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LEARNING THROUGH
EXPERIENCE AND REFLECTION
"Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience." - David A. Kolb, 1984
Experiential Learning Theory
So what is the Experiential Learning Theory? Kolb builds on the learning models by Dewey, Lewin and Piaget. The Experiential Learning Theory offers a different point of view from the traditional teaching methods where there is a teacher and a student.
It focuses on learning by doing where the best way to learn is by experiencing it. Those experience then stick with you where you then reflect on what you have done, learn from it and then apply it again.
The Experiential Learning Cycle
1. Concrete Experience - a new experience or situation is encountered, or a reinterpretation of existing experience.
2. Reflective Observation - where the learner will reflects on the experience on a personal basis.
4. Active Experimentation - the learner applies their idea(s) to the world around them to see what happens.
3. Abstract Conceptualisation - where learners form new ideas, or modify current abstract ideas, based on the reflections that arise from the reflective observation stage.
Four Learning Styles
Kolb (1984) suggests that students develop a preference for learning in a particular way. The preferred style reflects a tendency rather than an absolute and students may adopt different learning styles in different situations, but they tend to favour some learning behaviours in preference to others. He identifies four learning styles, each of which is associated with a different way of solving problems:
1. Divergers - view situations from many perspectives and rely heavily upon brainstorming and generation of ideas.
2. Assimilators - use inductive reasoning and have the ability to create theoretical models.
3. Convergers - rely heavily on hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
4. Accommodators - carry out plans and experiments and adapt to immediate circumstances.
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