Learning is a holistic process of adapting to the world; and
Learning involves transactions between the person and the environment. To
this point, “the transactional relationship between the person and the
environment is symbolized in the dual meanings of the term experience – one
subjective and personal ... and the other objective and environmental” (p. 35).
A central theme in the underpinnings described above is adaptation – indeed,
Kolb (1984) asserted that learning is constantly in a state of fluidity among the pillars
forming the circular model above, e.g., between action and observation. In that regard,
Kolb (1984) stated that “learning ... requires both a grasp or figurative representation of
experience and some transformation of that representation (p. 42). Elements of the
theoretical model in Figure 2.9 are embellished in Table 2.4 below:
Table 2. 4
2.4 Elements of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory
Structural Elements
Element Definition Emphasis
Concrete Experience
Being involved in experiences and dealing
with immediate human
situations in a personal way.Feeling as opposed to
thinking; an intuitive
approach.
Abstract Conceptualization
Using logic, ideas, and
concepts.
Thinking as opposed to
feeling; a concern with
building general theories.
Active Experimentation
Actively influencing people
and changing situations.
Practical applications as
opposed to reflective
understanding.Reflective Observation
Understanding the meaning
of ideas and situations by
carefully observing and impartially describing them.Understanding as opposed
to practical application;
what is true or how things will happen.
Dialectic Relationships
Element Definition
Dialectic:
Grasping Experience Apprehension^
Reliance on tangible, felt
qualities of immediate