No matter whether you are a student, educator, or professional, learning is part of the human process of growth. Not being able to learn deprives you of growth opportunities in every aspect of life. To work on this aspect, many reflective models of learning have come up. However, the Kolb Reflective Cycle has something different to say and offers a more structured approach. But before jumping into the cycle, you must know what it is all about.
Kolb Reflective Cycle of Experiential Learning
An experiential endless loop of education, the Kolb Reflective Cycle is a method that stresses experiential learning. The Kolb 1984 reflective cycle is a structure that can transform how individuals and businesses approach skill development. Moreover, absorbing new knowledge is made simpler through this process. However, to know about this, you have to go much deeper into its 4 stages.
4 Non-Negotiable Stages of Kolb’s Reflective Cycle
The core of the learning process of Kolbs reflective cycle, the 4 stages are the non-negotiables which make the method more realistic. Thus, the steps include:
Concrete Experiencing (Feeling)
The first stage of Kolb’s reflective learning cycle is Concrete Experience, when learning begins through experience with direct involvement in an activity. This stage reinforces the idea of “learning by doing.” You, as a learner, are actively engaged with an event such as completing an experiment, engaging in a group discussion, conducting a field-based study, or anything else.
- The learner encounters a concrete experience.
- The involvement of individuals is necessary in the process.
- Curiosity and emotion are generated.
Reflective Observation (Observing)
Reflective Observation focuses on looking back at the experience to analyse what happened and why. Once you finish the activity, you can think back on their observations, feelings, and responses. In the second stage, you come to terms with deeper awareness and identify patterns of strength and weakness. Here, you have to be like an Eagle, which watches carefully. While observing, you can ask some valuable questions:
- What went well?
- Did I feel challenged?
- What surprised me?
- Did I miss anything?
- What could I have done differently?
Abstract Conceptualisation (Thinking)
Processing your reflections and transforming them into new ideas is the demand of the third stage. This is the thinking phase where lessons are extracted from experiences and manifestations. Now, you have the time to carry out some logical conclusions that would guarantee the next step of the process. To streamline abstract conceptualisation in your favour, do this:
- Linking concrete experiences with conceptual ideas is the key.
- Helps to move from personal experience to universal principles.
- Your ability to solve problems becomes deeper.
Active Experimentation (Doing)
The final stage of insights, where the method of “learning by applying” takes place. In active experimentation, you can get new knowledge of situations in the actual world. You will need to develop a design from what you have learned and test it in a new environment. Active experimentation is all about testing the theories and putting them to work. Moreover, some important points are:
- Successful experimentation leads to new experiences.
- Going from action to reflection will modify behaviours.
- The cycle is not complete until you have taken the appropriate action.
Impact of Kolb’s Reflective Cycle: The Matrix
After going through the Kolb reflective learning cycle, there are 4 learning styles that form the matrix. Understand, these stages are formed from the learning experiences and not from any specific cycle stage.
Diverging (Feeling & Watching)
Being able to look at and understand things from a different perspective is the specialty of divergers. Drawing from their experiences and learning, they become sensitive people and tend to watch rather than do. Going one step ahead, people with diverging aspects rely on their imagination to solve problems and gather information.
- Kolb called them “diverging” because these people impact and affect any situation that requires generating ideas.
- These people have broad cultural interests by collecting information.
- Interested in people, imaginative, emotional, and strong in the arts are some of their features.
Assimilating (Watching & Thinking)
The learning approach of assimilating style mainly focuses on a crisp and logical approach. People developing under this side of the matrix tend to be more interested in ideas and concepts rather than humans. Rather than practicality, assimilators require clear explanations. Hence, they are able to logically organise a wide range of information in a clear and logical manner.
- Attracted to logically sound theories is their way of life.
- Humans falling under this tend to excel in a school setting because of abstract conceptualisation.
- Projects like mind maps and diagrams would engage them, leading back to experiences.
Converging (Doing & Thinking)
Individuals who fall under the category of converging style will solve problems and apply their learning to discover solutions. Finding results to technical troubles is their side hustle, and being less concerned about people is their habit. Some other points about people emerging from this style involve:
- Being technology-driven and mastering some knowledge or skill is their style.
- Transforming technical skills to real-world solutions.
- Experimenting with new ideas makes them unique.
Accommodating (Doing & Feeling)
Rather than relying on logic, people with an accommodating reflective style prefer intuition and are hands-on with their approach. Using others’ lives as a parameter and applying that as a practical approach to life. To them, life is all about new endeavours or challenges, and they are also attracted to carrying out plans. Thus, some of the points that sum up accommodating reflective style are:
- They are driven by new challenges
- Relying on “gut” instinct is important to them.
- Doing their own analysis while observing others’ life experiences is what they do.
- They excel in roles that require action and initiative.
Potential Drawbacks of Kolb's Reflection Cycle
Being thoughtful and thorough, the Kolb reflection cycle has its own share of drawbacks. Some of them are given so you can make better decisions before choosing it:
Issues With Time
Time seems to have less importance for Kolbs reflective cycle. As a learner, you should have sufficient time for meaningful engagement in each phase of the reflective cycle. However, when teachers are pressed for time due to a large syllabus to cover, they will have less time to cover it. Thus, there is a possibility that you might skip some chapters, which will hurt your grades.
