10 Issues in a Learning System: 8) Learning by Doing

• Coggno Inc.
• Sep, 8 2008
• Learning System
• action learning
• learn by doing

As Aristotle once famously said, “The things we have to learn before we do them, we learn by doing them.” This axiom should be heeded in any learning system. A learning system’s ability to empower its learners rests in whether or not they have been given a chance to exercise their knowledge. One may learn about the mechanics of a bicycle and the physics of its movements, but without having had a chance to actually mount one, the success of the learner’s performance becomes improbable.

Instead of reading about others’ experiences, one should be able to discover and experiment with knowledge firsthand. Learners are thereby able to gain information with their own surprises and mistakes, which not only makes a learning system more effective, but also more enjoyable and interactive. Solution: experiential learning techniques.