Kolb's Experiential Learnign Theory

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Kolb’s Experiential Theory of Learning The Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) provides a holistic model of the learning process and a multilinear model of adult development, both of which are consistent with what we know about how people learn, grow, and develop. The theory is called “Experiential Learning” to emphasize the central role that experience plays in the learning process, an emphasis that distinguishes ELT from other learning theories. The term “experiential” is used therefore to differentiate ELT both from cognitive learning theories, which tend to emphasize cognition over affect, and behavioral learning theories that deny any role for subjective experience in the learning process. Another reason the theory is called “experiential” is its intellectual origins in the experiential works of Dewey, Lewin, and Piaget. Taken together, Dewey’s philosophical pragmatism, Lewin’s social psychology, and Piaget’s cognitive-developmental genetic epistemology form a unique perspective on learning and development. (Kolb, 1984). Introduced by David A. Kolb (1939), Kolb’s experiential learning theory is a four-stage cyclical theory of learning from a holistic perspective that combines experience, perception, cognition, and behavior (Kolb, 1984). The Experiential Theory of Learning (ELT) model outlines two related approaches toward gaining experience: Concrete Experience and Abstract Conceptualization, as well as two related approaches toward transforming experience: Reflective Observation and Active Experimentation. According to Kolb’s model, the ideal learning process engages all four of these modes in response to situational demands (Coffield, Moseley, Hall & Ecclestone ,2004). In order for learning to be effective, all four of these approaches must be applied. As individuals attempt to use all four approaches, however, they tend to develop strengths in
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