We as educators are always looking for motivational techniques and ways to make things more exciting for students. I've found in my short teaching career that experiential learning is a great way to keep children engaged in learning.

Because the basis of experiential learning is to build on the students want to learn rather than a need to learn is generally why motivation remains high. The students become personal involved in the tasks of an experiential classroom, promoting ongoing learning as well as self initiated learning. I have found in my experience that my students who generally produce low effort level work, become so involved in the experiential tasks, that they don't want to stop learning.

Earlier this school year, I put the students in charge of a bake sale. They were to organize the entire event. The purpose was to integrate character education (responsibility, compassion, and self-discipline) with math (money and counting), science (measurement), reading (following a recipe), and social studies (raising money for those less fortunate). The students were empowered by the task and their learning flourished.

For further definitions and information on experiential learning, you may want to visit the following websites.

Association for Experiential Education

Experiential Learning