Learning Theories Behind Experiential Learning

“Knowledge results from the combination of grasping (observation) and transforming reflections into action (concrete experience)” (Kolb, 1894).

[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]

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.

Learning as defined by the American Heritage dictionary as “the act, process or experience of gaining knowledge or skill (ahdictionary.com, 2017). Many have tried to further define learning by describing just how one gains knowledge or skill. Malcolm Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory of Andragogy, David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory are three such models of the experiential learning process that will be discussed here.

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.

With experience comes knowledge. This is why everyone says that it is OK to fail. When you fail you learn, and when you learn you fail more. Failing more will help you try harder. You get knowledge when you experience different situations, because you will know how to react to that situation. Both the texts Flowers by Alice Walker, and Come A Stranger by Cynthia Voigt have vivid examples of how experience comes with knowledge. In Flowers, a little girl named Myop was walking through the woods in her own little path, when she stepped on a dead man’s skeleton. For a moment she was surprised, but then, she paid her respects by placing a red rose near him. In Come A Stranger a girl named Mina was waiting forever to go back to this camp that she

Boyd, E. M., & Fales, A. W 1983, Reflective learning key to learning from experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 23(2), 99-117.

This inadvertently forced me to examine how being exposed to experience learning from kindergarten through high school made me the type of unique learner and individual that I am today. I have realized that I can largely attribute my ability to think creatively, passion for learning and strong critical thinking skills to the way I was socialized to learn. To this day, nearly ten years after graduating from the school that had such a profound impact on my life, I am still just as exited to learn now as I was then. I know that the school molded me into a lifelong learner that will always aim to seek the truth and stand up for what I believe in with the hope of making a positive impact on the world. It is my desire that through education reform, more schools will embrace the experiential education as a model for teaching and learning so that students can truly connect and apply the knowledge learned in school to real life situations that will not only transform the

Experiential learning as a philosophy is based on the ideals of active and reflective learning, building on previous learning experiences and requiring the personal involvement of the learner. It has been applied in wide variety of learning situations; the experiential approach encourages learners to develop the target language skills through the experience of working together on a specific task, rather than only examining discrete elements of the target language. Experiential learning encourages personal input, initiative, and

Experiential learning is learning through a hands-on approach (Melrose et al., 2015). When learners learn through a hand on the approach they are directly submerged in the learning activity and can integrate cognitive, emotional and physical functions. In this in-service learns will have an

Although Roger’s experiential learning theory has provided many examples of advantages, there are some limitations that follow in his outlined theory. When discussing the implications of experiential learning, we often wonder what the full meaning represents. “The main problem about experience, a problem which precedes questions about how we can learn best from experience, lies in a double unsaid: a silence about the implication of experience in language and a silence about the implication of experiential learning in discourse” (Boud, Cohen & Walker, 1993, p. 169). This author explains that through the very subconscious thoughts, we often approach events believing that they have to acquire a particular meaning. Sometimes

Epistemology, or in other words, the theory of knowledge, is the study of knowledge, what it is, how we acquire it, and our justifiable beliefs that are included in that study. Generally, the study of knowledge is done through a philosophical method. There are four basic theories of learning; those are behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and humanism; this paper will address these four theories of learning, in addition, we will address principles of learning, schema and scaffolding, adaption, metacognition, and strategies to ensure learning success.

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

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.

Building and evaluating experiential learning mechanisms requires a deep understanding of not only general learning theory, but also the principal ways in which material can be taught to students. According to authors of Effective Instruction for Stem Disciplines: From Learning Theory to College Teaching, there are numerous traditional learning methods that are important for our background. The first, which they call study-based, is based on student focus on materials, without a strong active component. For most students, especially those of younger ages, this likely occurs most at home, where students independently study for traditional examinations. The second traditional learning method, retrieval, they describe as the conversion of study-based learning into an active learning method. Retrieval encourages students to practice accessing information—to make it so regular—that using it in later informational synthesis is already simple. The third traditional learning method, which they call schema-building, is learning based on situational practice, ensuring that students can appropriate handle the real-life aspects and applications of a concept (Mastascusa et al., 2011).