Real learning doesn’t happen through instruction
How to leverage experiential learning for self-growth
If someone asked me about my most vivid memories from high school, I would say it was the countless hours spent on the basketball court every morning, tinkering away in the computer lab during middle school, or dancing around during annual festival practices.
Fast forward to college, and I would reminisce about the incredible exposure I got from studying in different countries, going on company field visits, or the hours spent on our research project where we interviewed industry professionals.
You know what all these memories have in common? They're not about books or tests. I might not remember much from my cost accounting class, but a video project we did to calculate the costs of our college cafeteria is fresh in my mind.
My international finance concepts might have become a little rusty, but I still remember the thrill from a group debate we had in Dubai, defending whether one should invest in Apple stock or not.
Real learning doesn’t happen through instruction 🎓
In the corporate world, training is essential for onboarding, leadership, and executive education. However, according to a 24x7 learning study, 88% of employees report not applying the skills learned in training to their jobs.
Most students I talk to say the same about their college education.
Now, I'm not saying all instruction is bad. I still value what I learned in my school math classes and the lectures in uni.
Instruction is important, but it's like a superhero duo – powerful when combined with experience. 🦸♀️🦸♂️
Note: Instruction is especially crucial in technical fields and subjects like biology and chemistry, but even there, real learning comes through experience.
Embracing the 70/20/10 model of learning 💪
Focusing on experiential learning helps change that with the 70/20/10 model of learning. This model suggests that only 10% of employee learning comes from traditional instruction, whereas 70% comes from experiential and 20% from social learning.
For example, to develop employees' leadership skills, companies can use the 70-20-10 approach to learning. This involves the following:
70% - Experiential Learning: Employees learn through on-the-job experiences such as job rotations, leading a project, or taking on stretch assignments.
20% - Social Learning: Employees learn from others through mentorship, peer learning groups, and networking events.
10% - Formal Learning: Employees receive structured training and educational programs such as leadership workshops, online courses, and executive coaching.
By using this approach, companies can offer a well-rounded leadership development experience that combines hands-on practice, learning from others, and formal instruction.
Making self-learning more experiential 🌟
While this model is focused on corporate training, it can be applied to self-learning as well. Even in college and schools, but we’ll just talk about self-learning here.
As you already know, there’s a treasure trove of content available online for whatever you want to study – from karate to public speaking. You can watch countless hours of lectures from MIT or Harvard on YouTube, but just listening to the lectures won’t help, exactly how just reading a self-help book can't change your life (or teach you to juggle).
In our fast-paced lives, we need a new approach to learning that is more engaging and effective. This is especially true in the digital age, where just watching online videos doesn't quite cut it.
I enrolled in a search engine marketing course, but after two months, I have only watched three out of the 14 videos. The course consists only of videos on the topic, with no formative or summative assessments and no deadlines. This lack of structure made it super boring, and as a result, I never finished the course.
Here’s a way you can design your learning to be more experiential;
1. Assess:
Identify your needs: What are you trying to learn and why? What issues are most pressing? What capabilities or skills do you need to develop to ensure you can perform, innovate, and grow in areas that are strategically important to yourself?
2. Create your Learning Ecosystem:
Your goal should be to create an immersive environment so you can conduct experiments, make mistakes, and get substantive feedback.
Choose instruction style: Consider what kind of instruction and content you need to learn effectively. Do you prefer a self-paced online course, an in-person class, or just books and YouTube videos?
Add experiential flavours: How can you best practice what you are learning? Think of ways to make your learning more experiential. If you are choosing a course, ensure it focuses on learning by doing rather than just watching videos or reading articles.
Make it social: Explore collaborations with experts and other learners to enhance your ecosystem and learn from others.
Examples 📚
Let's take a look at how we would plan to learn two different skills: Learning Data Analysis and Learning Swimming.
Learning Data Analysis 📊
Needs: In the era of big data, having strong data analysis skills can give you a significant advantage in your career. You want to learn data analysis to improve your current job performance, gain new insights from data, and open up new job opportunities in the future.
Learning Ecosystem
Time: 8 weeks, 5 hours per week on average
Instruction:
Online Data Analysis course
Read books or articles on data analysis techniques and best practices
Experience:
Work on real-life data sets, such as those found on Kaggle, to practice and apply the techniques learned
Start a personal project where you analyze data related to your interests or hobbies
Volunteer to analyze data for your company or your friend’s business and surprise them with a detailed analysis
Social:
Join online forums or communities of data analysts to ask questions, share experiences, and learn from others
Pair up with a study buddy or form a study group to keep each other motivated and accountable
Learning Swimming 🏊
Assessment
Needs: Swimming is a great form of exercise and an essential life skill. You want to learn swimming to improve your overall health, enjoy water activities safely, and participate in social events involving swimming.
Learning Ecosystem
Time: 10 weeks, 2 sessions per week
Instruction:
Sign up for swimming classes at a local community center or sports club
Watch instructional videos on YouTube to understand proper swimming techniques
Experience:
Practice swimming regularly during your classes, focusing on perfecting your strokes and building stamina
Attend open swim sessions at the local pool to gain more confidence and practice your skills in different water conditions
Social:
Engage with fellow swimmers in your class or at the pool, sharing tips and experiences
Find a swimming buddy to practice with outside of class and keep each other motivated
Maybe even plan a trip with your friends to swim in the ocean (or an ocean pool)
These examples illustrate how you can create a well-rounded learning experience by combining instruction, hands-on practice, and social interactions. By following this approach, you'll make the learning process more engaging, effective, and enjoyable.
If you want to learn a new skill and need help designing a custom learning plan, feel free to reach out. I would be happy to help.
👀 Also, check this out
writes , a cool new newsletter for with the latest news and trends in the ed-tech sector across Asia. Her latest issue talks about the growing education market in India and China. Check it out here: 
Until next time, happy learning.
by Ayush
Cover Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash