The Experiential Learning Cycle
Of the following two examples, I’d like to invite you to answer which is more likely to provide someone with a deeper level of learning… Example 1 For the past week, Jake’s school teacher has taught the class a subject from the curriculum. Jake listened carefully to the teacher, both asking and answering subject-related questions. At the end of the week, the teacher informed the class that there would be a test on this subject in five days time. From then till the day of the test, Jake diligently revised every night, and subsequently passed the test with flying colours. Example 2 Yesterday, Jake went to watch his first ever live professional football match. It was under floodlights with a capacity crowd and, despite his favourite team losing, it was an exhilarating contest. On the journey home, father and son talked about the game, and the next morning at school, Jake analysed the match with his friends, who had watched it on the TV. At lunchtime, Jake and his friends re-enacted the match in the play ground, although this time Jake’s favourite team won. According to The Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb, 1984), the second example is far more likely to generate a more profound learning effect. “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” - David Kolb Applying the first example to my own experiences, I can certainly recall instances where I’ve been taught something, revised for it, passed a test on it…and then pretty much forgotten most of it by the following week. Similarly, yet perhaps more embarrassingly, there are many times when perusing a book that I’ve had to re-read a page or two due to the realisation that none of the content has actually registered. Has this happened to you too? I hope I’m not alone! So what’s going on here? How can we pass a test on a subject but then forget much of the subject knowledge just a few days later, yet on the other hand remember some things in vivid detail for a lifetime? Why do we sometimes learn superficially, and other times deeply? According to Kolb, for us to truly learn anything, whether in education, sport, music, the arts, business and everything else, we need to transition through a four stage process…
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The Experiential Learning Cycle
- 2. “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” - David Kolb
- 3. 1Concrete Experience 2Reflective Observation 3Abstract Conceptualisation 4Active Experimentation According to Kolb, for us to learn deeply we need to transition through a four stage process
- 4. 1Concrete Experience Kolb's cycle begins with a profound experience The more profound, the more dramatic our ensuing emotional reaction
- 5. 2Reflective Observation The second stage involves us stepping back from the experience and reviewing what has occurred This requires lots of questions being asked and communication channels staying open
- 6. 3Abstract Conceptualisation This is the process of making sense of what has happened, and involves interpreting our events and comprehending the relationships between them
- 7. The final stage of the learning cycle is to consider how we’re going to put this learning into practice 4Active Experimentation Planning enables us to use our recently acquired knowledge to devise and test new beliefs and behaviours, or refine and revise existing ones
- 8. 1Do 2Review 3Conclude 4Test Simply put, the model suggests that deep and lasting learning occurs when we… 1 Engage in an impactful experience 2 Reflect on this experience 3 Interpret this experience 4 Try out our new skills
- 9. Nathan Wood Nathan Wood is a former professional sportsman and youth international, mentor/assessor to Level 3 sports coaches, and a certified Level 4 master coach. Now operating a sports performance consultancy, he works with a diverse range of athletes, coaches, parents, and organisations, helping them to realise their true sporting potential. Let’s connect linkedin.com/in/nathan-wood-coaching twitter.com/NathanTheoWood facebook.com/NathanWoodConsulting instagram.com/nathantheowood slideshare.net/NathanWood44 w w w . n a t h a n w o o d . c o n s u l t i n g