The Power of Experiential Learning: Transforming Education in India

In today’s fast-evolving world, education must go beyond textbooks and exams to prepare students for real-life challenges. At Smarto Experiential School, we are pioneering experiential learning, a transformative approach that empowers students to learn by doing, reflecting, and applying knowledge. In this blog post, I share insights from a recent podcast episode, exploring the principles behind experiential learning, its benefits over traditional methods, and our vision to revolutionize education across India.

What is Experiential Learning?

Experiential learning is a holistic, student-centered approach that engages learners through a four-stage cycle known as Feel, Observe, Think, and Act. This cycle, rooted in India’s ancient Gurukul system, ensures deep understanding and practical application:

1. ** Feel (Concrete Experience): Students engage with concepts through hands-on activities, like dividing a pizza to learn fractions or touching matchsticks to understand counting.
2. ** Observe (Reflective Observation): Learners reflect on their experiences work, questioning how and why they work (e.g., why dividing a pizza creates equal parts).
3. ** Think (Abstract Conceptualization): Students analyze and generalize, forming theories or formulas after grasping the concept (e.g., understanding multiplication with physical blocks).
4. ** Act (Active Experimentation): They apply knowledge in real-world scenarios, such as solving math problems or coding a program based on learned logic.

This cycle ensures learning is multisensory, reflective, and connected to life, unlike rote memorization that dominates traditional education.

The State of Education in India

India’s education system, shaped by colonial legacies, emphasizes marks and rote learning, often producing graduates with degrees but few practical skills. For example, I’ve seen an English Honours graduates who struggle to speak English or engineering students unfamiliar with basic tools like a screwdriver. Fewer than 8–10% of schools and colleges nationwide actively practice experiential learning, leaving most students unprepared for the future.

The **National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is a beacon of hope, advocating for experiential learning and moving away from “rattification.” Future exams will test understanding, not memorization, aligning with experiential learning’s goals. However, implementation remains challenging due to entrenched traditional methods, limited resources, and a lack of teacher training.

Experiential Learning vs. Traditional Learning

Traditional education often prioritizes exam scores over understanding, leading to a disconnect between academics and real-world needs. For instance:

• Traditional Learning: Students memorize isolated facts (e.g., 10 × 7 = 70) without knowing why or how to apply them. Graduates with advanced degrees may lack skills, such as yoga instructors who study theory but don’t practice.
• Experiential Learning: Students learn holistically, using real-life examples (e.g., dividing objects to learn fractions or coding with practical scenarios). This fosters deeper retention, critical thinking, and creativity.

Experiential learning doesn’t reject memorization entirely—reciting poems or mantras has value—but insists on understanding and application. For example, reciting the Gayatri Mantra without knowing its meaning is ineffective; experiential learning encourages students to explore its significance and impact.

Implementing Experiential Learning: Insights from Smarto Experiential School

At Smarto Experiential School, we’ve embraced experiential learning to empower students with practical skills. Here are some examples of how we do it:

• Counting (Nursery/KG): Instead of rote recitation (1–20), we teach the concept of counting using fingers, matchsticks, pencils, or chairs. This ensures they understand quantification, even if parents complain their child “forgot” memorized sequences.
• Multiplication (Mathematics): Students use physical blocks to visualize multiplication (e.g., 2 × 5 = 10 blocks), grasping the concept before learning tables.
• Science: Through experiments, students observe and reflect on concepts, connecting textbook knowledge to real-world applications.
• English: We focus on pronunciation and reading fluency by teaching alphabet sounds, not just letters, enabling faster literacy.
• Programming (C++, Python): To teach complex concepts like 3D arrays, we use layered papers (e.g., each representing a class’s data) to visualize data organization, followed by discussions on benefits like space efficiency.

These methods follow the full learning cycle, ensuring students feel, observe, think, and act, resulting in clear concepts and practical skills.

