Celebrating 25 years of Kolb’s learning cycle: An appreciative enquiry for 2009

1. Celebrating 25 years of Kolb’s learning cycle: An appreciative enquiry for 2009 Extracts from slide presentation by Reg Dennick, Professor in Medical Education at the University of Nottingham – reproduced with permission www.medev.ac.uk

2. Experiential Learning “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” David Kolb

3. Origins of the Kolb Cycle Dewey Lewin Piaget How experience can be transformed into action Constructivist mechanism of learning: experience to abstraction Importance of individual experience in learning

4. Other influences on Kolb Vygotsky Freire Jung Experiential learning as liberating and leading to ‘critical consciousness’ Psychological types and learning styles. Individuation. Experiential learning is a social process and is influenced by cultural tools.

5. The ‘Prehension’ dimension: modes of grasping experience Concrete Experience APPREHENSION: the tangible, felt qualities of immediate experience COMPREHENSION: conceptual interpretation and symbolic representations Abstract conceptualisation

6. The ‘Transformation’ dimension: modes of processing experience EXTENSION: manipulation of the external world Active experimentation Reflective observation INTENTION: manipulation of the mental world

7. Structural dimensions underlying the process of experiential learning and the resulting basic knowledge forms. (Kolb, 1984) Concrete experience Grasping by APPREHENSION Transformation by Reflective observation Active experimentation EXTENSION INTENSION Grasping by COMPREHENSION Abstract conceptualisation

8. What shall I do? Outer world Reflection and action on inner world produces conjectures and hypotheses about outer world Reflection on outer world builds up inner model What does it mean? Inner world

9. It’s not just a cycle! • All four learning modes are present to the learner simultaneously • The learner is constantly moving between the concrete and the abstract and between reflection and action.

10. “…all forms of human adaptation (learning) approximate to scientific inquiry.” David Kolb 1984

11. Practical implications of Kolb’s cycle for learning • Getting round the cycle • Appraisal & revalidation • Mentoring • Reflection • Action planning

12. Experiential learning • All learning is learning from experience • Work-experience • ‘On the job training’ • Doing the job & learning simultaneously • Working independently • Self-directed learning • Self-monitoring • Reflection • Educational & clinical supervision • Mentoring • Appraisal

13. Getting the experiences At each stage in the cycle, how can the learner optimise their learning? What stands in the way? What opportunities are there?

14. Reflecting on experience • Debriefing • Getting feedback • Critical incidents • Self-evaluation

15. Building up knowledge, skills & attitudes • Reading the literature • Self-directed learning • Recording knowledge • Practising skills • Developing attitudes

16. Deciding on action • Personal development plans • Action plans • Personal objectives • Feasibility • Achievable?

17. How does reflection help you learn? • Experience is transformed into knowledge by reflection • Reflection elaborates learning • Reflection challenges assumptions • Reflection helps relate theory to practice • Feedback helps reflection • Reflection can be guided via ‘professional conversations’

19. Personal & professional development: portfolio-based learning, appraisal/supervision • All based on and follow the Kolb cycle. • Experiences are recorded in Log-book/Portfolio • Reflections are recorded and/or facilitated by ‘professional conversation’ with mentor, supervisor. • Knowledge, skills and attitudes are built from experience plus reflection and connected to the literature and other knowledge tools. • Action plans for further experience are formulated via professional conversations.

20. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: KEY PRINCIPLES 1.Have experiences 2. Reflect individually and/or with others 3. Be aware of your ‘learning style’ 3. Get and give feedback 4. Actively build mental models, practical skills and attitudes 5. Test hypotheses and action plan 6. Use Log Books & Portfolios to record experiences and reflect

21. Criticisms of Kolb • It doesn’t stress the social dimension of learning: it focuses on the individual • Some learners do not learn from experience • Some learners do not reflect • Skills can be learned without thought • Ignores social dimension of learning

22. The basic knowledge forms (Kolb, 1984) Concrete experience ? DIVERGENT knowledge ? ACCOMMODATIVE knowledge ? ? ? Reflective observation Active experimentation ? ? ? ASSIMILATIVE knowledge ? CONVERGENT knowledge ? Abstract conceptualisation

24. Doing things, carrying out plans and getting involved in new experiences. The individual adapts themselves to changing immediate circumstances. Problems are solved by trial and error often using other peoples knowledge. Theories are easily discarded and are subordinate to practical facts. Individuals are at ease with people but are often seen as ‘pushy’. Imaginative ability and awareness of meanings and values. View situations from many perspectives and attempt to see the whole picture. Thinking generates alternative ideas and implications. Good at brainstorming. Interested in people and their feelings. Concrete experience ACCOMMODATIVE knowledge DIVERGENT knowledge Reflective observation Active experimentation CONVERGENT knowledge ASSIMILATIVE knowledge Problem solving, decision making and the practical application of ideas. Thinking converges onto the solution of a question or problem, using the hypothetico-deductive method. Orientated towards technical tasks and problems rather than social or interpersonal issues. Inductive reasoning and the creation of theoretical models by synthesising varied observations into an integrated explanation. More concerned with logically sound abstract ideas than people. Abstract conceptualisation

25. Doing things, carrying out plans and getting involved in new experiences. The individual adapts themselves to changing immediate circumstances. Problems are solved by trial and error often using other peoples knowledge. Theories are easily discarded and are subordinate to practical facts. Individuals are at ease with people but are often seen as ‘pushy’. Imaginative ability and awareness of meanings and values. View situations from many perspectives and attempt to see the whole picture. Thinking generates alternative ideas and implications. Good at brainstorming. Interested in people and their feelings. Problem solving, decision making and the practical application of ideas. Thinking converges onto the solution of a question or problem, using the hypothetico-deductive method. Orientated towards technical tasks and problems rather than social or interpersonal issues. Inductive reasoning and the creation of theoretical models by synthesising varied observations into an integrated explanation. More concerned with logically sound abstract ideas than people.

26. Get involved, open-minded, enthusiastic, love new things: ‘I’ll try anything once’ Honey & Mumford Learning Styles Practical, experimental, down to earth: ‘There is always a better way’ Activists Pragmatists Reflectors Look for principles, logical, perfectionist: ‘What are the basic assumptions’ • Stand back, think, cautious: ‘Look before you leap’ Theorists

28. T&L Masters 2003

29. T&L Masters 2006

30. Deep Learning (Going round the cycle) Concrete experience Active experimentation Reflective Observation • Abstract conceptualisation

31. Surface Learning (short-circuit!) Concrete experience Reflective Observation Active experimentation • Abstract conceptualisation

32. Trial & Error? Concrete experience Reflective Observation Active experimentation • Abstract conceptualisation

33. As Kolb said….. Psychological categorizations of people such as those depicted by psychological ‘types’ can too easily become stereotypes that tend to trivialize human complexity and thus end up denying human individuality rather than characterizing it. In addition, type theories often have a static and fixed connotation to their descriptions of individuals, lending a fatalistic view of human change and development. • Kolb, Experiential Learning (1982) p 63

34. Constructive Experience: implications for teaching. 1.Acknowledge and respect the learner and start from where they are. 2.Ascertain, activate and build on their prior knowledge. 3.Provide appropriate active learning experiences of an individual and social nature. 4.Facilitate reflection and provide feedback. 5.Recognise the tentative nature of knowledge and encourage enquiry. 6.Encourage individual responsibility for exploration, self-directed learning and action planning. 7.Develop a learning relationship, empathise.