Impact’s experiential learning training and methodology integrate the four domains we believe are required to drive lasting behavior change. These are:
Knowledge: This conceptual domain is about learning from books, videos and established expertise, which is codified, cumulative and fixed.
Skills: This practical domain is about competence. This learning might be practiced but it is driven by expert tuition and direct guidance rather than being self-led.
Direct encounter: This is where the learner actively engages with the learning need and begins to integrate knowledge and skill acquisition with trying to deliver a result. This domain is driven by the learner and integrated with the final domain.
Reflection: This is the domain in which we process material from the other domains. It’s vital to internalize and integrate learning into new behaviors, mindsets and actions.
Traditional educational approaches to learning design typically focus on knowledge and skills, taking a ‘tell/test’ approach to applying what experts have told or taught us. This means directly engaging with the learning objective and organizational purpose, while actively and expertly reflecting on how to put knowledge and expert tuition into practice. As a result, all domains of our model are activated alongside each other.
Our approach isn’t cyclical because that isn’t how learning is applied in real life. Instead, we teach our methodology in a way that learners understand how to move between the four domains, depending on their needs, your purpose and the immediate context. Whether you’re managing change in the workplace, developing your leaders, or strengthening your teams, building expertise requires active engagement, best supported by experiential learning companies like Impact.