Experiential Learning

Making Learning Fun

Keith G. Diem and Judy Levings

4-H learning methods and sound curriculum materials are well suited to small groups of youth in a variety of settings, including clubs, camps, schools, home-schooling, and "alternative" learning environments. Using a variety of creative teaching methods is essential for getting the attention of youth and adults.

Presenting Workshops to Adults

Brian E. Myers

Using an Experiential Model in 4-H

Marilyn N. Norman and Joy C. Jordan

4-H Youth Development relies heavily upon the five steps of the experiential learning model to teach life skills. The sequential steps of the model help youth identify what they have learned from a 4-H experience or activity and to apply that learning to other experiences or situations. This model requires that the “teacher/leader” be very clear about the skill or concept targeted and that the experience and the processing questions are designed to support that learner goal. The experiential learning process engages the learners in all phases of the activity, resulting in the ability to generalize this learning to new situations.

Exemplary Youth Leadership Series: Activities to Engage Youth With Practices of Exemplary Leaders

Megan Stein

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.

Cooperating Teachers’ Best Practices for Mentoring #4: Role Modeling

Heather R. Nesbitt and Debra 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 and Anne 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.