Within my introduction I aimed to merge my creative/research interests within my teaching pedagogy. I was intrigued the moment I first read the following quote about Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC):
“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience”(Kolb, 1984, p. 38 cited in Mcleod, 2024, n.p.).
This quote resonated with me and my own research interests such as Andrea Gaggioli’s Transformative Experience Design (2015). A theory that posits that certain experiences have the ability to radically transform an individual’s perception of themselves and the world around them, citing that some things can only be learned through experience, such as having a child (The Possibility Studies Network, 2021). So when I considered the application of this fundamental idea within a classroom setting, I was hooked.
Although I was just a little disappointed that there was no justification for creating entire fictional worlds in which learners would be thrown into, learning through predetermined narratives/experiences,but was still interested in how Kolb outlined multiple different learning styles: The visual, auditory & kinesthetic (Fallace, 2023). Within Kolb’s writing he explains that (below is not a direct quote from Kolb):
“Effective learning is seen when a person progresses through a cycle of four stages: of (1) having a concrete experience followed by (2) observation of and reflection on that experience which leads to (3) the formation of abstract concepts (analysis) and generalizations (conclusions) which are then (4) used to test a hypothesis in future situations, resulting in new experiences.”(Mcleod, 2024, n.p.)
Kolb’s cycle makes it “…possible to enter… at any stage and follow it through its logical sequence.”(Mcleod, 2024, n.p.), the relationship between the learning styles and learning cycle (see figure 1) is that the cycle will encompass the learner in at least one of their preferred learning styles but also developing their non-preferred style through the linking structure. It is important to not note that:
“… 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.”(Mcleod, 2024, n.p.)
Kolb’s theory does have some controversy around this idea of the visual, auditory & kinesthetic learning styles and experiential learning cycle. Such as how it can lead to a non authoritative classroom dynamic (Valiente-Riedl, Anderson and Banki, 2022) contradicting Barrow’s (2006) benefits (see case study 3). Nonetheless many educators claim benefits from their implementations (Pourhosein Gilakjani, 2011; Suaib, 2019) such as a way to break-up “…monotonous teaching technique…”(Suaib, 2019, p. 252) and create a more engaging classroom environment.
Considering how to integrate ELC into my teaching raised questions. The broad applicability and positive reception across disciplines suggested its benefit, despite critiques. Its versatility aligns with my prior reflections on reinforcing learning through circular approaches (see figure 2) (seen in case study 2) and so would like to trial running ‘taster’ or introductory sessions that break down the fundamental concepts to compare. Within these sessions I could use the ELC framework to break down important fundamental concepts such as PWM (Hirzel, 2022) and Breadboards (Shawn, 2020) – something notoriously difficult to wrap your head around without experiencing.
An example of how this could be implemented into my session (see figure 3):
Objective: Teach PWM and why we would want to use it.
- Concrete Experience: Provide students with pre-written code based on a diagram; students then observe an LED’s behaviour.
- Reflective Observation: Ask the students what is happening, asking questions like “what are the limitations of this” (i.e it is only either on or off)
- Abstract Conceptualisation: Introduce the concept of PWM as a technique to simulate an analog output using digital means.
- Active Experimentation: Challenge the students to modify the code to use PWM to control the brightness of the LED.
To conclude, I feel that Kolb’s ELC offers valuable insights for teaching complex concepts. Its application could potentially enhance my entire workshop strategy. I’m excited to test these methods and observe student engagement with this approach.
Bibliography
Barrow, M. (2006) ‘Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect’, Studies in Higher Education, 31(3), pp. 357–372. doi: 10.1080/03075070600680869.
Fallace, T. (2023) ‘The long origins of the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning style typology, 1921–2001.’, History of Psychology, 26(4), pp. 334–354. doi: 10.1037/hop0000240.
Gaggioli, A. (2015) ‘Transformative Experience Design’, pp. 97–122. doi: 10.1515/9783110471137-006.
Hirzel, T. (2022) Basics of PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), Arduino. Available at: https://docs.arduino.cc/learn/microcontrollers/analog-output/ (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Kolb, D. A. (1999) Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Available at: https://learningfromexperience.com/downloads/research-library/experiential-learning-theory.pdf (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Mcleod, S. (2024) Kolb’s Learning Styles & Experiential Learning Cycle, Simply Psychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Pourhosein Gilakjani, A. (2011) ‘Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic Learning Styles and Their Impacts on English Language Teaching’, JSE, 2(1). doi: 10.5296/JSE.V2I1.1007.
Shawn (2020) How To Use A Breadboard For Beginners? Wiring, Circuit, Arduino – Latest Open Tech From Seeed, seeedstudio. Available at: https://www.seeedstudio.com/blog/2020/01/06/how-to-use-a-breadboard-wiring-circuit-and-arduino-interfacing/#:~:text=A%20breadboard%20is%20a%20solderless,getting%20started%20with%20using%20one. (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Suaib, R. W. (2019) ‘The Use Of Visual Auditory Kinesthetic (Vak) Learning Styles To Increase Students’ Vocabulary’, Didaktika, 11(2). doi: 10.30863/DIDAKTIKA.V11I2.169.
The Possibility Studies Network (2021) ‘Andrea Gaggioli: Transformative experience design: Exploring novel spaces in the phygital era’. Youtube, 11 May.
Valiente-Riedl, E., Anderson, L. and Banki, S. (2022) ‘Practicing what we teach: Experiential learning in higher education that cuts both ways’, Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies , 44(3), pp. 231–252. doi: 10.1080/10714413.2021.1985372.
Image Index
Figure 1. Mcleod, S. (2024) Kolb’s Learning Styles. simplypsychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/wp-content/uploads/learning-styles-kolb.jpg (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Figure 2. Hall, E. (2024) Circular Approach.
Figure 3. Hall, E. (2024) Proposed Implementation of Kolbs Learning Cycle into Wearable Tech Workshops.