Discover David Kolb's Experiential Learning
Begrepen - Begrepen
A short introduction to David Kolb's experiential learning cycle: experience, reflection, conceptualisation and experimentation. Use it to turn everyday work into structured, reflective learning.
Key takeaways
- Treat a recent work experience as raw material for learning.
- Make time to reflect before jumping to conclusions.
- Plan a small experiment to test what you have learned.
Reflect on it
- Which recent experience at work could I learn more from?
- What will I try differently next time, and how will I know if it worked?
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David Kolb's experiential learning theory describes learning as a cycle: we learn by doing, reflecting on what happened, making sense of it and then trying again. This short introduction explains the model.
Why it is worth watching
Kolb's cycle sits behind much of how reflective CPD works. Understanding it helps you get more from every training session, project and mistake.
The key points
- Concrete experience - doing something or having an experience.
- Reflective observation - stepping back to review what happened.
- Abstract conceptualisation - drawing conclusions and learning from it.
- Active experimentation - trying out what you have learned.
- You can enter the cycle at any stage, but real learning needs all four.
Where to go next
Read our full guide to Kolb's learning cycle.
Turn it into CPD
Watch the video, then answer the reflection questions under it and log it to your free Passport.
Add this to your CPD log
Sign in to save what you've read - we'll create a free CPD log for you.