STUDENTNUMBER:
801980
WORD COUNT:
2954

801980 MN-M011

What are experiential learning and multiple intelligences & how they impact on traditional education?

27/11/2014
What are experiential learning and multiple intelligences & how they impact on traditional education?

1. Abstract
A learning style is a method which students use it to study in a stimulate environment (Reese, 2009). It is a widely accepted that traditional education model plays a significant role in the educational area (Marks, 2010). Nevertheless, an effective learning approach is a effective way to help individuals to improve their self-ability. It is also can be utilized to enhance people’s learning efficiency. Currently, multiple intelligences learning style and experiential learning style are considered as two classic learning models by which to develop and cultivate human intelligence, learning style, individuality and behavior (Smith, 2005). Actually, multiple intelligences are meaning that people focus on individual’s intelligence and favor ways to study and enhance. However, experiential learning pays greater attention to the learning process for people. In other words, the direct experience which is undergone by individuals are the most important parts of experiential learning (Itin, 1999).

2. Introduction
With the development of society, education plays a key role in individual’s life (Media & Huson, 2013). Certainly, teaching method is concerned by an increasing number view. Many effective teaching methods have been found, such as experiential learning, multiple intelligences and VAK learning style (Reese, 2009).
At the same time, traditional teaching method is still popularizing due to a time-honored and the most common paradigm (Montrosde, 2009). Although there are many definitions of traditional education, it is generally considered that traditional education focus on the teacher who is a leader in the learning environment (Logsdon, 2006).Normally, traditional education is composed of the teacher and blackboard (Logsdon, 2006). Teachers usually use lessons and blackboard to introduce knowledge and skills (Hendrisks, 2009). In order to acquire some feedbacks from teacher, students need to complete some practice work (Hendrisks, 2009). In order to let students can graduate and participate in quickly employment, “one size fits all” is regarded as the standard of the traditional education model (Peggy, 1992).
Actually, Howard Gardner introduced a theory of intelligence which is called multiple intelligences in 1983 (Gilman, 2011). In this theory, he thinks that multiple intelligences are the ability which can be stimulated people’s potential to solve problems and created new productions (Gilman, 2011). In addition, the theory of experiential learning style was published by David Kolb (McCarthy & McCarthy, 2006). In this theory, he emphasized that individuals need to learn more and more quickly through the discovery and experience.
In this article, the definition and main process of experiential learning and multiple intelligences will be provided. Furthermore, the differences between traditional teaching method, experiential learning and multiple intelligences will be compared. Lastly, how experiential learning and the multiple intelligences impact on education will be analyzed.

3. Main Body
3.1 David Kolb’s experiential learning theory
It is widely approved that experiential learning theory focus on the personal experience and it was developed by David Kolb in 1984 (Itin, 1999). Thus, the definition of experiential learning clearly points that learning is a process which the knowledge system is established through revolution of personal experience (McCarthy & McCarthy, 2006). As a result of learning is a sustaining and adaptive holistic process which is depends on the social knowledge and personal experience. In particular, the most important parts are how to make