David A. Kolb

Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher Education

Drawing on the foundational theories of John Dewey and Kurt Lewin, we examine recent developments in theory and research on experiential learning and explore how this work can enhance experiential ...

Management and the Learning Process

Learning is a central life task, not only for managers but for all human systems. The experiential learning model is an approach that takes learning from the confines of the classroom and formal education into life and work. This article describes experiential learning theory and the concept of different learning styles. These styles are strongly associated with career specialties and methods of problem solving, decision making, and learning. Organizational learning is seen as a problem of integrating the various learning styles associated with its functional specialties and matching these specialties with appropraite environmental demands.

Learning Styles and Adaptive Flexibility: Testing Experiential Learning Theory.

This research used three instruments derived from experiential learning theory—the Learning Style Inventory, the Adaptive Style Inventory and the Learning Skills Profile—to test hypotheses about differences between balanced and specialized learning styles in a sample of 198 part-time and full-time MBA students. Learning styles that balanced experiencing and conceptualizing showed greater adaptive flexibility in responding to experiencing and conceptualizing learning contexts. The learning style specializing in experiencing showed higher levels of skill development in interpersonal skills and lower levels of skill development in analytic skills; while the reverse was true for the learning style specializing in conceptualizing. Similar tests for the acting/reflecting specialized and balanced learning styles showed no consistent results. Analysis of male and female subsamples produced results supporting these general conclusions. The study adds further construct validity for the hypothesis that adaptive flexibility in learning style is predictive of highly integrated and complex levels of adult development.

The Learning Way

Contemporary research on meta-cognition has reintroduced conscious experience into psychological research on learning and stimulated a fresh look at classical experiential learning scholars who gave experience a central role in the learning process—William James, John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, Carl Rogers, and Paulo Freire. In particular Jamess contributions are foundational for experiential learning and research on meta-cognition. Research on meta-cognition and the role it plays in the learning process are described. The meta-cognitive model is used to describe how fundamental concepts of experiential learning theory—a learning self-identity, the learning spiral, learning style, and learning spaces—can guide meta-cognitive monitoring and control of learning. Meta-cognitive strategies to help individuals improve their learning effectiveness are outlined. Learners can chart their path on the learning way by developing their meta-cognitive learning capacities, and educators can pave the way by placing learning about learning on the agenda of their educational programs.

Experiential learning in teams

Teamwork is prevalent in organizations, yet it has pitfalls such as social loafing, groupthink, overdependence on a dominant leader, overcommitment to goals, and diffusion of responsibility. Such negative factors can be overcome and team effectiveness improved when teams intentionally focus on learning. This article draws on nearly four decades of research and theory on experiential learning theory in teams. We identify learning as the key component of six aspects of team development: purpose, membership, role leadership, context, process, and action. Teams learn differently in early versus later stages of development. The Kolb Team Learning Experience addresses all six aspects through a structured written simulation. Upon completion of the simulation, the team has knowledge about the functions of teams in general, experience about the functions of its team specifically, and awareness of learning and progress through the learning cycle modes.

Conversation as Experiential Learning

This article proposes a framework relevant to the continuous learning of individuals and organizations. Drawing from the theory of experiential learning, the article proposesconversational learning as the experiential learning process occurring in conversation as learners construct meaning from their experiences. A theoretical framework based on five process dialectics is proposed here as the foundational underpinning of conversational learning. The five dialectics—apprehension and comprehension; reflection and action; epistemological discourse and ontological recourse; individuality and relationality; status and solidarity—are elaborated. As participants engage in conversation by embracing the differences across these dialectics, the boundaries of the dialectics open a conversational space. Attending to this conversational space enables those in the conversation to remain engaged with each other so that differing perspectives can catalyze learning experientially and promote individual learning and organizational learning.

From learning styles to learning skills: the executive skills profile

Contends that a typology of skills based on a framework of learning styles and experiential learning theory, rather than a framework of job performance or some other personality construct, provides a language and guidance for assessment methods to describe knowledge at the performance level of adaptation. It requires development of the concept of learning skills which are: domainspecific and knowledge‐rich; descriptive of an integrated transaction between the person and the environment; and developed by practice. Reviews and reports data from numerous studies to establish the ESP′s reliability, relational validity, criterion validity and construct validity. The ESP can be used as a vehicle for providing personal and organizational feedback on skills, and expectations and intent regarding skills in jobs and development programmes.

The Process of Experiential Learning

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. **

Assessing Individuality in Learning: the learning skills profile

Abstract A typology of learning skills is developed that is congruent with the learning style descriptions of experiential learning theory. The typology is holistic, allowing both idiographic and normative comparisons of individuals and situations, and the ‘fit’ between them. Learning style describes basic and generalised dimensions of individuality in learning, while a learning skill is more situational and subject to intentional development. The Learning Skills Profile (LSP) is a 72‐item, modified Q‐sort assessment instrument designed to assess learning skills. Data from numerous studies are reviewed and reported to establish the LSPs reliability, relational validity, criterion and construct validity. The LSP can be used as a vehicle for providing personal and organisational feedback on skills, and to describe the skills required by different jobs and educational programs.

Learning to play, playing to learn

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose an experiential learning framework for understanding how play can potentially create a unique ludic learning space conducive to deep learning.Design/methodology/approach – The framework is developed by integrating two perspectives. First, from multidisciplinary theories of play to uncover the underlying play principles that contribute to the emergence of the ludic learning space are drawn. Then the formation of a ludic learning space through a case study of a pick‐up softball league where for 15 years, a group of individuals diverse in age group, gender, level of education, and ethnic background have come together to play are examined.Findings – The case study suggests that play in a ludic learning space can promote deep learning in the intellectual, physical, spiritual, and moral realms.Originality/value – This paper uses the play literature to inform the experiential learning concept of the learning space.