Applying goal-oriented design helps to focus on the main goals without getting distracted by ideas, activities, content, and features you can add to your design. If you keep stacking new features that are supposedly improving the learning experience, you might end up with an over complicated app that is hard to use. Similar to experiential marketing, where consumers become part of the process by participating in an event, experiential learning is an immersive experience that provokes and encourages reflection. Here, 14 members of Forbes Coaches Council provide some of the best examples of experiential learning in the workplace and discuss why these programs are so beneficial. Hands-on learning, learning by doing, learning through experience—no matter what you call it, the premise is the same. Most people learn faster and better when they’re actively involved in the process of doing whatever they being trained on, and many employers are starting to understand the power of experiential learning in the workplace.

The terms “Reflective Cycle” and “Experiential Learning Cycle” are often used interchangeably when referring to this four-stage learning process. Moving toward a mindset of learning from your experiences offers opportunities to grow wiser and more resilient. As you reflect on your experiences and seek greater mastery in addressing them, you may find it helpful to learn in friendship or partnership with others. You can explore and discuss, as you actively listen and also share with them, whether or not you agree with their viewpoints. Some people may want to ponder their experiences with personal reflection, mindful moments or contemplation. It can be convenient to collect these reflections in a journal—handwritten or electronic—perhaps creating a notes page on a phone, tablet, or computer.

David Kolb: Background

Dewey’s criticism of traditional education as the transmission of static information parallels Kolb’s emphasis on active engagement with experience rather than passive reception of information (Dewey, 1938). Both theorists recognize learning as an active process rather than passive reception. Neither views the learner as an empty vessel to be filled with knowledge, instead seeing learning as a constructive process requiring engagement (Illeris, 2007). This mixed evidence suggests that while individuals may have preferences in how they approach learning, these are likely more fluid, context-dependent, and multidimensional than suggested by fixed learning style categories. Convergers combine abstract conceptualisation with active experimentation, enabling them to find practical applications for theories and solve problems through a hypothetical-deductive approach. Tennant (1997) notes that this learning style “is important for effectiveness in information and science careers.” Assimilators often serve as the theoretical backbone of teams, ensuring ideas are logically sound and conceptually coherent.

It is possible to enter the cycle at any stage and follow it through its logical sequence. Learning doesn’t stop when the activity ends — it continues through reflection. Experiential learning isn’t only for physical or practical skills — it applies just as well to abstract or theoretical subjects. While presented sequentially, Kolb emphasized that these stages form a continuous cycle that can begin at any point, with each completed cycle potentially leading to another at a higher level of understanding.

While primarily used in educational and professional development contexts, the LSI has also been employed in research studying learning preferences across disciplines, cultures, and professional fields. Young children are naturally experiential learners, primarily engaging with the world through direct sensory experiences and active exploration. As Piaget’s cognitive development theory suggests, children in the preoperational stage (roughly ages 2-7) learn primarily through concrete experiences rather than abstract reasoning (Piaget, 1952). This natural tendency aligns perfectly with the concrete experience stage of Kolb’s cycle. Despite being in the later stages of his career, Kolb’s influence continues to grow as his theoretical framework is applied in increasingly diverse contexts. His work remains particularly relevant as educational institutions and workplaces seek to develop more effective approaches to lifelong learning and professional development in a rapidly changing world (Jarvis, 1995).

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In 1968, Bion moved to Los Angeles continuing his psychoanalytic work and supervising a number of psychoanalysts, including James Gooch and other founding members of the Psychoanalytic Center of California. We are committed to engaging with you and taking action based on your suggestions, complaints, and other feedback. Saul McLeod, PhD, is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education.

Rather than passively absorbing information, you actively engage in an activity, then reflect on the experience to draw insights and refine your approach. Learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms or through textbooks — it happens through experience. Experiential learning is one of the most powerful ways to develop knowledge and skills that last. It’s the process of learning by doing, followed by thoughtful reflection, allowing us to understand what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve. Silberman (2007) suggests that this basic template can be adapted for different educational contexts, from brief classroom activities https://themeetheage.com/ to extended professional development programmes.

Anyone can choose greater learning, rather than slipping into familiar habits. To strengthen your awareness, learning and insight, you might consider your inner journey, to mindfully notice your own experience and the experiences of others. Whether you’re refining a skill, solving a problem, or improving a relationship, growth happens when you act, reflect, and adjust. The 4MAT System has been widely adopted in both K-12 and adult education contexts, with extensive support materials available through About Learning, Inc., the organisation founded by McCarthy to disseminate the approach (McCarthy & McCarthy, 2006).

While the experiential learning cycle describes the process through which all effective learning occurs, Kolb recognised that individual learners approach this process differently. Building on this insight, he developed the Learning Style Inventory (LSI), a self-assessment tool designed to identify individual preferences within the learning cycle. This aspect of Kolb’s work acknowledges the diversity of learners and provides a framework for understanding how personal tendencies influence educational experiences. This theory emphasizes that meaningful learning involves direct engagement with experiences, reflection on those experiences, development of theoretical understanding, and application of that understanding in new situations. Unlike traditional educational approaches that focus primarily on abstract concepts, Kolb’s theory recognizes the crucial role of both experience and reflection in the learning process. Play-based learning, a cornerstone of quality Early Years practice, exemplifies experiential learning principles.

Educators should ensure that activities are designed and carried out in ways that offer each learner the chance to engage in the manner that suits them best. People with an accommodating learning style will tend to rely on others for information than carry out their own analysis. People with a diverging learning style have broad cultural interests and like to gather information. Knowing a person’s (and your own) learning style enables learning to be orientated according to the preferred method. Kolb believed we cannot perform both variables on a single axis at once (e.g., think and feel). Some learners reflect more before they act, while others learn best by jumping in and adjusting along the way.

This is what the ‘reflective observation’ phase of the experiential learning cycle is all about. Students do not gain the knowledge and skills they need simply because they are active. This is the ambitious and most important thing we could and should be thinking about when we think about what we are affording our youth today.

Through this platform, he has continued to refine his theories and develop assessment tools that help individuals understand their learning preferences. Kolb’s academic contributions have been widely recognised within educational and psychological circles. He has received multiple honorary degrees acknowledging his influence on experiential learning theory, including those from SUNY Empire State College, Franklin University, Buckingham University (UK), and his alma mater, Knox College. In 2008, Kolb and his wife Alice were jointly awarded the ‘Educational Pioneers of the Year’ by the National Society of Experiential Education, cementing his status as a leading figure in the field (Smith, 2001).

• He received his Bachelor of Arts from Knox College in 1961 before pursuing graduate studies at Harvard University, where he earned both his Master’s degree in 1964 and his PhD in 1967 (Smith, 2001).
• Both theories have been widely adopted by educators seeking to address learner diversity.
• Each unit began with practical demonstrations or student experiments (CE), followed by structured observation and discussion (RO).

Piaget’s focus on cognitive development suggests that education should aim to foster the development of logical thinking and conceptual understanding. Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective implies that education should facilitate the learner’s full participation in cultural practices and mastery of cultural tools. Dewey explicitly connects education with democratic citizenship, suggesting that education should prepare learners for thoughtful participation in democratic society.