In most educational settings, you only need a 90% accuracy to earn an A. In the skilled trades, however, the stakes are higher. A 10% error rate in a trades classroom could cause a life-threatening safety incident like electrical shock or chemical exposure.
In fact, four in five CTE instructors report at least one safety incident per year. So, how can instructors ensure students master safety concepts alongside academic content?
Experiential learning, or learning by doing, is an effective solution to instill safety principles by having students simulate and replicate protocols. Unlike traditional passive methods like lectures or rote memorization, experiential learning requires learners to participate directly, make decisions, and solve problems.
However, experiential learning for safety seems counterintuitive. Letting untrained learners practice dangerous skills hands-on is a risk. Fortunately, simulation-based learning provides a stepping stone that means learners can be hands-on but without the risk. Let’s dive deeper into the value of experiential learning and how to apply it in less safe situations.
How Experiential Learning Works to Boost Recall and Muscle Memory
According to Edgar Dale’s Cone of Experience, learning by doing is more effective than simply hearing a lecture or reading a textbook. Here’s how and why it works better:
- Tactile engagement: When learners physically interact with materials — whether manipulating objects or participating in experiments — they activate the brain’s motor, sensory, and cognitive systems. A Brain Sciences study found that tactile training improves sustained attention and reduces errors.
- Multi-sensory engagement: Experiential learning engages multiple brain pathways. By engaging multiple senses (visual, auditory, tactile) simultaneously, learners create stronger neural connections that help them remember.
- Motivation and focus: The interactive and immersive nature of experiential learning keeps students engaged and motivated compared with passive learning.
- Active learning: Experiential learning is active learning, which requires students to make decisions, solve problems, and see the immediate consequences of their actions, reinforcing learning. Studies have found that performing actions produces superior recall.
Experiential Learning in Action: Pryor Innovation Center
One example of experiential learning is the Innovation Center, which sets students up for success in the HVAC industry through a unique program combining hands-on training, real-world experience, and virtual simulations. Students gain practical skills through 1:1 mentorship, Department of Labor apprenticeship hours, and Interplay Learning’s 3D and virtual reality (VR) simulations.
This program not only teaches students the fundamentals of heating and cooling, but immerses them in experiential learning that enhances student performance, recall, and safety. For example, student intern Levi Cakora splits his time between shadowing and learning with the school’s HVAC/R technician and completing interactive learning modules and simulations.
“I really like the simulations because they’ll give you what’s wrong, and you have to go through and figure it out,” says Cakora. “I do believe it helps you learn faster, and it gives you more of a confidence boost whenever you walk out and start doing stuff on an actual unit. It really keeps you just interested and focused the whole time.”
The simulation training also lets students make mistakes in a safe environment before trying a skill on live equipment. The platform is designed to replicate the interactivity of real equipment and tactile learning as closely as possible.
“Whenever I get electrically shocked in the simulation, it vibrates, and it scares me when I’m not expecting it,” shares Cakora. “I think it helps with safety. You see it on the actual unit and you remember, I can’t touch that.”
3 Ways to Teach Safety Principles with Experiential Learning
Here are three powerful ways to leverage experiential learning for deeper, safer, and more effective safety training.
1. Embrace the Experiential Learning Cycle
Doing isn’t enough on its own to complete the learning cycle for students. According to the Kolb Experiential Learning Theory developed by David A. Kolb, effective experiential learning includes four phases:
- Experience: Students participate in hands-on activities like operating equipment, conducting drills, or engaging in realistic simulations.
- Reflective observation: After the activity, learners reflect on what happened, often through group discussions or debriefing sessions. This step is crucial for recognizing what went well and what could be improved.
- Abstract conceptualization: Students connect their experiences to safety principles and theories, building a conceptual framework for why certain protocols exist.
- Active experimentation: Learners apply their new insights to future tasks, testing improved approaches and reinforcing safe behaviors.
This cycle ensures students don’t just “do”— they think, analyze, and adapt so they can understand the “why” and build safer habits. These steps also help students transfer their learning to real-world situations they’ll face in the field.
2. 3D Simulations and Virtual Reality (VR)
Immersive technologies like 3D simulations and VR are transforming what’s possible in safety training. Highly physical careers like surgeons, first responders, and tactical military units have adopted virtual simulations for high-risk scenarios for a reason. Interplay Learning has now made these technologies more affordable and accessible for the skilled trades.
One study by Marshall University found that VR-based training significantly boosted recall and correct responses in training on fall hazards, the highest injury and death risk in the construction industry.
Learners can make mistakes and learn from simulations without real-world consequences, building confidence and lowering material costs and liability. Simulations can also make training more scalable when lab space and instructor ratios limit growth.
3. Blended Learning
While 3D and VR simulations offer a realistic practice experience, students can still benefit from practicing on real equipment. Blended learning combines in-person instruction and virtual training modules for the best of both worlds.
This approach is effective for safety training for the trades because it:
- Enables a flipped classroom approach, where students can start with pre-class simulations or safety modules to introduce concepts.
- Allows instructors to use lab and classroom time for demonstrations, supervised practice, and competency testing where students apply what they’ve learned in a controlled, supportive environment.
- Provides options for visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic preferences, so every student can engage the material in a way that works best for them.
A Foundation for Safety and Success
Teaching the trades requires a delicate balance between safeguarding students and facilitating learning through trial and error.
No matter how you incorporate experiential learning, through apprenticeships, simulations, or blended approaches, it’s clear that students in the skilled trades need more than theory to stay safe and succeed. In environments where a single mistake can have serious consequences, it’s essential to give students practice in safe, but realistic, environments.
Platforms like Interplay Learning are leading this shift, enabling schools and training centers to deliver immersive, hands-on experiences at scale.
With interactive 3D simulations and VR modules, students can safely explore hazardous scenarios and learn from their mistakes. Experiential learning builds competence, confidence, and safety habits, producing both capable and safety-minded graduates.
Learn more about Interplay Learning’s simulation-based safety training and OSHA certificates for the skilled trades.
