DaVinci and Experiential Learning

What are our primary means of learning? The politics of education would like to keep us trapped in our outmoded limitations of words and numbers. Our human history tells us that our primary and most effective means of learning has been experiential. Leonardo DaVinci has always been one of my heroes. His seven principles of learning are all experiential.

• Curiosity (Curiosita) – An insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.
• Demonstration (Dimonstrazione) – A commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistence, and willingness to learn from mistakes.
• Sensation (Sensazione) – The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to enliven experience.
• Smoke (Sfumato) – Becoming open to the unknown. A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.
• Art and Science (Arte/Scienza) – Whole-Brain thinking. The development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination.
• The Body (Corporalita) – The cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise. Balancing the body and mind.
• Connection (Connessione) – A recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. Systems thinking.
  

DaVinci developed his explanation in anatomy and drawing by dissecting bodies. John Dewey believed that “all genuine education comes about through experiencing it.”

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