Experiential Learning YCDSB

The Ministry of Education is committed to enhancing the teaching and learning experience for children, youth and adult learners from Kindergarten to Grade 12 by establishing and strengthening connections between schools, parents/guardians and community members. Schools are being supported to provide opportunities for students to engage in hands-on, real world learning that helps them develop their understanding of the curriculum and prepare for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Hands-on, real world learning, also known as experiential learning, is an approach that provides opportunities for students to:

• participate in learning experiences connected to a community or industry;

• reflect on those experiences to derive meaning; and then

• apply their learning to influence their decisions and actions in various aspects of their lives, including education and career/life plans.

The experience can involve local, national, or global communities and:

• being physically present (an on-site experience);

• being present through the use of digital tools and technologies (a virtual experience); or

• a combination of the two (a blended experience).

When children, youth and adult learners are fully engaged in community-connected experiences, they develop:

• a deeper understanding of expectations from the Ontario curriculum and the Kindergarten Program; and

• the skills, knowledge and work habits to be competent, confident and effective education and career/life planners.