Your Basket (0 items)What is practice based learning?
Practice based learning is an approach where people learn by actively doing, rather than only listening or observing.
Instead of focusing on theory alone, it combines knowledge with real or simulated experience. Learners apply ideas in a practical setting, reflect on what happens, and build understanding through that process.
This approach is widely used in professional environments such as healthcare, education, and leadership development, where simply understanding a concept is not enough. People need to be able to apply it in real situations.
For organisations and facilitators, practice based learning provides a structured way to move beyond passive learning and towards meaningful development.
How it differs from traditional learning approaches
Traditional learning often focuses on theory first. Participants are given information, frameworks, or models, and expected to apply them later.
While this can build awareness, it does not always lead to confidence or capability.
Practice based learning takes a different approach by combining learning and application.
Key differences include:
- Theory-led learning focuses on understanding concepts
- Practice based learning focuses on applying them
- Traditional learning is often passive
- Practice based learning is active and participatory
- Knowledge is explained first, then applied later
- Learning happens through doing, reflecting, and improving
This shift is important because people retain and understand more when they are directly involved in the process.
Why hands-on learning improves understanding
Hands-on learning works because it engages people more fully.
When individuals actively participate, they are not just processing information. They are testing ideas, making decisions, and seeing the results of their thinking in real time.
This leads to:
- Better retention of information
- Deeper understanding of complex topics
- Increased confidence in applying new skills
- Stronger engagement during sessions
- More meaningful reflection after the experience
It also allows people to learn from each other. By sharing experiences and perspectives, groups develop a broader understanding than they would through individual learning alone.
This is why many modern education and leadership programmes are moving towards more experiential formats.
Where practice based learning is used
Practice based learning can take many different forms depending on the setting.
In education, it often includes:
- Placements or real-world projects
- Simulated environments or scenarios
- Case study discussions with practical application
- Group-based problem solving
In leadership and organisational settings, it may involve:
- Live workshops based on real business challenges
- Scenario planning and decision-making exercises
- Team-based activities focused on communication and alignment
- Facilitated sessions where participants explore current issues
For organisations looking to introduce this approach more formally, LEGO Serious Play education training provides a structured way to apply practice based learning in learning environments.
How LEGO Serious Play supports practice based learning
LEGO® Serious Play® is closely aligned with the principles of practice based learning.
Rather than asking participants to discuss ideas in abstract terms, it requires them to build models that represent their thinking. This turns concepts into something visible and tangible.
Through this process, participants:
- Apply ideas immediately rather than discussing them theoretically
- Reflect on their own thinking as they build and explain models
- Learn from the perspectives of others in the group
- Develop shared understanding through structured interaction
This makes LEGO Serious Play a natural fit for facilitators and organisations looking to adopt more experiential approaches.
Programmes such as LEGO Serious Play facilitator training are built around this model, using hands-on learning to develop facilitation skills in a practical way.
Participants do not just learn about the method. They experience it, apply it, and build confidence in using it themselves.
Why organisations are adopting this approach
As workplaces become more complex, organisations are recognising that traditional training methods are not always enough.
There is a growing need for approaches that:
- Build real capability, not just awareness
- Encourage participation and engagement
- Improve collaboration and communication
- Support better decision-making in real situations
Practice based learning addresses these needs by making learning more relevant and immediately applicable.
Methods like LEGO Serious Play support this shift by providing a clear structure for experiential learning, helping teams move from ideas to action more effectively.
A more effective way to develop people
Practice based learning is becoming more important as expectations around learning and development continue to change.
People want learning that feels relevant, practical, and directly connected to their work.
By focusing on doing rather than just discussing, this approach helps individuals and teams build skills that they can use straight away.
This is the thinking behind SERIOUSWORK’s training programmes, which are built around hands-on facilitation and real-world application rather than theory alone. If you are looking to apply this approach in your own work, LEGO Serious Play facilitator training provides a structured way to develop those skills in practice.
