Learning through experience is perhaps the most fundamental way in which we learn about the world around us. Learning has been defined as a "relatively permanent change in knowledge, attitudes, or behavior as a result of experiences." But what makes an experience truly educational and positive? How does experiential learning go beyond hands-on learning? Experiential learning is considered a holistic approach to learning and involves a person\u27s thoughts, feelings, and actions. Experiential learning places the learner at the center of the learning experience. The educator\u27s role is to guide or facilitate the learning process. For learning to be meaningful, learners need to have opportunities to reflect on and share their experience with others and apply what they learned to new situations. Thus, how we teach is just as important as what we teach. This paper provides an overview of the ecperiential learning process, its impacts on learning, and possible challenges in using the approach. This paper highlights the use of experiential learning in the 4-H Youth Development Program, the youth outreach component of land grant universities in the United States.Karen Blyler: State 4-H Science Coordinator, 4-H Youth Development Program, University of Florid
