Apply The Four Kolb Stages to write a brief description. For this assignment, you will need to view Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory video first.
Then after viewing the video, apply “The Four Kolb Stages” to write a brief description (50-75 words) of each of the four stages of Kolb’s ELT.
At this point, please summarize the stages without specifically addressing your topic as you will have the opportunity to do this in future topic assignments. It is crucial to your success in this course that you clearly understand the function and importance of each stage. Your paper should be 200-300 words in total.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory combines a four-stage learning cycle with four learning styles. It provides a powerful foundation for learning and development by describing the ideal processes where knowledge is created through experience.
As a result, Kolb’s theory has influenced the work of teachers, instructional designers and L&D professionals around the globe. The theory invites educators and learners alike to understand different learning styles, making it a useful guide for designing effective training interventions.
This article breaks down both parts of the theory. It also describes how the theory is typically applied in a learning and development context. But first, let’s go back to the beginning!
David A. Kolb is an American psychologist, professor and educational theorist. He was born in December 1939 in Illinois, United States. Today, Kolb is best known for his work in experiential learning. In fact, Kolb’s learning styles model was one of the first tools for evaluating individual learning preferences.
His unique perspective on learning has had a big influence on the educational sector. In fact, research has confirmed that his theory is still the most commonly cited source in relation to reflective learning. It has awakened educators and L&D professionals to the value of tailored and experience-driven learning processes.
As the name reveals, Experiential Learning Theory involves learning from experience. According to Kolb, experiential learning can be defined as a learning process where knowledge results from the combination of grasping and transforming an experience.
Kolb suggested that learning requires the acquisition of abstract concepts that can then be applied flexibly in a wide range of situations. Therefore, knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.
This is the core of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory. It includes two parts. The first part details a four-stage cycle that the learning experience follows. According to Kolb, by going through the different stages, learners can convert their experiences into knowledge.
The second part focuses on learning styles and the cognitive processes that occurred for learners to acquire knowledge. The theory highlights how individuals can demonstrate their understanding or learnings when they are able to apply abstract concepts to new situations.
Let’s start by exploring the four stages of learning, referred to as the Experiential Learning Cycle.
As we have gathered, experiences are at the core of Kolb’s theory. According to him, learners must change or transform something in order to learn. As such, memorisation or recollection does not equal learning, as this process does not improve or reshape our understanding. And as a result, the learner has not gained any additional value.
Kolb created the Experiential Learning Cycle in 1974. The four-stage model views learning as an integrated process. All four stages are mutually supportive because Kolb believes that effective learning is a cyclic process that involves experiencing, reflecting, thinking and acting.
The model describes two ways of grasping knowledge. These are concrete experiences and abstract conceptualisation. The other two modes, reflective observation and active experimentation, help learners transform their experience into knowledge. Each of these stages acts as a foundation for the next stage.
As such, Kolb’s experiential learning cycle highlights how learners change as a result of experience, reflection, conceptualisation and experimentation. According to the cycle, learning occurs when an individual comes across an experience and reflects upon it. This leads to an analysis and formulation of abstract concepts. Learners can then experiment with their hypotheses in various situations.