Authenticity of The Experience
Another major problem lies when the authenticity and meaning of the experience is not 100%. Not every classroom activity can be considered an effective “Concrete Experience.” If students see the activities as fake, unconnected to their reality, or unimportant, they may not engage. Here, using real emotions will suffer, and hence it only results in “not so real engagement.”
Supporting Effective Reflection
Reflection is central to the Kolb 1984 reflective cycle framework, and yet, it is often the stage that many of you will struggle with the most. Many of you are not used to reflective practices, and you may respond only at the surface level. Others may be hesitant to share their feelings or experiences in front of a group, which defeats the whole purpose.
Linking Reflection To Conceptualisation & Action
A common trap in experiential learning is that, through both educator and student, there is not much engagement when it comes to conceptualising. While learning from experiences is helpful, it is still incomplete if you don’t connect the learning to theories or apply them. Therefore, observing, thinking, and doing have no value.
Evaluating Cycle-Based Learning
Evaluating learning outcomes from the Kolb reflective learning cycle can also be difficult because students rarely assess their performance after the exam. Many educational systems are still based on factual recall rather than experiential and reflective learning. Because of this, teachers may struggle to demonstrate the effectiveness of the cycle or include it in existing grading schemes.
Hidden Advantages of Kolb Reflective Learning Cycle
If there are some negatives about Kolb’s reflective cycle, then there are positives as well. Some of them are listed below for further discussion:
Increased Motivation & Interest
The traditional form of learning and education, from the point of view of students, is simply boring. Some would consider Kolb's reflective cycle to be a saviour, which actually disrupts the way they have been studying. The method relies on active participation from the side of learners, where they have to do each part on their own.
Improved Depth of Understanding
Better than memorising, the better step is to understand. This reflection cycle engages the learner and helps them to make sense of the situation or experience. When you analyse an experience and get into the depths of it, you are better able to identify the patterns. Moreover, the connection between theory and practical experience is established for better understanding.
Enhanced Critical Thinking
In the stage of reflective observation, students examine their decisions, beliefs, and feelings about what they learned. Ultimately, this helps them to examine what they learned and how. Moving through the stage of abstract conceptualisation, they begin to make connections, question previous associations, and develop new understandings of their learning experience. Moreover, in Essay Assignment Help, critical thinking is applied to write your essays in an effective manner.
Better Transfer of Learning To Real-Life Situations
An advantage of this reflective cycle that Assignment Writers highlight is its support for transferable learning. The act of taking what was learned and transferring it to real-life situations is one of the major benefits. The last stage of the cycle, Active Experimentation, requires you to put your new learning into practice and move from theory to action.
Ownership & Responsibility
As students take an active role in the experience, reflecting, planning, and experimenting stages, they are viewed as co-creators of the learning experience. The cycle encourages learners to make decisions, reflect on their progress, and set goals for progress. This independence promotes accountability and self-discipline, which are the signs of ownership and responsibility.
How To Apply Kolb’s Reflective Cycle In Theory?
Learning about the Kolb Reflective Cycle is one aspect. But knowing how to apply theory to practice is another. Therefore, for better understanding, follow these steps:
Knowing The Objectives of Learning
Defining what learners absolutely achieve is the first step of the process. Setting specific objectives from the beginning provides a roadmap. This makes it much easier and properly aligned to the objective, and everyone knows the specific output. Moreover, what skills and knowledge they are going to gain from such an endeavour is clear in the minds of learners.
Construct Experiences
Giving seamless freedom to learners to interact with the material, which develops hands-on experience for them, is key. The expert Assignment Writers say that this is to be done once the objectives have been framed. Promoting people to fully delve into the learning process and encouraging relevant and challenging incidents is necessary. You can do this through real-world simulations, role-playing, and other related tasks.
Promoting Reflection
After tasting the experience, guiding individuals to think about their actions, ideas, and decisions is the next step. To learn from your winnings and losses, reflection is the best way to understand the gap between them. Going through reflection gives you a better perspective on how you could have done in situations. Reflection helps businesses not to commit the same mistakes and take the right decisions.
Visualise Lessons
By connecting their experiences to extensive ideas or concepts, learners begin to make sense out of the learning. Understanding the core principles and developing philosophies is the aim here. Doing this through discussions, offering frameworks, or asking learners to apply their understanding and solve problems is a part of the visualisation process.
Develop Opportunities For Experimentation
Once learners have gained sufficient knowledge, it is time to apply it. For businesses, it is done by doing practical tasks like real-world projects. In an academic setup, writing case studies or getting hands-on with problem-solving exercises are some of the ways. Therefore, active experimentation develops skills and builds confidence.
Conclusion
A reliable and powerful framework, Kolb Reflective Cycle bridges the gap between theory and practice. Promoting constant learning, applying it, and leading to a significant learning curve is the aim here. Engaging learners to think critically, observe, and apply them can make all the difference, which is made possible by the 4 stages. Despite its limitations, there is a lot to learn in the way it allows us to think and interact within the environment we operate in.
