Classroom Learning and Personal Experience

I agree with that some people say, “Not all learning takes place in the classroom.” From classroom instructions, we can gain a lot of knowledge, but we may have more impression from the experience of the application in daily life.

Classroom learning can provide students an initiation of learning. The teachers can suggest efficient study skills and solve the students’ questions with their proficiency. However, merely memorizing the studying material or having tests can not clarify the understanding of knowledge. For example, even though we read the maps, see the pictures of other countries, we still have a vague impression of the exotic lands. Instead, if we really go abroad, meet the natives, taste the food, and see the architectures and the scenery, we can get a stronger feeling and memory because it’s a part of our experiences.

In learning, the classes and the books can give us a basic knowledge. The experiences, in another way, enhance our abilities and make the knowledge surefooted and near to life. For example, when we are learning a language, we just see the words and phrases in the books, but if we really use the terms we have learned, we can make more progress in that language. It’s more practical to ask and find how to take a bus in foreign language in that country than just writing down the possible conversation on the paper.

Moreover, the personal experience can give more insights to the individuals. For instance, we may improve our communicative and problem-solving skills in work, activities, and life experience. The reflection from experiences may be invaluable help for us and it is beyond the mere classroom learning. In every minutes, we are learning form life, from what we do, what we see, hear, taste, smell, and touch. We accumulate these experiences and feed ourselves with the response to the things and the world. The interaction with the outside world can open our inward eyes, and we may generate a correspondent wind to the world and enlarge our mind. This kind of knowledge can be taught, but can not be gained in the classroom.

The sources of knowledge are various, but I think personal experience is extraordinarily important. The classroom learning has its value, but it can not replace the real experience. Personal experiences impress us, inspire us, and render us acquire the knowledge in a natural way. In a nutshell, learning takes place not only in the classroom, but also in the experience, in life, and everywhere.