Experiential Learning

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.