RESOURCES
2024-03-13
The Importance of Hands on Learning
Unlock success through effective hands-on learning methods with Take Action Lab.
Published by Tilting Futures
Hands-On Learning
As you’ve gone through school, you’ve had the opportunity to learn in a variety of different ways. You’ve listened to lectures, you’ve done science experiments, and you’ve probably read a lot of textbooks. One especially powerful way to learn is hands-on learning. Hands-on learning is where you participate in what you’re learning about or do physical activities while learning. Hands-on learning lets you experience what you’re learning about to help it stick in your mind longer. It can also help you get out into the world and learn about new perspectives.
Let’s look at why hands-on learning can be so powerful, how it can benefit you as you begin your career, how you can enhance your education, and how to get hands-on learning experiences with Take Action Lab.
What Are Different Learning Styles?
Hands-on learning is only one type of learning style. There are three general ways that people learn:
- Visual learning. Visual learning is a common way to learn. With this style, you learn best by viewing the information you’re trying to learn. That might mean you can glean valuable information from reading a textbook. It might mean that you memorize better using flashcards and images to associate with concepts. So if you want to learn all of the US capitals, you might have a picture on your flashcards to help you learn.
- Auditory learning. Auditory learning means learning from hearing information. You might take in information from a classroom lecture or from listening to information from something like a podcast. Essentially, you hear, and you learn.
- Kinesthetic learning. Kinesthetic learning is learning by doing. It might involve moving while learning something, or it might involve getting out of the desk and finding a new way to learn something. It’s also a nice combination of both visual and auditory learning.
Does Hands-On Learning Work For Everyone?
It’s pretty well established that everyone learns in different ways. You might be a natural auditory learner, and that’s great! Still, it’s highly likely that you can learn kinesthetically because it’s nearly universal. It combines some of the best things about auditory learning and visual learning. You’re listening to instructions, and you’re seeing what you’re working with.
Why Is Hands-On Learning So Powerful?
When you learn something in a hands-on form, you’re getting to actually experience something instead of just hearing about it. It’s powerful to experience what you’re learning. For example, it’s nice to hear about a science experiment. It’s an entirely different thing to get to perform the experiment yourself. You’ll truly understand how that chemical reaction works, instead of just hearing or reading about it.
Hands-on learning is also powerful for learning soft skills. You could hear a teacher talk about how to be a good leader, but until you are actually in a leadership role, you won’t truly learn how to lead. So if you want to learn something deeply—especially one of the softer skills like leadership, empathy, teamwork, and communication—you’ll want to actively seek out hands-on learning opportunities.
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How Can Hands-On Learning Benefit Your Career?
When you start out your career, one of your main goals is to stand out. There are a lot of strong students with high GPAs and impressive schoolwork. So how can you stand out? One of the best ways is to get hands-on learning experiences. You might consider an internship in your dream field where you get to experience the positions yourself. Or you might consider an immersive learning experience where you work together with professionals doing meaningful work.
Getting that kind of hands-on experience can do two key things for you: help you stand out on applications and learn real-life skills. An apprenticeship or hands-on learning program gives you something unique to put on your resume and to talk about in job interviews. Getting out into the world is a unique opportunity, and employers take note of that.
On top of that, you also have the opportunity to really learn real-life skills. It’s hard to learn something like leadership inside of a classroom. It’s also hard to learn how to work on a team and how to solve problems without getting into real-life situations. Hands-on learning helps you learn those skills, which can help you as you kickstart your career.
How Can Hands-On Learning Enhance Your Education?
Hands-on learning also helps you while you’re still in school. You’re learning a lot of valuable skills in the classroom, but some skills just don’t stick until you’re able to put them into practice. If you’re learning about a theory or model, you won’t really get to see how it works until you get some hands-on learning experience to solidify what you’ve learned.
It’s also worth considering where your college education currently has gaps. If you’re like most students today, you mostly learn from lectures and textbooks. That can teach you a lot, but it can’t teach you everything. Plus you might find it difficult to go beyond rote memorization to truly internalize the concepts from lectures and textbooks. A hands-on learning experience, like those with Take Action Lab, can help you learn in a way that works for you.
How Does Hands-On Learning Work In Groups?
One other unique aspect of hands-on learning is that you can work in groups. Unlike lectures or readings, with hands-on learning you can work alongside a team and all learn together. That opportunity can also expose you to new perspectives and ideas. You can learn so much from hearing about how someone else might solve a problem.
Getting Hands-On Learning Experience Now
Hands-on learning is such a valuable way to learn skills and get experience that will help your education and kickstart your career. How can you find hands-on learning experiences? Here at Tilting Futures, we fully believe that hands-on learning is where you are truly able to learn and thrive. That’s why we provide a variety of experiences to help you get real-world experience and expand your perspective of the world and what you’re capable of achieving within it.
Our immersive learning program, Take Action Lab brings together cultural immersion abroad with a research-backed curriculum. You’ll have the opportunity to apprentice with organizations advancing human rights issues. So not only do you get great hands-on experience, you also get to do something incredibly meaningful.
Learn more about Take Action Lab and check out the application today to start your own hands-on learning experience.
