Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle

Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle: A Guide to Mastering it 

David Kolb published his learning styles model in 1984, and since then, it has been used in one way or another by academics. Many students use it unknowingly, while others look for it to enhance their learning experience. Among all these, there is one minor concern that most learners face: understanding the topic itself. 

Well, here we have decided to resolve that concern once and for all. The experts at Native Assignment Help UK have brought this simple learning guide to resolve your doubts. Go through it once, and we assure you, Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle wouldn’t seem troublesome anymore. 

An Introduction To Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

Kolb’s Experiential learning cycle is one of the most commonly used reflective learning models. It was designed by the American psychologist David A. Kolb. The learning cycle showcases the importance of experiences in retaining subject understanding. As David Kolb said himself - 
“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.”

The theory puts its key focus on the ‘Experience’, which becomes the foundation for the students to learn. The theory points out that students can improve their learning through the 4-step cycle process, going from experience to practical. The actual steps include:

• Concrete Experience
• Reflective Observation
• Abstract Conceptualisation
• Active Experimentation

Here, the steps go from the students' experiencing something for the first time and starting the learning cycle. They would then reflect on their experience, conceptualise what they could have done or such and then actively experiment with one of the chosen concepts. This process is Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle. Furthermore, based on the students' behaviours and their process, David Kolb decided on four different learning styles among the students. This included Diverging, Assimilating, Converging and Accommodating. 

This learning cycle is continuous, meaning the results from the fourth stage can be used to in the next cycle. This is a key advantage as it allows the students to continuously follow this process and progress their learning.

The Four States Of The Learning Cycle

Each step in Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle is a vital process in itself that the students must go through. According to the theory, following each step will assure improvement in their learning abilities and resolve any doubts they might have. Let's take a look at each state individually.

1) Concrete Experience (CE):

The very first step in Kolb’s learning cycle starts from the learner experiencing something unique. This step is generally portrayed at the top of the learning cycle as it's the basis of the learning model. At this stage, the learners encounter an experience, which could be something unique or even something they have already been through. However, the difference or the focus lies on the term ‘Concrete’. 

Now, what does that mean? It refers to an active participation by the student in the experience. Well, according to David Kolb, students just being present at an event won’t make it an experience. To make it memorable and then be useful for the next steps, it's necessary for students to actively participate in it. Just watching from afar won’t be sufficient for the further steps in the learning cycle.

2) Reflective Observation:

Now, once the learners are done with the concrete experience, they have to move to the next step. That is the reflective observation. It's quite self-explanatory with the name itself. In this step, you have to reflect on your experience in the first step and observe your performance. You have to be brutally honest with yourself and decide how you performed. Was it satisfactory? What can you improve upon? And such questions. 

Of course, not every one of these questions could be answered by your own observation, given that you were involved in the event itself. That’s where communication plays its role. Converse with the others who were around and understand what they thought about your performance. 

Say you were participating in a practical test for the first time. Once you are done with it, you need to note down your observation regarding the performance. 

3) Abstract conceptualisation :

Once the student is done reflecting on their experience, it's time for the next step in the learning cycle, abstract conceptualisation. Here you would have to think of the “what if” scenarios but in a positive way. Think of all the questions you thought of during the reflective section about what happened or where you needed improvement. Based on those, now imagine the counterarguments to answer them. Reflection gives rise to ideas itself, so while you were reflecting on the steps, you would already have thought of a few ideas. 

Now assess your ideas and think of the most suitable ones based on your findings from the last step. Just go through the list of the varied ones in your head and think about what you could have done better or differently in the scenario. Note down these ideas for further inspection.

4) Active Experimentation:

The last stage of the cycle involves practically experimenting with their ideas. Learners would choose an idea from their conceptualisation stage and decide to practically perform it. The practical “Experience” is the core aspect of this step, and similarly that of the learning cycle. Students would apply their learning to the practical aspects to get better and gain a new learning experience. It could include trying a new methodology or keeping mindful of a project approach, all in a bid to get improved results from the experience. Then the cycle repeats again from the start.

The Role Of Reflection In Kolb’s Model

In the steps of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, there were quite a few aspects, one from each step, that play a vital role. Whether it be experiencing something concretely, conceptualising or experimenting, each plays a vital role here. However, the most vital role of the whole learning cycle stems from the reflection. It bridges the gap between a student's learning and their experience. Moreover, the process itself is highly beneficial for the students too, after all, it:

• Enhances problem-solving skills by having students choose suitable resolutions.
• Train the learner's analytical capabilities by having them reflect and conceptualise.
• Improves their emotional intelligence and adaptability to challenges.

All these combined showcase how vital reflection is for the learners. After all, without a timely and extensive reflection on the experience, the students won’t be able to improve on their learning. 

