Unveiling the Experiential Learning Model

Exploring how individuals approach learning can assist leaders in comprehending the strategies needed to ensure that they, and their team members, continue to refine their skills and grow as professionals over time in the most efficient and effective manner. To help leaders with this process, David A. Kolb developed the experiential learning concept, which has proven useful for leaders who are tasked with the critical responsibility of cultivating and maintaining a successful and constructive learning environment.

Introduction to Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with students in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values. There is an intimate and necessary relation between the process of actual experience and education. Kolb's experiential learning theory has a holistic perspective which includes experience, perception, cognition and behavior. In their book, Teaching for Experiential Learning, Wurdinger and Carlson (2010) found that most college faculty teach by lecturing because few of them learned how to teach otherwise. Although good lecturing should be part of an educator’s teaching repertoire, faculty should also actively involve their students “in the learning process through discussion, group work, hands-on participation, and applying information outside the classroom” (p. 2). This process defines experiential learning where students are involved in learning content in which they have a personal interest, need, or want.

The Experiential Learning Cycle

Kolb’s experiential learning cycle concept divides the learning process into a cycle of four basic theoretical components: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. Effective learning can be seen when the learner progresses through the cycle. It is possible to enter the cycle at any stage and follow it through its logical sequence. However, effective learning only occurs when a learner can execute all four stages of the model. Therefore, no one stage of the cycle is effective as a learning procedure on its own.

Concrete Experience

As the first component of the experiential learning cycle, concrete experience relates to our everyday experiences, whether they occur in professional, personal, or educational settings. They can be completely novel experiences, such as a new leadership role at a new company, or they could involve familiar experiences under varying circumstances. For instance, a marketing manager might experience an analysis of industry competition quite differently after learning that his or her company was being bought out by a top competitor.

For professionals in leadership positions, concrete experiences on the job are directly related to overall expertise and critical on-the-job experience. Leaders should view such concrete experiences as learning opportunities that can be valuable for their organizations, as they can be seen as learning opportunities for themselves and their teams, and leaders should work to help their employees to see their own concrete experiences as valuable chances for growth and personal development. The first stage is concrete learning, where the learner encounters a new experience or reinterprets an existing experience.

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Reflective Observation

The second component of the experiential learning cycle is reflective observation, which naturally occurs after having new experiences. While reflective observations can be impacted by preconceived notions and learned ideologies, it is vital for leaders to consistently reflect upon their experiences and adjust their approaches for solving new challenges and making critical organizational decisions. For example, if an employee fails to accomplish a certain task or meet a goal, a leader can reflect on previous approaches and develop a strategy to help the employee succeed the next time. This is followed by reflective observation, where the learner reflects on the experience on a personal basis.

Abstract Conceptualization

While reflective observation focuses on contemplating previous experiences and developing observations about these experiences, abstract conceptualization takes the reflective process a step further by focusing on channeling those observations into a set game plan or theoretical approach. For instance, a leader who has a negative experience communicating with an employee may form the idea that the individual is unapproachable or unresponsive, yet through constant interaction, the leader may develop a different theory that the person simply responds better to different approaches. As leaders reflect upon their own learned assumptions and observe others, these ideas should be constantly reevaluated, revised, and tested at this conceptualizing stage. By practicing new approaches and tactics, leaders can have more effective interactions with subordinates while also maximizing their learning potential. After this comes abstract conceptualization, where the learner forms new ideas, or modifies existing abstract ideas, based on the reflections arising from the reflective observation stage.

Active Experimentation

This fourth component of experiential learning deals with the process of testing existing ideas by creating new experiences. For instance, in the abstract stage, a leader might develop theories based off of observations learned in the reflective stage, and in the active stage, the leader takes the time to then test their theories. This stage of experiential learning is related to the concept of scientific experimentation, in which an individual forms a hypothesis based on existing ideas and tests the validity of these ideas in a structured experiment. For those in leadership roles, this means using all available tools and resources to make effective decisions and carry forth action. Lastly, in the active experimentation stage the learner applies the new ideas to see if anything changes. This second experience becomes the concrete experience for the beginning of the next cycle.

Active experimentation also allows leaders to connect strategic planning to practical implementation. Individuals in sales or customer service, for instance, receive training on effective strategies and must then apply these ideas in actual situations. Certain approaches are reevaluated, revised, or even reinvented through this experimentation process by both leaders and employees to improve strategy and maximize effectiveness. Leaders in organizations must be actively engaged throughout this critical stage of experiential learning, helping to track the impact of certain strategies in order to discover new approaches, improve training tools, and develop best practices.

