Hall of Fame

David A. Kolb

David A. Kolb is best known for his work on experiential learning. Dewey, Lewin and Piaget heavily influenced him, preferring an experiential model for learning as opposed to purely cognitive models.

We obviously learn much from experience, either formally in terms of structured exposure in training or in work and life itself through informal learning. Kolb and others since have tried to examine how we learn experientially and how this can be used to guide instructional strategies.

Experiential learning
David A. Kolb (with Roger Fry) created his famous four stage learning cycle.

Kolb claims that we can enter the cycle at any point and that learning is really a process of looping round and round again, seeing improvement on each loop. We may, for example, be able to do something but not express it in abstract terms. Learning is formed through real experience, where one's ideas are put to the test. Feedback then shapes the learning so that performance improves.

Models such as these can be over-simplistic. They rarely match the reality of the learning process and one can argue that stages can be skipped or performed in parallel. Others have argued that it pays too little attention to theory, information tasks, memorisation and reflection.

Subsequent tests of the model by Jarvis (1987, 1995) have indeed shown that things are indeed a little more complex.

Conclusion
Although this model is a useful guide, in practice, the design of experiential learning is more complex. The idea of cyclical learning informed by experience is sound, as is the importance of formative experiences themselves in learning. Kolb is a refreshing alternative to the overemphasis on academic, knowledge-based learning.

Bibliography
Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential Learning, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.: Prentice Hall.
Kolb, D. A. (1976) The Learning Style Inventory: Technical Manual, Boston, Ma.: McBer.
Kolb, D. A. (with J. Osland and I. Rubin) (1995a) Organizational Behavior: An Experiential Approach to Human Behavior in Organizations 6e, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Kolb. D. A. and Fry, R. (1975) 'Toward an applied theory of experiential learning;, in C. Cooper (ed.) Theories of Group Process, London: John Wiley.
Jarvis, P. (1987) Adult Learning in the Social Context, London: Croom Helm. 220 pages.
Jarvis P. (1995) Adult and Continuing Education. Theory and practice 2e, London: Routledge.