Analysis Of David Kolb 's Theory Model

Virtual teams have emerged to mitigate the challenges of managing teams that are distributed across different regions, and are a sustainable component of global business. A project manager managing a virtual team would have to integrate communication strategies, project management techniques including human and social processes in order to support the team, (Kimball, 1997). The author is a project manager assigned to lead a virtual team of 300 volunteers located across the globe to develop recommendations for regulating carbon emissions in the world. As indicated Kimball (1997), this kind of a virtual team usually supports people working in the same professional field and most of the

[3] Infed - (2010) David A. Kolb on experiential learning [Online] Available from: http://infed.org/mobi/david-a-kolb-on-experiential-learning/ [12/01/15]

When you picture a classroom, what do you think of? You more than likely picture a chalkboard, desks for all the students and teacher. A new way of teaching has developed that removes students from the stereotypical environment and places they in a new and engaging environment. This is experiential education.

Experiential learning however is closely related to vocational education in that it relies on learner’s ability to apply knowledge to situations that they have a personal interest in. In doing this, it creates opportunity for valuable learner involvement and significant learning (Beard and Wilson, 2006)

Another of my teaching methods delivered is by way of ‘on the job’ training which allows me to assess their progress, explore their knowledge and skill by observing and questioning their processes. This method of teaching falls in with Kolbs (1984) four stage experiential learning cycle.

David Kolb developed a learning theory that involves concrete concepts which learners process experience. Kolb’s theory is based on intentions that learning takes place through four linear cycles based on experience and the personal changes that occur throughout that experience. As Kolb (1984) states, “learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (p. 38). Similar to other scholarly theories of learning, Kolb has many critics. I will discuss Kolb’s theory and summarize some of the critics to this theory. Also I will use Kolb’s theory and the critic’s comments to improve my approach to teaching.

“During team meetings, I always use Evernote to write down the things my advisor wants me to do. I just quickly list them out. I write in English without paying attention to grammar and usage. After the meeting, I’ll rewrite my notes… When attending conferences, I’ll take notes via Evernote on my laptop.” (interview transcript, April & July, 2015)

My teaching philosophy is centered on providing relevant, context-driven experiential education that engages each student based on their individual learning style. Experiential education is the philosophy that encourages educators to purposefully engage learners in direct experience and focused reflection to increase knowledge, develop skills and clarify values. As an adult educator I incorporate experiential education techniques into my lesson plan. I believe designing learning opportunities around life and work experiences helps to prepare students to recreate those experiences for themselves in the future My philosophy with working with adult learners is to focus on the student.

The CARE pedagogical framework consisted of four phases identified in the literature on experiential learning as important phases in the learning process. These are Phase 1) induction/ awareness, Phase 2) modelling/demonstrations, Phase 3) motivation and Phase 4) mastery of the skills (Figure 3.1).

The purpose of this essay is critically review the value of Kolb’s experiential learning cycle for simulation-based teaching and to demonstrate that it has impacted on Simulation as a teaching technique.

Although this limitation can become a barrier for the experiential learning theory Rogers’ developed, it is possible for this to overcome this with patience. As the main purpose of this theory is to allow personal growth within the student, we must note that personal growth appears differently for each individual learner. The role of the facilitator is to help engage all types of students in self-motivated learning to help them improve their overall growth from significant information.

Kolb’s experiential learning cycle is a theory that argues that we learn from our experiences of life on a daily basis. Cognitive ability is the way people learn and Kolb believed from an early age we begin to develop a sort of instinctive preference as to the way we process information and use it. Kolb (1984) believes that the process of learning follows a pattern or cycle. Kolb’s cycle is made up of 4 stages; the first stage is concrete experience and Kolb believes that life is full of loads of different experiences that everyone can learn from and whether you are at home, work, school or even out shopping that there was experiences everywhere within those sectors and that it was a way for us to start the learning cycle. The concrete experience is the doing stage, the stage where you have the experience. We then have stage two which is reflective observation, this stage involved looking back at our experiences and reflecting on them. Stage three is the abstract conceptualisation which is

Ebrahim, A., Shamsuddin, A. & Taha, Z. (2009). Virtual Teams: A Literature Review. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Science, 3(3), 2653-2669.

Technology has become increasingly important over the years by making everyday life easier and more convenient. According to Dailymail.com, “the average adult is awake for fifteen hours and forty-five minutes every day and forty-five percent of that time is spent using a proliferation of technology (Thomas, 2010).” Although some individuals may disagree, technology has accelerated the business world in the last century. Instead of writing a letter and waiting days for a response, people are now able to communicate in a matter of minutes through email. The traditional way of writing notes in the clinical setting is now also being converted to technology. Due to the rising trend of technological use in clinical settings, it is now ideal for universities with occupational therapy assistant programs to include use of electronic documentation in the classroom. The lack of technology interferes with note taking in the classroom, which in turn, interferes with the clinical setting.

In the reading Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development by David Kolb (1984), he proposed that learning is a cycle process in which individuals learn through their own experiences in life. This notion of the learning cycle in which he was influenced by the ideas of three other theorists (Piaget, Dewey, and Lewinian) called it Experiential Learning Theory. Kolb’s theory was based on how people learned by imputing information and processing the information. Within this two abilities, there are four steps in which Kolb’s believe the learning process occurs. The first one he calls “concrete experience”, in which one actually does the learning right then and now. The second one is “reflective observation” when the learner thinks about what they did as a reflection of the experience. The next step is the “abstract conceptualization”, where the learner makes a generalization of the experience. The last step is “active experimentation”, where the learner puts to practice his/her understanding and adapts to it. The learner does this by taking all the first three steps of the learning cycle and seeing the results (pg. 30). Learning is a process in which individuals learn through trial and error. This process can then be reused with our prior experience to strengthen the outcome of our first experience. It is shaped as a cycle in the way we process information cognitively. This is how I understood of the reading on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory.