Experiential Learning
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English
4-H Youth Development relies heavily upon the five steps of the experiential learning model to teach life skills. The experiential learning process engages the learners in all phases of the activity, resulting in the ability to generalize this learning to new situations.
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Publications
Presenting Workshops to Adults
Brian E. Myers
Exemplary Youth Leadership Series: Activities to Engage Youth With Practices of Exemplary Leaders
Megan S. Cantrell
This publication series is designed to outline strategies and experiences to expose youth to and engage them with leadership concepts. In this series, activities have been developed to introduce youth to Kouzes and Posner’s five practices of exemplary leaders. Each article in the series directly relates to one of the practices and the topics of values, vision, teamwork, trust, and gratitude. This new 3-page article, the first in the series, introduces each practice and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model.
Florida 4-H Volunteer Training Series: Learn by Doing + a Little Bit More
Karen Henry, Claire Davis, Melinda Souers, Paula Davis, Heather Kent, andCandi Dierenfield
This is one publication in the Florida 4-H Volunteer Training Series, which prepares 4-H volunteers to apply positive youth development best practices. “Learn by doing” is a common phrase used by staff and volunteers to explain how 4-H youth development teaches life skills. Experiential Learning has been proven to be an effective way to engage youth in the learning process. This publication provides volunteers with tools to help them apply the experiential learning model and outlines the steps volunteers can take to ensure that youth are able to apply what they have learned to new situations.
Florida 4-H Volunteer Training Series: Making Learning Fun
Keith G. Diem, Keith G. Diem, Judith Levings, Karen Henry, Claire Davis, andCandi Dierenfield
Other Contacts: Sarah Hensley
4-H learning methods and curriculum materials are well-suited to small groups of youth in various settings, including clubs, camps, and schools. Using a blend of creative teaching methods is essential for getting the attention of youth. As a group leader, the adult helps guide youth in a process of doing, sharing, processing, and applying their knowledge in new situations.
Cooperating Teachers’ Best Practices for Mentoring #4: Role Modeling
Heather R. Nesbitt, Heather R. Nesbitt, andDebra M. Barry
This fourth publication of the Cooperating Teachers’ Best Practices for Mentoring series focuses on role modeling. Role modeling is achieved by the cooperating teacher positively modeling all aspects of teaching. This can be accomplished through demonstrating teaching methods, explaining classroom management techniques, and modeling effective communication. Through observation, the student teacher decides what and how they will implement or not implement as an educator in their own classroom. Written by Heather R. Nesbitt and Debra M. Barry and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication; 3 pp.
Designing Instruction to Guide Reflection
Ralph Easterly III
Reflection is critical because it helps the learner encode their new knowledge, helping them tie what they experienced in class with what they already know and believe. This article aims to provide a few strategies to help guide reflection. These strategies can be used to inform teaching in the formal classroom, Extension programming, and non-formal teaching. Written by R. G. (Tre) Easterly III and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, May 2024.
The Use of Reflection as an Effective Leadership Practice: An Overview of Two Reflection Models
Christy Chiarelli andAnne Parrish
Reflection is an important component of leadership, and developing a habit of reflection may lead to increased leadership effectiveness. This publication, which is part of The Use of Reflection as an Effective Leadership Practice series, aims to highlight models of reflection and demonstrate ways leaders can utilize frameworks to build reflective habits. Written by Christy Chiarelli and Anne Parrish, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, December 2025.