Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development among preschool

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Definition of Experiential Learning
Experiential learning not a new concept but has been done for a period of time. The groundwork of experiential has been made by John Dewey (1859-1952), Carl Rogers (1902-1987), and David Kolb (b. 1939) that focus on “learning through experience” or “learning by doing.” (Rogers, 2010) . There are various types and definition of experiential Learning. The Association for Experiential Learning as cited by (Wurdinger S. D., 2005) define experiential learning as “a process through which a learner constructs knowledge, skill and value from direct experience”. While The National of society for Experiential Education (NSEE) define it as “ Inductive, beginning with experience that is process through an intentional learning format and transform into working, useable knowledge” (Wurdinger S. D., 2005).
According to Gentry (1990), Hover and Whitehead (1975) have defined experiential learning as, “Experiential learning exists when a personally responsible participant cognitively, affectively, and behaviorally processes knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes in a learning situation characterized by a high level of active involvement.” This definition has described the meaning of phrases such participative, contact with the environment, relating the process of learning with content of learning and the role of teacher and children. It means that student and the place that learning takes place play the role in the experiential learning. (Rogers, 2010)
Experiential Learning also refers to the proses of learning that involving the transformation of experience into knowledge that initiated by the learner (Torkington, 1992). Children must proactive and reactive in the learning process so then they can get learn f...

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... can be a failure if it is not conducted under the right condition. Coherently, Roger (2010) argued that it is hard to predict the outcomes of the experience.
It is the role of the educator to make sure the learning succeeds. Therefore, the educators need to guide the children and ignite their interest in solving the problem by giving leading question (Wurdinger, 2005). The educators need to state the purposed of the study to the children, so then they will able to relate it with their life (Wurdinger 2005). Roger (2010) mentions that the educators need to lead the children to do self-reflection and integrated the knowledge they have learned in the previous lesson with the current lesson. The educators need to attract and gear up their child’s interest in learning since if the children lost their interest in learning, they will frustrated and then getting bored.

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