Experiential Learning

Acquiring science concepts of the students can be done and developed through Experiences through Informal Science Learning like Fieldtrip. Related studies for this discuss Informal Science Learning, Experiences and Fieldtrip.

Informal Science Learning

Informal learning is the lifelong process by which every person acquires and accumulates knowledge, skills, attitudes and insights from both daily experiences and exposure to the environment. Generally, informal learning is unorganized and often unsystematic, yet it accounts for the great bulk of any person’s total lifetime learning. (Coombs & Ahmed, 1974; Jeffs & Smith, 1990) (as cited in Sevdalis & Skoumios, 2014).

Informal science learning extends learning outside the classroom, is likely

It is where students do; a specific task and the students will have self-discovery, which can make them remember information more.

Unlike in the traditional classroom, students compete with one another and the instruction of the teachers is highly structured, while in experiential learning students cooperate with one another in a semi-structured instruction. The focus of experiential learning is placed on the process of learning and not the product of learning (UC Davis, 2011). Meaning experiential learning focuses more on how students acquire information rather than what the students have learned.

The experiential learning process involves a number of steps that offer students a hands-on, collaborative and reflective learning experience, which helps them to fully learn new skills and knowledge (Haynes, 2007). The following are the steps that comprise experiential learning as noted by (Haynes, 2007 and UC Davis, 2011). Experiencing/ Exploring “Doing”; were students do the given task on their own, Sharing/ Reflecting “What Happened?” were students share what they have observed on the task, Processing/ Analyzing “What’s Important?” were students analyze the shared data and relate them to future learning, Generalizing “So What?” were students connect their experiences to the real world and Application

It is a shared social constructivism approach where it suggests that human construct learning through experiences. Fieldtrips provides an opportunity for the learners to experience, encounter and explore new things in a situated or authentic setting. School field trips are exciting it engage children and it bring children out of their routines and it give them the opportunity for meaningful educational experiences.

The importance of fieldtrips as part of the basic education curriculum is supported by professional organizations such as the National Science Teachers Association (1999) which asserts field trips can “deepen and enhance” classroom study. And the National Research Council (2005) who asserts a good quality science curriculum that extends beyond the four walls of the classroom

Having a fieldtrip in basic education curriculum is an important factor that can affect students learning. School field trips give students more opportunities for “hands-on learning.” For example, instead of just reading about how bread was made, students visit a bread factory so that they can observe how it is made, and possibly even get to try it themselves. According to Dewitt & Storksdieck (2008), it is important to recognize that learning outcomes from field trips can range from cognitive to affective outcomes. It was because when students go on field trips, more people than