Innovate: Preparing e-Learning Designers Using Kolb's Model of Experiential Le... - The Diigo Meta page

Influenced by Dewey, Lewin, and Piaget, Kolb (1984) conceptualizes learning
from experience in terms of four components, each of which requires learners to
invoke specific abilities: Concrete experience draws on the learner's
willingness to experience new things; reflective observation requires an ability
to consider experiences from a variety of perspectives in order to find meaning;
abstract conceptualization requires an ability to analyze and integrate new
ideas and concepts, drawing logical conclusions through reflective consideration
of new experiences; and active experimentation requires learners to apply new
learning to practice, problem solving, and decision making, which leads to new
concrete experiences (Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner 2006). These
abilities are integrated into phases of a cyclical process referred to as the
experiential learning cycle (Figure
1). Within the cycle each of these four components entails its own
distinctive process for the learner:





1. Experiencing (concrete experience): The learner begins with an experience of
   a concept or situation.
   
2. Examining (reflective observation): The learner considers and examines the
   new experience from a variety of perspectives in order to find meaning.
   
3. Explaining (abstract conceptualization): The learner looks for patterns,
   builds concepts, and tests theories, considering what was learned and drawing
   logical conclusions about its future implications.
   
4. Applying (active experimentation): The learner draws upon previous insights
   to make decisions and apply concepts to new concrete experiences (Bolan 2003;
   Kolb 1984; Svinicki and Dixon 1987).
5. To foster concrete experience, instructors can employ readings, examples, or
   laboratories.
   
6. To foster reflective observation, instructors can assign journals,
   discussions, and brainstorming activities.
   
7. To foster abstract conceptualization, instructors can provide model-building
   activities, assign papers, or deliver specialized lectures.
   
8. To foster active experimentation, instructors can incorporate simulations,
   case studies, fieldwork, or final projects.

In this way, Kolb’s model provides a functional framework for selecting and
sequencing learning activities that support students as they learn from
experience while working on a context-rich, real-world project.