WHAT WE BELIEVE

I hear and I forget;
I see and I remember;
I do and I understand.

Experiential Learning engages people by offering them the opportunity to fully participate with their mind, body and spirit. Simply put, experiential education is learning by doing with reflection. It is based on the belief that people learn best by direct and purposeful contact with their learning experiences (West-Smith, 2000; Priest & Gass, 1997). The approach used by many experiential learning programs is found in Kolb's four-step experiential learning cycle. He begins with a concrete experience, moves to observations and reflections, then asks for the formation of abstract concepts and generalizations, and completes the cycle by testing implications of concepts in new situations. Learning is the desired outcome of the experience -- a change in the way we feel, think, or behave, overcoming barriers and resistance.

The most well known experiential learning programs are called ropes or challenge courses - activities where individuals or groups participate in initiatives that literally use ropes, stumps, or other props to create challenges. Because experiential learning is proving to be more effective than some other traditional behavioral change approaches, another popular venue for experiential learning is to help at-risk populations, such as teens, people with addictions, or individuals with mental health issues. The successful use of experiential education initiatives and specifically, equine assisted psychotherapy (EAP) has led to the use of this treatment modality in a variety of programs.