EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING (C.Rogers)

Rogers distinguished two types of learning: cognitive and experiential. Cognitive learning is teaching children things such as math problems, vocabulary words, physics equations, and facts they have to remember. Experiential learning is giving the children hands on approach to learning. The key in understanding the difference is that experiential learning addresses the needs and wants of the learner. The child will want to learn something that he or she is interested in.

In addition, this goes in hand with a student’s personal growth. As teachers it’s our job to facilitate the learning. We have to remember not to be dominating at times and let the students be able to learn on their own. Rogers lists these qualities of experiential learning: personal involvement, self-initiated, evaluated by learner, and pervasive effects on learner. As teachers we should be able to set the tone for a student to learn. Roger includes: (1) setting a positive climate for learning, (2) clarifying the purposes of the learner(s), (3) organizing and making available learning resources, (4) balancing intellectual and emotional components of learning, and (5) sharing feelings and thoughts with learners but not dominating.

According to Rogers, learning is facilitated when: (1) the student participates completely in the learning process and has control over its nature and direction, (2) it is primarily based upon direct confrontation with practical, social, personal or research problems, and (3) self-evaluation is the principal method of assessing progress or success. Rogers also emphasizes the importance of learning to learn and an openness to change.

His point is to engage students in learning by finding out what they are interested in and get them involved in their own learning process. We should provide them with clear directions and the proper tools for them to solve what we are teaching. Drilling information into students’ heads is not the best method. Normally, they just remember the information for the test then they can’t recall it again. By providing those with the tools to be able to learn on their own and ways to engage them they will want to learn more and the force will not have to given.

This is a great method to incorporate into Internet-based applications because internet it two-fold: navigating the internet and doing the work. When using the internet for assignment students are learning how to use the internet and different software. This has to be taught and learned before the child can do the assignment. By putting the two together we are incorporating two processes into one. And by doing applications on the web it gives students hands on approach to learning. Also, students will be able to work at their own pace. The anxiety of having a teacher call on them may be curved. The whole point of Rogers Theory is the learning has to meet the needs and wants of the learner. Currently, one need and want of students seems to be the internet. Instead of fighting this need and want we should try to embrace it and gives students hands on approach. Learning has changed and teachers are still needed, but instead of just teaching subjects we need to be teaching students how to learn on their own.