Why is Do-Learn Philosophy Important?
We come across thousands of things in our day-to-day life, get involved in performing hundreds of activities. But do you know what is common to all - We Do and Learn! irrespective of whether you are an infant, a student, a professional, or have enjoyed your life of 60 years. Situations teach us!
The wise through centuries have referred to Learning as a constant and the most important process. It has become all the more important in the competitive world. Today, everyone needs to learn multiple facets or subjects to have a good life and career.
But is theoretical knowledge enough? The answer is a No.
The world is getting inclined towards a more experience-oriented approach. Field experience is a must along with theoretical knowledge, and the students of today toss between the two sides in this quest.
But what if the experience is combined with learning?
Yes, that can be done. Experiential Learning focuses on the ‘Do-Learn philosophy’ or learning by doing. Experiential learning provides learning opportunities that focus on material and skills that are relevant to student's lives, which increases their motivation to learn.
One way experiential learning promotes motivation is by providing students with a degree of autonomy in their learning—students must take the lead in searching for and applying solutions to problems, and they make numerous decisions throughout the process that shape their own learning (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014).
Do-Learn Philosophy to Change the Lives of Students in the Future:
1. Accelerated Learning
Rote learning has long been replaced by 'Learning by Doing.' Experiential Learning methodology employs critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision making. This has become a well-known method for accelerating learning.
The great Aristotle told, “For the things, we have to learn before we can do them, We Learn by Doing them.”
2. Ensures a Secure Learning Environment
Simulations use real-life scenarios to depict various challenges that a participant will face after completing the course. It is natural for mistakes to occur during the course of learning. During the course of learning, the role of mistakes is as critical as a child falling in a playground while playing and learning how to stand back.
3. Bridge the theoretical and practical divide
By moving beyond theory and into the realm of "learning by doing," the trainee gains first-hand experience of putting what he or she has learned into practice. This is critical for remembering concepts and ideas.
4. Produces Visible Mindset Shifts
There are very few learning methods that can have a significant impact on the mindset of the participants. One of them is Experiential Learning. Long ago, management guru Henry Mintzberg stated, "Leadership, like swimming, cannot be learned by reading about it."
5. Increases levels of engagement
The strong emphasis on collaboration and learning from one another benefits the participant by increasing engagement. On the other hand, because the participant is immediately involved in the problem-solving activity or event, the participant has a high level of ownership over the outcome.
6. Makes Room for Personalized Learning
Every student is unique and has a different story of their own. Experiential learning facilitates this idea of making the learnings of any subject very personalized. As the participants learn while performing the activity themselves, the reception of what they want to take from the experience is completely different, therefore giving a personalized learning experience to all.
Conclusion
The Do-Learn philosophy is a change that is worth the embrace. It is making the rounds and many professionals are the advocates of this approach. The greatest beneficiary from this approach would be the students. They won’t just be confined to books and walls of school/college. The experience that they gain will make them more efficient and learned. Experiential Learning is here to stay for good.
InternShape has been advocating the Do-Learn philosophy since its beginning. We engage students in various field-based projects to give them experience and in the process learn about various functionalities. We are there at every stage of their development and make them future job-ready. The courses are designed with a practical approach in mind. Trained under experienced professionals. InternShape is the perfect transformation from theoretical to experiential learning