Why Parents Choose HEWS
What Experiential Learning Looks Like
Doing is not the same as learning. A HEWS teacher explains the difference between activity-based and experiential learning, with a simple plant example.
By Sravya Datla, Primary Teacher, HEWS
As a teacher, one thing I often think about is how differently children learn when they are actually involved in the process.
I've seen how excited children get when they are building something, experimenting, exploring or simply trying things on their own.
But it also makes me wonder. Just because children are actively doing something, does it mean meaningful learning is happening?
Not always.
Are children just doing, or are they learning?
Experiential learning is more than keeping children busy with activities. It is about giving them opportunities to experience, reflect, make connections and apply what they have learned.
David Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory explains this through a cycle of four steps: experience, reflection, conceptualisation and experimentation.
A simple example: planting seeds
Imagine children learning about plants.
Activity-based learning: Children plant a seed, water it and complete a worksheet.
Experiential learning: Children plant seeds under different conditions, observe what happens, wonder why some grow differently, discuss their findings and decide what to try next.
Both involve doing. But the second creates more opportunities for thinking, questioning and discovering.
Three questions a teacher can ask
This is where our role as teachers becomes important. Instead of immediately explaining everything, we can ask:
What did you notice?
Why do you think that happened?
What could you try differently?
Sometimes even a simple classroom experience can lead to meaningful learning when children get time to reflect.
What we believe at HEWS, Kollur
For me, experiential learning is not about how creative or impressive an activity looks. It is about what children take away from it. That is the thinking behind the Finnish-inspired approach at HEWS, where children are given time to try, notice and explain in their own words.
Are we giving children activities to complete, or experiences to learn from?
Admissions for 2027-28 are open at HEWS, Kollur. Find the dates and book a campus visit at hews.org/dates.
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Why Parents Choose HEWS
