reviewing and reflecting in or on experiences. While this suggests mental processing distinct from experience, this chapter will highlight other interactional processes integral to transformation. As the term experiential learning is now commonly used, this raises an important question: What exactly is experiential learning?.