Analysis of Learning Theories: Kolb's Model & Managerial Styles

This essay explores the significance of learning theories in understanding how learning occurs, with a specific focus on Kolb's experiential learning theory. It details various learning approaches such as behaviorism, cognitive constructivism, and social constructivism, highlighting how these theories aid in skill development and behavioral improvement. The essay further explains Kolb's four-stage learning cycle—concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation—and its associated learning styles, including diverging, assimilating, converging, and accommodating. It emphasizes the importance of understanding different learning styles for employees, line managers, and learning and development specialists, as this knowledge enables them to enhance training, improve performance, and achieve organizational goals effectively. The report concludes that a thorough understanding of learning theories and styles is crucial for personal and professional growth.

Essay topic 2

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
TASK ..............................................................................................................................................4
Learning theories are important for understanding how learning occur................................4
Kolb's experimental learning theory.......................................................................................5
Importance of understanding learning styles to employees, line managers and learning and
development specialists..........................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCE...................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Learning is defined as the activity of process that is related to gaining knowledge, skills,
competencies for attaining determined goals and objectives with great efficiency and
effectiveness. There are various learning theories are used by an individual such as behaviourism
learning theory, cognitive learning theory, constructive learning theory and various others that
helps to improve learning to achieve future goals. This essay covers importance of learning
theories learn new things with efficiency. Kolb's learning model theory is explained as well as
the importance of learning styles for employees, managers and others are mentioned in this
report.
TASK
Learning theories are important for understanding how learning occur
There are various learning approaches are used by an individual that enables them to
learn new things and experience that help to attain determined goals and objectives. Basic
learning theories are behaviourism, cognitive constructivists as well as social constructive.
Behaviourism learning theory repertoire of behavioural responses to the environmental stimuli.
In this theory, passive absorption is predefined by the body of knowledge by the learner as well
as promoted through repetition and positive reinforcement. Through this learning theory,
learning understands the stages of learning through which they improve their skills and
competencies. It improves behavioural aspects of an individual that enables them to maintain
their behaviour in different learning stages (Clark,2018). Cognitive constructive learning theory
is based on the pre-existing cognitive learning structure and motivation is intrinsic as learners set
their own goals as well as motivates them to learn and in social constructive learning theory
knowledge is developed in social contexts through interacting with knowledge community. In
this theory, learners are motivated through intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as rewards and
internal goals motivates them to learn new things that enable then to perform with efficiency and
effectiveness.
All these learning theories helps individuals to learn new things properly that helps to
attain determined operations efficiently and understand how learning occur (Clark, 2018).
Learners are go through the all stages of learning through applying learning theories that enables
them to understand the system and sequence of learning that make them understand that how

learning occur. There are various skills and competencies are learned by the learners through
applying learning theories that helps them to attain their determined future objectives. Thus,
learning theories is very important for learners to understand how they learn things and apply in
real situation to achieve goals.
Kolb's experimental learning theory
Kolb's experimental learning theory is defined as the learning theory that is developed by
the David A. Kolb and the model is published in the year of 1984. In this model person's skills
and job requirements are assessed in same language that can be measured properly. Kolb's
experimental learning theory contains two levels and four-stages cycle of learning as well four
separated learning styles. It is the holistic perspective such as experience, perception, cognition
and behaviour. Kolb's learning cycle concentrates on the fact that learner creates knowledge and
understanding through interaction with the environment. These stages are mentioned below:
The cycle starts with concentrate experience that can be completely new experience or
reimagined the experiences that is previously happened. In this stage of learning, learner
concentrates on gaining experience through engaging the specific activities or tasks (Osmani,
and Musai, 2021). Involvement is the key of learning. The model explains that reading book or
watching them in actions are not enough for learning. For the purpose of acquiring new
knowledge and experience, learners must have engaged in tasks actively.
After the stage of engaging in concentrated experience, learners must reflect their
understanding and knowledge related to the task. In this stages of learning life cycle, learners ask
questions as well as discuss the earned experience with others. Communication plays important
role in this stage and helps learners to identify any types of discrepancies between their
understanding and experience. Having efficient vocabulary allows learners to provide strong
review of the event.
Next stage is abstract conceptualization in which learners make sense of learning events
through drawing the conclusion of their experience. Learner reflect their prior knowledge by
using different ideas and discussing possible theories with peers (Willett, 2018). In this stage,
learners classify their concepts and creates conclusion of the event through interpreting the
experience as well as comparing the current understanding regarding the concepts. It is no
necessary to have new concept but learners gain new information and modify their conclusion on
the bases of existing ideas.

