Kolb learning cycle - Wageningen UR

Kolb learning cycle
Femke Gordijn
Wageningen International
Kumasi, Ghana 2008

Kolb’s 4 types of experiential learning
learning from concrete experiences
learning from reflective observation
learning from abstract conceptualisation
learning from active experimentation

The Experiential Learning Cycle
Concrete
World
Active
experimentation/
testing out (pragmatist)
Abstract
World
4
Concrete experience (activist)
1
Act Act
Decide Decide
Explore Explore
Analyse Analyse
Reflective
Observation
(reflector)
2
3
Abstract conceptualisation / making sense (theorist)

Annual ‘project learning cycle’
Concrete
World
Concrete changes
to the plan
Abstract
World
Activities and their results during the year
1
4
Act Act
Decide Decide
Explore Explore
Analyse Analyse
The annual
review
2
3
New ideas or revised theories about the project

The Action Learning Cycle
Evaluate
Plan
Monitor
Act
Evaluate
Plan
Monitor
Act

Kolb’s model:LEARNING
Application
Experience
Conceptualisation
Reflection

How can this be
applied in a new
situation?
Which firsts steps
could you take?
Application
Can you relate it with previous
experiences?
What does this mean for the
project?
LEARNING
Experience
Conceptualisation
The concrete
experience evoked as a
result of the activity
Reflection
What happened? Why?
How did you feel?
What did you see others
doing?

Critical reflection for experiential learning
1. What & why
2. So what
3. Now what
What has succeeded or
failed? Why have we had
success or failure?
So what are the implications
for the project?
What action will we now take
to make improvements?

1. Reflection questions
What happened?
What surprised you?
What did the person do/say?
Whom was having a conflict?
What went well?
What did not go well?
Why?

2. Conceptualising questions
So what does this tell you?
So what can you learn from that situation?
So what are the implications of this process?

3. Planning/application questions
Now what would you do in such situation?
Now what are you going to do differently?
Now what does this mean for you/your work?
How would you apply your lesson learned?

What kind of
experience do
we talk about?
Experimenting
How to ensure
that it is
translated into
action?
LEARNING
Experience
Conceptualization
© The Sparkle
– from an exercise
or from real life?
- Is it relevant?
Reflection

Domain of production
Experimenting
LEARNING
Experience
Conceptualisation
Reflection
Domain of reflection

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
The game-circle vs. the real-life circle
• Do we want participants to be better at
participating in exercises?
• Or to act differently in the real life?
© The Sparkle

Thank you
© Wageningen UR

Assignment 4 Groups
1. Experience – arm wrestling game
2. Facilitate the reflection phase
3. Facilitate the conceptualisation/generalisation
phase
4. Facilitate the planning and application phase

Assignment group 1
“Win as many points as you can. You score a point
every time you get the other persons hand touch the
table. You have 60 sec. for that.”