Kolb's Learning Cycle

In my life so far I have not come across Kolb or his Learning Cycle; however I found it interesting that I was able to immediately indentify where I enter Kolb’s Learning Cycle.

Active experimentation

This is where I feel that I personally enter the cycle. In the past trial and error has taught me that I work best when I have a clear bullet point plan of what I wish to include in each task, this allows me to assemble my thoughts in a coherent manner. For Task A I researched which websites would be best to use in each section, as well as what style I would like to convey within my blogs, I tried these styles out and judged which was best to use in my blog. For Task B I thought about which methods would be best to use to gather the information for my essay and concluded that an interview would be the best method to get the information necessary. I then analysed questions that would be most applicable to the assignment. I find it difficult to keep within the word count restraints set so I have learnt to always have these in mind when I am planning what I would like to include, this also helps me filter out any unnecessary information. I feel that my A Level English also equipped me well in the planning and preparation of any written task, thus enabling me to work within Kolb’s Learning Cycle without necessarily being aware of the process. This planning then led me on to undertaking and actually doing the task.

Concrete experience

As I was doing the interview and typing up the notes I could relate this to concrete experience of doing and learning as seen in Kolb. It has been proven in educational theory that we retain more by physically doing a task than by hearing or seeing it being done. This is certainly true of my personal learning style. As a kinaesthetic learner, I need to do the task to gain the most from it. During the interviews I felt that I was learning more about what had influenced me and was intrinsically part of me as a dancer by hearing and talking to my two teachers; especially when I formulated what I had heard from them into the diagram that I later constructed. Having to summarise and pick out the key points to form a visual summary meant that I retained the most important concepts that I needed to. By visiting other students’ blogs I could formulate my initial plans into concrete blog pages of my own and by creating these pages and the links that went within them I could then begin the reflective practise that was necessary as I moved on to the next stage within Kolb’s Cycle.

Reflective observation

For this task (C) I have been forced to reflect upon my learning so far; not only within this course but within my overall training. I have maintained a reflective diary throughout my four years of training at Elmhurst, so I am used to analysing the way in which I work and learn. This was related more to a practical experience within my ballet classes; however it has enabled me to understand the importance of reflection and critical analysis of my strengths and weaknesses. I feel that my thorough preparation and planning of assignments has enabled me to produce a good standard of work, which for me means something that I am proud of and feel reflects the high standard that I am capable of. Reflecting on task A and B and the outcomes that they have generated has enabled me to construct this evaluation of the efficiency of the way in which I learn and work. Constantly reviewing the progress of my learning and adapting it has facilitated my achievement and enabled me to progress through the tasks to this final section with a greater understanding of my own learning. This reflection, I believe, has allowed me to maximize the opportunities to improve my professional practice.

Abstract conceptualism

From my initial planning, doing and then reflecting I can conclude that my most effective way of learning is to start with a good initial plan. I believe that the plan of an essay or blog is like the foundations of a building, the stronger and more concrete that they are, the more you can build upon them. These and other intangible ideas are often harder to understand and learn from than concrete evidence which we see in a dance class every day. This assignment has enabled me to understand how to develop abstract ideas into concrete essays. I am sure that I will now use Kolb’s Learning Cycle in a more practical and effective way as I am now aware of how important each of these different stages are if I wish to achieve excellent results. Although these processes are cyclic; in my own mind I often work through them at such a pace I find it to hard to consciously separate them. By working through in a logical manner and reflecting at each stage of the cycle what I have to do next I will be able to continue to learn. Now I have become conscious of this cyclic process, I will endeavour to actively use it to enable me to develop my professional practise.