Kolb Learning Cycle
Experiential learning model: experience, reflect, conceptualize, experiment - then repeat.
Also known as: Experiential learning cycle, Kolb cycle, Kolb's model
Category: Frameworks
Tags: learning, education, experience, reflection, experiential-learning
Explanation
David Kolb's experiential learning cycle describes learning as a four-stage process that begins with experience: Concrete Experience (doing or having an experience), Reflective Observation (reviewing and reflecting on it), Abstract Conceptualization (concluding and learning from it), and Active Experimentation (planning and trying out what you've learned). Effective learning requires cycling through all four stages. Kolb also identified four learning styles based on preferences for different stages: Diverging (experience + reflection), Assimilating (reflection + conceptualization), Converging (conceptualization + experimentation), and Accommodating (experimentation + experience). For knowledge workers, this framework highlights the importance of not just reading or doing, but deliberately reflecting on experiences and forming concepts that can be tested. It explains why learning-by-doing without reflection often fails to produce lasting improvement.
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