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In our effort to become one of the best American curriculum schools in Dubai, ASCS at Al Barsha ensures that our teachers are using the most innovative and effective teaching strategies available. Whether it’s our expertly designed curriculum, or the use of modern technology in the classroom, we set the bar high for educators. The teachers at ASCS are highly qualified and dedicated to providing their students with the best education. However, we understand that sometimes the greatest learning experiences occur outside the classroom. This is where experiential learning comes in.

Experiential learning is not just another word for hands-on learning, although they are similar ideas. At its core, experiential learning involves activity. For example, if students are studying cell structure from a textbook in biology class, they would be learning passively. Mounting a cell on a slide and looking at it under the lens of microscope in a science lab would be experiential learning. This type of learning is not only active in the sense that it involves more than sitting and reading, but also in that it lets students see the fruits of their labor. Experiential learning can be far more effective than traditional rote learning, which is less engaging for students.

The theory of experiential learning as we know it now involves four stages. First, the student physically experiences the object of learning (they see and mount the cell, in our example), which, in the second stage, gives them the chance to consider or reflect on that object. In the third stage, they must use analytical skills to think of improvements that can be made for the next time they experience the same thing, and in the final stage, they use previous feedback to inform new attempts at that same experience.

To get past all this theory and adapt it usefully for the classroom, one needs trained educators who can facilitate experiences for students that will engage their emotions as well as their senses. That’s why ASCS Al Barsha is recognized as one of the best American curriculum schools in Dubai. Our teachers understand that making every educational experience a memorable one means that they have to connect with the students and find innovative ways to make students feel engaged with learning. At the end of the day, students are able to learn great analytical skills and gain a thirst for practical knowledge they never knew they had.