MY OPINION ABOUT EXPERIENTIAL AND ROTE LEARNING

There is an argument about whether experiential learning is more beneficial than rote learning or not. Regarding the issue, some people insist that it is more effective for students to understand their subject by doing activities. However I disagree with such a view for the following reasons. First of all, it takes much more time to do experiential learning in school since there are more materials, places and plans needed for the practical class than a routine class. Spending a lot of time for a class means that the school has to extend school hours and has potential problems. For example, when I was in high school, the principle tried to make all classes include activities or experiences, but the principle’s strategy caused students to miss classes necessary for entrance to college. So the principle had to extend school hours about twelve hours a week which burdened students. In this regard, I think that rote learning, which does not require a lot of preparation time, is more efficient in school. The second reason is financial. Because teaching students through experience or activities requires more teachers, materials and places, the school has to spend a lot of money. According to a report released by Edu.com that is one of the Korean research centers, experiential or active classes require about twice the financial expenses than a normal class. Moreover, the report found that most schools which tried to change normal classes to experiential classes finally gave up their decision because of financial difficulties. For schools to make the practical class successful without any financial problems, they would have to request students to share the financial responsibility for experiential learning. To conclude, I firmly disagree that learning by doing is more beneficial than a traditional class in school. The efforts for the practical class are not efficient if schools consider an aspect of time and finance. Time and money saved by doing a traditional class would give schools more chances to try a lot of new methods for students. Therefore, rote class is better than experiential class in school.