Kolb’s Learning Styles And Reflection

There were mainly two different takeaways from Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle. One was the learning cycle that helped give a clear format for the writing. The other major takeaway from the project was the fact that individuals have a distinct learning style. According to David, four distinctive learning styles will act in different ways within the learning cycle. These learning styles were:

• Diverger: This learning style describes those who enjoy taking in different perspectives and exploring themselves. Those students with such a learning style would rather prefer to get the experience and then reflect on the varied ways. They would prefer to collect more information, work in groups and are more likely to watch and feel rather than do.
• Assimilator: A bit similar yet also different from the first one are assimilators. They are the individuals whose learning style is defined by the Abstract conceptualisation and Reflective observation. So they are the individual who take a more “ Watch and think” approach instead of practically performing the task or learning through experience. They are great at assimilating the information, as long as they are provided with it precisely. Their learning style, or what works best for them, is to find a successful case and examples to learn from by watching. 
• Converger: Converging is the learning style where the results stem from “Thinking and doing”. Students with such a learning style don't believe in watching others perform the tasks. They are a practical kind who would conceptualise and think of the resolutions towards a problem. Once they have any ideas, they will practically test them out to find the solution. Such learners prefer structured learning with clear questions where they can apply their real-world skills. 
• Accommodators: Lastly, the learning style that is defined by its ability to experience and experiment is accommodation. Learner, with this style, accommodators prefer a “Feel and Do” approach towards problem solving. They would rather not work with groups, nor do they prefer learning through watching others. They are the type to get right into the task and explore the answers through trial and error. Quick to reflect, quicker to learn, is what defines them and their learning style.

Reflection In Practice – Real-World Examples

Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle can be used and has even proven to be useful in varied academic fields. Students can use it to enhance their learning outcomes, while educators can use it to design better academic lesson plans. Similarly, workers can use it too. Let’s take a look at some examples of using Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle and its reflection in practice. 

In Education

May, a middle school teacher, decided to change her learning plans for the next few days and note down her students' growth. She decided to use Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle and teach the new chapter, incorporating its learning. So she had the students actively participate during the lectures, gave them time for reflection and had them conceptualise on their own with practice work for home. The result, her students had better results for the study plans, with she recognised the learning styles of most of her students too. Based on that, she could further optimise her later learning plans for individual students. 

At Work

Maxwell, an L&D professional, had poor results on his last presentation, with most learners citing concerns about it being too vague and confusing. So he decided to use Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle to re-evaluate his performance. He had already presented and hence had already been through the concrete experience. So he decided to reflect on his experience and recognised the obstacles that arose while working on it. After reflecting on the key errors, he decided to conceptualise a few solutions and find a suitable one among them. Lastly, he put them to the test with a small L&D exercise, and the results showed improvement. Continuing on these steps, he can henceforth constantly improve. 

Pros, Cons & Comparisons

Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle has received both approval and criticism from the audience since it was publicised. Although the learning cycle is still in use, and many students prefer it, it's best to understand its pros and cons too.

• Strengths: When it comes to the pros of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, its holistic approach is the first to be noticed. It covers the major steps involved in learning with experience, reflection, conceptualisation, and even experimentation. Reflection, in particular, is a step that boosts both critical thinking and problem-solving skills among learners. Giving precedence to practical learning makes it a highly commendable learning cycle.
• Weaknesses: Just as the learning cycle has its strengths, it has its cons and criticisms too. One of the common criticisms is that Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle is too rigid and simple. Many times, students don't follow the steps as directed in the cycle, either because learning can require them to revisit a step. Similarly, the idea of learning styles was also a controversial topic. Experts have argued that the learning styles are not rigid and can change with time, too. Learning styles were a core of this theory, yet it was even shown that they don't actually have much impact on the learning outcomes. 
• Comparison: Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle has both its advantages and disadvantages when compared to other learning models. Compared to the traditional learning models, Kolb’s focus is more on experience and practical learning, while the old ones focused on theoretical foundation. Similarly, it has advantages over famous learning models like Gibbs as it isn't structured in steps but is cyclical. Then there are also its cons, as unlike the Gibbs model, it isn't as detailed, making it a bit more confusing for those new to it. Overall, the pros and cons are there for both.

Conclusion

And there you have it. A complete guide to understanding Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle. Whether you have been reading through the guide to write about the topic or to actually use it to improve your learning efficiency, we assure you it will prove useful in both ways. However, the learning model requires more than just theoretical knowledge. You would have to invest time and make personal efforts to improve your understanding of the same. And if at any point you feel stuck, you can go through the guide again. Or better yet, connect with one of our experts. Native Assignment Help UK will be ready to assist you in whatever way possible, whenever you need it, so be assured and give it a try.