The 4-H Youth Development Program has promoted the five steps of the experiential learning model as an essential part of all educational experiences. You ll notice that each of the activities in the Horse Series, as well as those in all other curriculum products that have qualified for the National 4-H Collection, use the model. There are several reasons the five specific and sequential steps of the model work well when the objective is to combine the development of project subject matter and personal life skills in a single activity or series of related activities. The experiential learning process engages the learners in the activity, encourages them to think more, work harder and ultimately learn more thoroughly than with traditional teaching methods such as telling or showing.
Experience Note the model begins with an experience.
This immediately focuses the attention on the learner rather than the teacher. When the learner is encouraged to learn by doing before being told or shown how, opportunities are presented for a wide variety of life skills to be practiced depending on the method used to engage the youth in the experience. You and the youth involved will quickly learn what the skill or knowledge level is. This step should generate information leading to the process step. The questions and discussion now become more focused on what was most important about the experience.