Experiential learning emphasizes how experiences, including cognitive and environmental factors, as well as emotions, influence the learning process. Simply put, experiential learning is the process of learning through experience, and is more specifically defined as "learning through reflection on doing.” Experiential learning has been described as learning that "involves the acquisition of abstract concepts that can be applied flexibly in a range of situations.” (Kolb) Learning occurs best when the learner progresses from grasping information to processing that information through reflective observation to active experimentation.
Experiential Learning is rooted in three foundational Biblical concepts: 1) the Old Testament concept that integrates “observing” with following; 2) the New Testament concept of “disciple” as a learner who follows the master teacher; and 3) the New Testament concept of “witness” as the person who explains what he has seen and heard.
These form the three distinct learning processes of “Observa,” “Discipulus,” and “Testimonium.” We have chosen to represent these concepts with the Latin terms taken from the Latin translation of the Scripture as a way of signaling to students the meaning of each learning process.
