Kolb's theory of learning

Learning is often known as the acquiring of any specific knowledge or skill through a structured education process or through unstructured experiences. Our ability to learn and our intellectual capacity are our greatest assets because everything we do to reinforce and update our knowledge allows us to grow from where we are today to where we would want to go tomorrow. Learning thus, is a sure prerequisite to growth. To enable quick and easy learning for their employees, organizations today subscribe to different methods and activities based on the possibility that each individual has a unique way of learning which may be different from that of others; and for organizations to be able to meet everyone's learning needs and requirements, they must have avenues available with them to adopt to their preferred learning style and apply the knowledge at work. Thus various models of learning styles developed by theorists and psychologists are always considered by organizations. Though developed years earlier, David Kolb published his learning styles model in 1984 and it went on to become one of the most famous learning models used across industries and corporates. Kolb's learning theory model involves four distinct learning styles which are based on a four-stage learning cycle. The 4-stages of the learning cycle are: 1. Concrete Experience - (CE): emotionally transform the experience through experiencing the 'concrete, tangible, felt qualities of the world'. 2. Reflective Observation - (RO): approach the task through watching others involved in the experience and reflecting on what happens. 3. Abstract Conceptualization - (AC): emotionally transform the experience through gaining new information by thinking, analyzing, or planning. 4. Active Experimentation - (AE): approach the task through 'jumping straight in' and just doing. Based on the combination of how one approaches the task and how one emotion transforms the experience creates the result of four distinct learning styles from which an individual prefers theirs.

These learning styles are: Diverging (feeling and watching - CE/ RO) - These people can easily look at things from different perspectives. They may prefer to observe rather than jump into the action and tend to want to gather information and use their imagination to solve problems. These people are good at viewing concrete situations from many different viewpoints. Kolb called this style 'Diverging' because those that prefer this style tend to perform better in situations that require more of idea-generation and brainstorming. People with a preferred Diverging learning style may have broad interests and can be interested in people. They may prefer to work in groups, share learning and experiences and listen with an open mind and to receive personal feedback

Assimilating (watching and thinking - AC/RO) - The Assimilating learning preference usually is about going for a concise, logical approach. In this case, ideas and concepts tend to be more important than people. People who prefer Assimilating usually require a good clear explanation rather than looking for practical opportunity. They tend to choose to excel at understanding a lot of wide-ranging information and then organising it for themselves in a clear logical format. In most formal learning situations, people with this preferred style prefer readings, lectures, exploring analytical models, and having time to think things through Converging (doing and thinking - AC/AE) - People with a Converging learning style can solve problems and use their learning to find solutions to what they consider practical problems. These people prefer working on a number of technical tasks, and tend to want to be less connected and less concerned with people and interpersonal aspects. People with a Converging learning style are very good for finding practical uses for ideas and theories. They can analyse a situation and solve problems and make appropriate decisions by finding solutions to problems. Those who prefer this style are usually enabled as a specialist in technological areas. They like to experiment with new ideas, and to simulate new experiences Accommodating (doing and feeling - CE/AE) - The Accommodating learning style is more about being 'hands-on' and action-oriented. Those who prefer this style tend to rely more on intuition and gut feeling rather than sound logic. These people may tend to use other people's analysis, such as those with converging styles and from there on prefer to take a practical, and a more experiential approach. They tend to be more focused on learning through taking up new challenges and proactively initiate new experiences for themselves and others. People with an Accommodating learning style may often tend to rely on others for information than carry out their own analysis. This learning style is extremely useful when action needs to be taken forthwith even in the light of poor information. People with a preferred Accommodating learning style set targets and actively work in the field, trying different ways to achieve an objective and prefer to work in teams to complete tasks. Learning has always been considered and will always be considered vitally important because it helps us make informed choices about our own lives and the societies that we live in and the organizations that we work at. Knowing how we can learn best helps us grow and perform most effectively. Knowing how others learn helps us interact effectively and work together more collaboratively Learn your learning style... You have the power! Revathi Turaga is an International Trainer and Inspirational Speaker. http://www.revathionline.com