Types of Learners

As stated earlier, Kolb also theorizes that different individuals rely more heavily on some, not all, of the components of the experiential learning cycle in daily practice. One person might naturally prefer a combination of abstract and active learning, skipping over the reflective and concrete aspects of the cycle. Based on such preferences, Kolb and his colleague Roger Fry use the four components of experiential learning to differentiate all learners into one of four categories:

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Converger (abstract conceptualization/active experimentation)
Diverger (concrete experience/reflective observation)
Assimilator (abstract conceptualization/reflective observation)
Accommodator (concrete experience/active experimentation)

As each learner type is based on a combination of the four experiential learning concepts, Kolb’s theory can be useful for leaders to gain a better understanding of their employees’ learning preferences within their organizations and help facilitate the overall learning process. Ultimately, this can inform how leaders approach customized training and education programs, how they utilize feedback and performance evaluations to maximize learning, and how they structure teams and delegate tasks more efficiently based on developmental strengths and learning preferences. For instance, convergers and accommodators might excel at hands-on, time sensitive projects that require strong initiative and the ability to think on one’s feet to make quick decisions and meet short-term goals. Divergers and assimilators, on the other hand, could be more suited for tasks requiring strong analytical and critical thinking skills, extensive planning and a focus on long-term goals.

Diverging

The diverging learning style is full of learners who look at things with a unique perspective. They want to watch instead of do, and they also have a strong capacity to imagine. They are sensitive. These people are able to look at things from different perspectives. These learners usually prefer to work in groups, have broad interests in cultures and people, and more. Individuals of this kind of learning style look at things in a different perspective. They prefer watching to doing, also they have strong imagination capacity, emotional, strong in arts, prefer to work in groups, open minded to take feedback and they have broad interests in different cultures and people. Divergers often excel in the arts and humanities, valuing empathy and multiple perspectives.

Assimilating

This learning style involves learners getting clear information. These learners prefer concepts and abstracts to people, and explore using analytic models. The assimilating learning preference involves a concise, logical approach. These people require good, clear explanations rather than a practical opportunity. They are more interested in concepts and abstracts than in people. This learning style is important for effectiveness in information and science careers. Assimilators thrive in research and mathematics, prioritizing logical theories.

Converging

Converging learners solve problems. They apply what they’ve learned to practical issues and prefer technical tasks. Individuals with this kind of learning style prefer good clear information, they can logically format the given information and explore analytic models. They tend to be unemotional. People with a converging learning style are best at finding practical uses for ideas and theories. People with a converging learning style are more attracted to technical tasks and problems than social or interpersonal issues. Converging type of learners solve problems. They apply their learning to practical issues. Also, they prefer technical tasks, and they experiment with new ideas. Convergers gravitate toward engineering and technology, where they can apply practical solutions to technical problems.

Accommodating

These learners prefer practicality. They enjoy new challenges and use intuition to help solve problems. Individuals with this kind of learning style prefer to do things practically. They are attracted to new challenges and solve problems intuitively. The Accommodating learning style is “hands-on,” and relies on intuition rather than logic. People with an accommodating learning style will tend to rely on others for information than carry out their own analysis.

Benefits of Experiential Learning

There are many ways that experiential learning is used every day.

Opportunity to immediately apply knowledge. Experiential learning can allow students to immediately apply things they are learning to real-world experiences.
Promotion of teamwork.
Improved motivation. Students are more motivated and excited about learning in experiential settings.
Opportunity for reflection. Students using the experiential model are able to spend time reflecting about what they are experiencing and learning.
Real world practice. Students can greatly benefit from learning that helps them prepare for the real world.

Experiential Learning in Practice

Experiential learning involves a number of steps that offer student a hands-on, collaborative and reflective learning experience which helps them to “fully learn new skills and knowledge”. Although learning content is important, learning from the process is at the heart of experiential learning.

Experiencing: Students will perform or do a hands-on minds-on experience with little or no help from the instructor. Examples might include: Making products or models, role-playing, giving a presentation, problem-solving, playing a game.
Sharing: Students will share the results, reactions and observations with their peers. Students will also get other peers to talk about their own experience, share their reactions and observations and discuss feelings generated by the experience.
Analyzing: Students will discuss, analyze and reflect upon the experience. Describing and analyzing their experiences allow students to relate them to future learning experiences. Students will also discuss how the experience was carried out, how themes, problems and issues emerged as a result of the experience. Students will discuss how specific problems or issues were addressed and to identify recurring themes.
Inferring: Students will apply what they learned in the experience (and what they learned from past experiences and practice) to a similar or different situation. Also, students will discuss how the newly learned process can be applied to other situations. Students will discuss how issues raised can be useful in future situations and how more effective behaviors can develop from what they learned. The instructor should help each student feel a sense of ownership for what was learned.