After conceptualization learning, in active experimentation stage learners test their
learning. In this stage, learners starts taking participation in task with the objective of applying
their conclusion to their new experiences. Through out the learning process, learners are able to
make predictions, analyse task, acquire knowledge as well as develop plans for future. It helps
learners to put their knowledge into practice and assess the relevance of their learning to their
lives. Completion of these stages ensure that effective learning has taken place. All stages of
Kolb's learning model are interrelated with each other and ensures the development of new
knowledge.
There are various learning styles are introduced by the Kolb's such as diverging which is
original and creative learning approach in which learners value feelings and take interest in
others rather than examining concrete experiences. Assimilating learning style concentrates on
reasoning that enables learner to review the facts as well as assess their experiences as a whole
(Tortorella, and Graf, 2017). In this learning style, learners tend to enjoy designing experiments
and working on projects. Converging learning style focus on problem solving as a efficient
approach of learning that enables learners to make efficient decisions and apply their ideas in
new experiences. Whereas, accommodating learning style is adaptable and intuitive in nature and
learners use it as a trail and error to provide guidance to their actions. These all are the learning
style that helps an individual to acquire new skills and competencies that enables them to attain
future goals and objectives with efficiency and effectiveness.
Importance of understanding learning styles to employees, line managers and learning and
development specialists
There are various learning styles that are used by the individuals to improve their learning
and skills. Some learning styles are visual, aural, kinaesthetic, social, verbal, logical and solitary
that helps an individual to learn things that helps them to perform defined operations in best
possible manner (Stanley, 2017). In organisation, it is important for employees, line managers
and development specialists to understand the different learning styles that enables them to learn
new things, skills and competencies that help them to perform their operations on time with great
efficiency.
It is important for the employees to have knowledge and understanding of learning styles
because it helps them to adopt suitable learning style that enable them to learn things in
systematic manner. There are various appropriate learning styles for employees such as

auditorily, visual and kinaesthetically that helps them to learn this through one-on-one
conferences, audio recording, written instructions and various others. If employees has
understanding these learning styles than they can apply them properly and use in to improve
skills and competencies that helps them to improves their productivity and performance level.
Similarly, it is important for line managers to understand the different learning styles
because line managers are directly related with employees and motivates them to perform
operations with efficiency and effectiveness (Matsushita, 2018). Knowledge and learning styles
enables lime managers to provide training to employees for the purpose of enhancing their
learning and skills that enhance their contribution level towards attaining organisational goals
and objectives. With the help of having knowledge regarding learning styles, manager can guide
employees and improve their performance level.
Learning and development specialists are responsible for training employees and
provides them development opportunities that retain them with organisation for longer period of
time. It is important for learning and development department to have understanding of different
types of learning styles that helps them to implement suitable one as per the needs of different
types of employees (Fernández-Rivas, and Espada-Mateos, 2019). Specialists analyse the
situation and need of learning for employees to perform business activities in efficient manner.
Proper execution of learning styles improves employees performance and functionality.
CONCLUSION
As per above report, it can be concluded that there are various learning styles and theories
are used by an individual for learn new things and gaining experience them helps them to attain
future goals and objectives in efficient manner. It is important for the employees, managers and
other members of organisation to understand the learning styles that help them to gain proper
learning and knowledge that improves their performance level and help to attain determined
objectives with great effectiveness.

REFERENCE
Book and journal
Clark, K.R., 2018. Learning theories: behaviorism. Radiologic technology, 90(2), pp.172-175.
Clark, K.R., 2018. Learning theories: cognitivism. Radiologic technology, 90(2), pp.176-179.
Osmani, Q. and Musai, M., 2021. TEACHING AND LEARNING-ORIENTED TOWARDS
AND IN SERVICE OF STUDENTS LEARNING STYLES. International Journal of
Social and Human Sciences, 8(15-16), pp.87-96.
Willett, R., 2018. Learning through making in public libraries: Theories, practices, and
tensions. Learning, Media and Technology, 43(3), pp.250-262.
Tortorella, R.A. and Graf, S., 2017. Considering learning styles and context-awareness for
mobile adaptive learning. Education and Information Technologies, 22(1), pp.297-315.
Stanley, D., 2017. Leadership Theories and Styles. Clinical leadership in nursing and healthcare:
values into action, pp.25-46.
Matsushita, K., 2018. An invitation to deep active learning. In Deep active learning (pp. 15-33).
Springer, Singapore.
Fernández-Rivas, M. and Espada-Mateos, M., 2019. The knowledge, continuing education and
use of teaching styles in Physical Education teachers.