summary of David Kolb's Learning Style and Experiential Learning

1. Kolb’s Learning
Theory
Prepared by:
De Castro, Mary Rose Ann
Festijo, Ma. Thea
Perpetua, Ser August
Zoleta, Adrian

2. The Theorist: David Kolb
• An American educational
theorist born in 1939.
•Kolb earned his BA from
Knox College in 1961 and
his MA and Ph.D. from
Harvard University in 1964
and 1967 respectively, in
social psychology.

3. •He is mainly credited for his Experiential
Learning Model (ELM) and his Learning
Style Inventory (LSI).
•In 1984, David A. Kolb, published a
ground breaking book entitled
Experiential Learning: experience as
the source of learning and development.
(Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall, 1984).

4. •It essentially exposed the principle that a
person would learn through discovery and
experience.
•The reason of the theory is called
“Experiential" is its intellectual origins are
taken from the experiential work of Lewin,
Piaget, Dewey, Freire and James, forming a
unique perspective on learning and
development.

5. Experiential Learning Theory (ELT)
• provides a holistic model of the learning
process and is a multi-linear model of
adult development, both of which are
consistent with what we know about how
we naturally learn, grow, and develop.

6. •The theory is called "Experiential Learning"
to emphasize the central role that experience
plays in the learning process.
•Kolb’s experiential learning theory is a holistic
perspective that combines experience,
perception, cognition, and behavior.

7. The
Experiential
Learning Cycle

8. Kolb’s Cycle of Experiential
Learning

9. CONCRETE EXPERIENCE (OR “DO”)
•The first stage, concrete experience (CE), is where
the learner actively experiences an activity such as
a lab session or field work.
REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION (OR “OBSERVE”)
•The second stage, reflective observation (RO), is
when the learner consciously reflects back on that
experience.

10. ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALIZATION
(OR “THINK”)
•The third stage, abstract conceptualization (AC),
is where the learner attempts to conceptualize a
theory or model of what is observed.
ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION (OR “PLAN”)
•The fourth stage, active experimentation (AE), is
where the learner is trying to plan how to test a
model or theory or plan for a forthcoming
experience.

11. Thinking about and
watching people
making basket.
Understanding the
theory and having a
clear grasp of basket
making concept
Receiving practical tips and
techniques from the expert
through seminar, trainings
Properly apply by
handcrafted raw
materials and make a
basket
Livelihood
project
“Basket
Making”

12. Kolb’s Learning Styles
• Kolb explain that different people naturally prefer a certain single
different learning style.
• Factors that influence a person’s preferred style. For example, social
environment, educational experiences, or a basic cognitive structure of
the individual.
• A typical presentation of Kolb’s two continuums
• Processing Continuum (how we approach the task) East and west
• Perception Continuum (our emotional response or how we think or
feel about it) north-south

13. Kolb’s Learning Styles

14. Four Kolb’s Learning Style
Descriptions:
Diverging – watching/
• They are people who look on different perspectives,
sensitive and prepare to watch rather than do,
tending to gather information and use ideas to solve
problems.
• Example: brainstorming
• Prefer to work in group, to listen with an open mind
and to receive personal feedback.

15. Four Kolb’s Learning Style
Descriptions:
Assimilating – watching and thinking
• Ideas and concepts are more important than
people.
• These people require good clear explanation rather
than a practical opportunity.
• In formal learning situations, people with this style
prefer readings , lectures, exploring analytical
models and having time to think things through.

16. Four Kolb’s Learning Style
Descriptions:
Converging – doing and thinking
• People with this learning style can solve problems and
will use their learning to find solutions in practical issues.
• They prefer technical task and problems rather than
social and interpersonal aspects.
• People with a converging style like to experiment with
new ideas, to simulate and to work to practical
applications

17. Four Kolb’s Learning Style
Descriptions:
Accommodating – doing and feeling
• This learning style is “hands-on” and relies on
intuition rather than logic.
• These people use other people’s analysis and prefer
to take a practical and experiential approach.
• They commonly act on “gut” instinct rather than
logical analysis.
• This is prevalent within the general populations.

18. Matrix of Kolb’s Learning Style
Active
Experimentation
(Doing)
Reflective
observation
(Watching)
Concrete
Experience
(Feeling)
Accommodating
(CE/AE)
Diverging (CE/RO)
Abstract
Conceptualization
(Thinking)
Converging (AC/AE) Assimilating
(AC/RO)

19. Educational Implications:
• The learning style could be used by teachers to critically
evaluate the learning provision typically available to students
and to develop more learning opportunities.
• Individuals can be helped to learn more effectively by the
identification of their lesser preferred learning styles and
strengthening this through the applications of the experiential
learning cycle.
• Activities and material should be developed in ways that draw
on abilities from each stage of the experiential learning cycle
and take the students through the whole process in sequence.

20. REFERENCES
• Kolb, David A. 1984. Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice-
Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
• Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press.
• Kolb, D. A. (1976). The Learning Style Inventory: Technical Manual. McBer & Co, Boston, MA.
• Kolb, D. A. (1981). Learning styles and disciplinary differences. The modern American college, 232-255.
• https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html