Challenges and Solutions

Implementing experiential learning isn’t easy, but the barriers are surmountable:

1. Parental Mindset:
   • Challenge: Parents prioritize marks and government jobs, viewing activities like play as wasted time. They resist when children focus on concepts over rote learning.
   • Solution: We hold awareness sessions to educate parents about experiential learning’s long-term benefits, emphasizing that conceptual clarity reduces exam pressure and prepares students for diverse careers, not just government jobs.
2. Teacher Training:
   • Challenge: Many teachers lack the skills or mindset to facilitate experiential learning, clinging to traditional methods that require less effort.
   • Solution: Training existing faculty is key. We teach teachers to adopt a learner’s identity, facilitate discussions, and use multisensory activities. No expensive foreign experts are needed—just determination and training.
3. Infrastructure:
   • Challenge: Schools worry about costly overhauls.
   • Solution: Minimal changes suffice, like rearranging classrooms into circular setups for interactive learning or adding smart classrooms with videos and animations to spark curiosity.
4. Content:
   • Challenge: Textbooks focus on one-sided definitions and rote answers.
   • Solution: We’re developing new content at Smart Expansion School, integrating real-life examples and projects for subjects like math, science, and programming. This content aligns with the full learning cycle.

The Gurukul Connection

Experiential learning isn’t new to India—it’s rooted in our Gurukul system, where students learned through practical application, not exams. For instance, Lord Rama learned humility by begging for alms, gaining real-world skills akin to sales training. Gurukuls emphasized understanding and living knowledge, not memorizing it. We aim to revive this essence, adapting it to modern needs.

Why Experiential Learning Matters

Experiential learning addresses critical gaps in Indian education:

• Real-World Readiness: Unlike traditional methods, it prepares students for industries. For example, our programming students connect coding logic to real-life scenarios, unlike graduates who memorize programs but can’t apply them.
• Creativity and Critical Thinking: By encouraging exploration and questioning, it fosters innovation. Traditional “ready-made” answers (like pre-written board responses) kill curiosity, while experiential learning nurtures it, like the struggles that produced scientists like Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
• Competitive Edge: Students with clear concepts excel in exams without excessive coaching. About 30–40% of IIT/IIM entrants succeed through self-study, proving experiential learning’s efficacy.
• Reducing Brain Drain: By equipping students with practical skills, we empower them to contribute to India, reducing the urge to seek opportunities abroad due to skill mismatches.

Our Vision: A Revolution in Education

At Smart Expansion School, our mission is to spark a nationwide revolution in education. We’re not just transforming our own institution—we want to empower every child, especially in rural and underserved communities. Our plans include:

• New Content Development: We’re creating experiential learning materials for schools and computer centers, covering math, science, English, and programming (e.g., C++, Python, JavaScript These resources include real-life projects and examples to ensure conceptual clarity within 30–40 days.
• Free Knowledge Dissemination: Through video series, podcasts, and courses, we aim to reach small schools, tuition centers, and educators who lack access to training. Our goal is to make experiential learning knowledge “supreme” accessible to all, not just academics.
• Teacher Empowerment: We’re offering training to help teachers adopt the full learning cycle, enabling them to implement it with existing resources.
• Community Engagement: By addressing parental skepticism, we’re building a supportive ecosystem where education is seen as a tool for empowerment, not just a race for jobs.

A Call to Action

India was once home to knowledge hubs like Nalanda University, where experiential learning thrived. Today, we have the opportunity to revive this legacy. To educators, parents, and stakeholders: let’s move beyond the marks-based system introduced by colonial rulers. Embrace experiential learning to empower students with skills, creativity, and confidence.

• For Educators: Train to facilitate, not dictate. Adopt the learner’s mindset and guide students through the Feel, Observe, Think, Act cycle.
• For Parents: Understand that education is about preparing your child for life, not just exams. Support schools that prioritize conceptual clarity and practical skills.
• For Schools: Start small—rearrange classrooms, use smart tools, and develop new content. Contact our team at Smart Expansion School for resources and guidance.

Join the Revolution

This blog post is inspired by our recent podcast, the first in a series exploring experiential learning. Subscribe to our channel for upcoming episodes diving deeper into each pillar of the learning cycle. Share your questions in the comments—we’ll address them in future sessions.

Together, let’s transform education in India, ensuring every child is empowered to learn, create, and thrive. Experiential learning isn’t just a method—it’s a movement. Join us at Smart Expansion School to make it a reality.