Explain concrete experience and relate it to teaching adult learners at a distance

Concrete experience is data gathered from a learner's senses, or events that the brain converts to experiences.  These events are sifted by the brain physically because the brain can't make sense of all of the data from the learner's senses at once, and psychologically because the learner unconsciously decides what to focus on based on sociocultural and other previous experiences (Merriam, p. 53).  The brain records the physical response to the data as experience which allows for construction of meaning and lays the groundwork for memory.  In short, the learner is doing things, involved in new experiences, and/or engrossed in a new task. 

Concrete experience related to teaching adult learners at a distance can include reading various material, games/simulations, watching a video, etc.

Reference

Merriam, S. B.  Third update on adult learning theory.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,  2008.