In experiential learning, the instructor guides rather than directs the learning process where students are naturally interested in learning. Qualities of experiential learning are those in which students decide themselves to be personally involved in the learning experience (students are actively participating in their own learning and have a personal role in the direction of learning). Students are not completely left to teach themselves; however, the instructor assumes the role of guide and facilitates the learning process. Students will learn from the learning process and become open to change. A primary role for instructors is to identify a situation which challenges students through problem-solving, cooperation, collaboration, self-discovery and self-reflection. At the same time, decide what the students should learn or gain from the learning experience.

Once the EL experience has been decided upon, plan the experience by tying it to the course learning objectives and determine what students will need to successfully complete the exercise (resources such as readings and worksheets, research, rubrics, supplies and directions to off-campus locations, etc.). Also, determine the logistics: how much time will be allotted for the students to complete the experience (a complete class session, one week or more)? Will students need to work outside of class? How will the experience end? What forms of assessment will you employ? Success of an experiential learning activity can be determined during discussions, reflections and a debriefing session. Debriefing, as a culminating experience, can help to reinforce and extend the learning process.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

There are numerous experiential learning opportunities in higher education that can be found in most disciplines.

Apprenticeship Experiences provide students an opportunity to try out a job usually with an experienced professional in the field to act as a mentor. Apprenticeships are a type of on the job training which may lead to certification.
Cooperative Education Experiences are more extensive than internships and will usually span two or more semesters of work. Co-ops are paid professional work experiences and are tied very closely to the student's academic work. During the co-op experience students will receive ongoing advising and the co-op will be structured to meet the student's academic and/or career goals.
Fellowship Experiences provide tuition or aid to support the training of students for a period of time, usually between 6 months to one year. They are usually made by educational institutions, corporations, or foundations to assist individuals pursuing a course of study or research.
Field Work Experiences allow students to explore and apply content learned in the classroom in a specified field experience away from the classroom.
Internship Experiences are job-related and provide students and job changers with an opportunity to test the waters in a career field and also gain some valuable work experience.
Practicum Experiences are often a required component of a course of study and place students in a supervised and often paid situation. Students develop competencies and apply previously studied theory and content such as school library media students working in a high school library or marketing majors working in a marketing research firm. Practicum experiences also allow students to design and develop a project in which they apply knowledge and develop skills such as a doctoral student preparing the components of an online course.
Service Learning Experiences are distinguished by being mutually beneficial for both student and community. Service learning is growing rapidly and is considered a part of experiential education by its very nature of learning, performing a job within the community, and serious reflection by the student. Service learning involves solving some of society's issues; such as, homelessness, poverty, lack of quality education, pollution, etc.
Student Teaching Experiences provides student candidates with an opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills he or she has been developing in the preparation program.
Study Abroad Experiences offer students a unique opportunity to learn in another culture, within the security of a host family and a host institution carefully chosen to allow the transfer of credit to a student’s degree program. Students studying a foreign language will perfect the accent and greatly expand their vocabulary--a skill retained for life.
Volunteer Experiences allow students to serve in a community primarily because they choose to do so. Many serve through a non-profit organization - sometimes referred to as formal volunteering, but a significant number also serve less formally, either individually or as part of a group.

Kolb Educator Role Profile

Experiential educating is the practice of guiding learning while learning yourself. It helps you meet people where they are and support them as they move through the cycle of Experiencing, Reflecting, Thinking, and Acting. The Kolb Educator Role Profile shows that every exceptional experiential educator moves among four roles: Facilitator, Expert, Evaluator, and Coach. Each role serves a different purpose and links to two of the learning modes. The real impact comes from knowing when to support, when to challenge, and when to step back so learners build confidence and capability. Understanding your natural role patterns helps you create environments where people feel seen, stretched, and supported.

Criticisms of Kolb's Experiential Learning Model

Although Kolb’s cycle has become a widely recognized framework, critics such as Jarvis (1987) and Bergsteiner et al. (2010) have raised important questions about its theoretical underpinnings and practical application. For instance, Bergsteiner et al. argue that the model is overly simplistic and does not adequately account for the complexities of real-world learning experiences. Critics like Holman et al. (1997) and Tennant (1997) have questioned the empirical evidence supporting Kolb’s learning styles, suggesting that they may not be as distinct or stable as the model implies. More broadly, Pashler et al. (2008) have argued that the concept of learning styles lacks strong scientific support and that educators should focus on evidence-based instructional strategies rather than trying to cater to individual learning preferences. Bergsteiner et al. (2010) also point out that the model tends to emphasize individual learning at the expense of social and collaborative learning processes. Furthermore, Bergsteiner et al. (2010) argue that the model does not adequately address the role of emotions and motivation in learning. Some critics have argued that Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle is too simplistic in nature and fails to capture the importance of observation; it also only works in abstract isolation. This has led Ryder and Downs (2022) to argue for an approach that embraces change and emphasizes the orientation of the observer as critical to decision-making both in education and work.

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