RES 101 Report: Exploring Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle Framework

This report provides an overview of David Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, a framework that describes how individuals learn through experience. The cycle comprises four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The report explains each stage, highlighting the contrasting learning styles associated with each, such as diverging, assimilating, converging, and accommodating. It discusses how individuals gain new expertise, develop ideas, generate hypotheses, and apply theory into practice. The report also references key literature, including works by Bishop & Verleger, Kolb & Kolb, and Manolis et al., providing a comprehensive understanding of Kolb's model and its application in various learning contexts. This report is an analysis of Kolb's learning cycle, exploring the different stages and their impact on learning and development.

Running head: RES 101 1
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
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David Kolb has much experimental learning cycle. Where one of them is the concrete
experience which comprises a new expertise in the situation which is to be encountered or the
interpretation experience as life is full of experiments which people can learn from. These skills
can be obtained from work or home places as there are many opportunities which can help one to
start ahead of the learning cycle. Concrete experience is contradicted by diverging. This is
because some people do better on areas which require idea generation as people look things at
different perspective as they are sensitive (Bishop & Verleger, 2013). They prefer to watch
things to gather the information which they require. Most people have gotten interest in
individuals as they try to be emotional, active and imaginative in arts.
The next is reflective observations where the new idea developed is of most importance
and inconsistencies between experience and understanding. Reflection involves what one has
done and experienced before. Some people are good in this others are not. Some of the people
train themselves to be deliberate on how to review most of their experiences, and they record
them for reference (Manolis et al., 2013). This is contradicted by assimilating where the ideas
and concepts are fundamental than the people who give those thoughts. This is achieved by
giving the people clear explanation rather than the practical opportunity. These individuals with
this style of assimilating are attracted more by logically sound theories than those approaches on
actual value.
The next in cycle is abstract conceptualization under which the gained reflection leads to
the innovation and creativeness of new ideas that can aid in the modification of some present/
existing idea in a more advanced concept. To conceptualize is to generate new hypotheses and
interpretation of the meaning of what we experience. This is after passing the stage of thinking
about the first experiences and interpreting them as addressed by Kolb theorem and cycle. This is

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contradicted by converging that is doing and thinking. The individuals with converging learning
style can tackle problems and use their knowledge to get solutions to the practical issues (Kolb,
2014). These people prefer the technical tasks and challenges but not the people or their
interpersonal and social problems. These people experiment with the new ideas and operate with
diverse practical applications.
In contrast to Kolb’s learning cycle is active experimentation learning cycle which is also
referred to as the plan after thinking and evaluating and thinking about the experiences. This is
where the learner applies theory into practicability in the environments that surround him and the
subject at hand. Experimental learning cycle helps in realizing the desired results as per an
individual. The experimentation is contradicted by the accommodating learning style which
relies on intuition than logic. This is where these individuals a use other people’s data or analysis
to take any practical or experiential approach (Kolb & Kolb, 2005). Individual who have
accommodating learning style mostly they will tend to reply back other people’s messages get
the information than them carrying out their analysis.

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References
Bishop, J. L., & Verleger, M. A. (2013, June). The flipped classroom: A survey of the research.
In ASEE National Conference Proceedings, Atlanta, GA (Vol. 30, No. 9, pp. 1-18).
Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential
learning in higher education. Academy of management learning & education, 4(2), 193-
212.
Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and
development. FT Press.
Manolis, C., Burns, D. J., Assudani, R., & Chinta, R. (2013). Assessing experiential learning
styles: A methodological reconstruction and validation of the Kolb Learning Style
Inventory. Learning and individual differences, 23, 44-52.