Why You Should Shift to Experiential Learning

If you read my blog last week, I discussed focusing on what works in caregiver training and education, utilizing core guiding principles and steps to create an effective training program. There are many benefits to training that works, the most important being just that! The results will speak for themselves when you take your training to the right level.  

In our recently published E-book, we dig deeper into what makes up training that works and will take your organization to the right level. 

Let's Look At a Shift to Experiential Learning  

An important component of training that is guaranteed to increase the effectiveness of any training is the use of experiential learning.

There are three main types of learning styles:

1. Visual

2. Auditory

3. Kinesthetic

The first two are extremely common; however, the latter often goes unaddressed in traditional training programs despite its efficacy.  

Kolb's experiential learning cycle is a helpful way to explain learning by doing. Here's the process that occurs in experiential learning: 

1. Experience: caregivers experience a situation

2. Reflective Observation: caregivers review and reflect on the experience

3. Abstract Concept Extraction: caregivers summarize what they've learned from the experience and share takeaways amongst their peers and educators

4. Active Participation and Experience: caregivers use and demonstrate their skills in a real-world context to identify ongoing learning opportunities

Why is Experiential Learning so Effective? 

Experiential learning keeps caregivers engaged. More specifically, it:

• Adds a participant-facing perspective to understand the why before the how

• Encourages learning through self-reflective conversation with self-identified actionable outcomes

• Allows for immediate skill-building through scenario-based application

Let's shed some light on the power of experiential learning. 

In a McKnight's Senior Living column, Maria Wellisch, RN, LNFA, former ​

vice president of corporate education at mmlearn.org, shared that when caregivers feel confident in their skills, organizations will see "an improvement in family and staff relationships, improved quality of life for residents and a lower turnover of staff. Most importantly, you will see the relationships and interactions between staff and residents flourish."​

A 2016 study in The Gerontologist found that students have the opportunity in experiential learning to "become cognizant of the effect that reduction of physical and environmental stimuli have on their behavior, and they can apply their awareness to their future work performance." ​

A separate 2020 study placed medical students in the homes of older adults ​overnight as part of their training. One student shared: "From now on, I will try to ​pay more attention to not only patients’​ physical state but also their mental ​state, their everyday life situations, ​and their human relations." ​

Bingo! This leads to our next blog article on the new concept of Empowered Skills.