The father of the “learning by doing” approach to learning could be considered John Dewey. As we’ve seen in the course Dewey’s method was criticised for increasing, rather than diminishing, social inequity. In “modern times” his method has evolved and taken many shapes. Bates (2018) put all of these new forms under the umbrella of “experiential learning”. Many design models fall under this approach, such as problem-based learning, project-based learning, inquiry-based learning; or community-based learning.

In problem-based learning the instructor has more the role of a tutor because he has a critical task of facilitating and guiding the student’s learning process. In this approach student have to define and discuss a certain problem, identify possible solutions, set learning objects and research the problem before coming up with the final solution.

In project-based learning activities the students focus on real life problems and they can, therefore, acquire a sense of responsibility while at the same time learning. Larmer and Mergendoller (2010, cited by Bates, 2018) argue that for a project-based learning to be well designed, it must have an educational purpose and the students must feel that what they’re doing carries a personal meaning and so that they can relate to the task at hand.

In inquiry-based learning it is the student who chooses the theme he/she wants to explore, develops a plan to make his/her research, and draw his/her conclusions. In this approach the student has a higher degree of freedom and the instructor is only there to provide help when it is requested by the student.

As for Dewey model of progressive learning, these other experiential learning approaches have been criticised and it can be argued that “just giving students tasks to do in real world situations without guidance and support is likely to be ineffective” (Bates, 2018).

However, if the experience is well designed in terms of activities for the student, but also in terms of assessment criteria (evaluation of knowledge transfer instead of memorisation and comprehension) experiential learning could be highly beneficial for the students.

If I have to speak based on my own experience, I believe that in many situations I have learned more by “doing” something than by reading a book about a certain topic or following a “traditional” classroom method. I’ve learned to use softwares, design websites, programming in blocks, etc. “only” because I had a problem or a project that needed to be done and my curiosity and my wish to learn have been strong enough to motivate me.

Reference:

Bates, A. T. (2018). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning.