Kolb's Model on the 4 learning styles

The capacity that people have to assimilate the information that surrounds them through observation, study and experience is known as learning. But this learning capacity is not the same in all people.

The learning styles model created by David Kolb distinguishes four types of learning according to the way in which people prefer to deal with information from their environment. Below we describe this model and explain its possible limitations.

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Characteristics of the Kolb model

The American psychologist David A. Kolb designed in 1984 a model on learning styles in which it was theorized that there are three major agents that modulate the learning styles of each person. These three agents are genetics, life experiences and the demands of our environment.

Over time this model has become one of the assumptions about learning with more recognition and one of the most used today.

According to the learning style model developed by Kolb, when a person wants to learn something, they must process and work with the information they collect.

For this information processing to be carried out optimally, four phases must be completed different. They are the following.

1. Concrete experience (CE)

Immediate and specific experiences must take place that lead to observation.

2. reflective observation (OR)

The person reflects on what he is observing and develops a series of general hypotheses about what the information received can mean.

3. Abstract Conceptualization (CA)

Next, As a result of these hypotheses, abstract concepts are formed and generalizations.

4. Active Experimentation (EA)

Finally, the person experiment or practice with these concepts in other contexts or situations.

When the person completes all these stages of the process, the sequence restarts to continue acquiring more knowledge and information.

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The types of students

The reality is that people tend to specialize in one or two of the four phases we've seen. Since Kolb warned of this fact, developed four types of students according to the way in which they prefer to work with information.

These students are classified into:

• active students or divergent.
• reflective students or assimilators.
• theoretical students or convergent.
• pragmatic students or ushers.

These categories, which will be explained one by one in the next point, refer to the type of learning in which a person specializes. Depending on the category that it is in, it will be easier or more difficult for them to assimilate the information, this will depend on the way in which it is presented and how they work in the classroom.

Taking into account these four phases and the concept of specialization, it would be necessary for educators to present the information of each one of the subjects in such a way that they make sure that they are covering all the phases of the model of Kolb. This would facilitate the learning of each and every one of the students regardless of the phase in which they are. and, in addition, the phases in which they are less specialized will be reinforced.

The current educational system does not usually take this too much into account, granting more value and prioritizing the conceptualization and theorization phase. This occurs above all at secondary and higher education levels, where more theoretical students are favored to the detriment of those who are more pragmatic; except for some specific subjects.

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Kolb's learning style

As described above, Kolb elaborates a classification of learning styles according to the preferences that students have when handling and assimilating the information presented to them.

1. Active or divergent students

Distinguishing characteristics of active or divergent learners include full involvement and commitment without any kind of prejudice. These people tend to make the most of the moment and tend to surrender to events.

They are excited by any type of novel activity to which they give themselves completely. However, they tend to get bored easily, so the moment they lose interest in one they will start with a different one.

Another point that defines these people is that they tend to act before thinking through the consequences.

They learn better when

• When the activity poses a challenge.
• They propose short and concise activities.
• When they feel excited about the activity.

They learn worse when

• When they are long-term activities.
• They have a passive role in the activity.
• They must assimilate, analyze and interpret data.
• They have to work alone.

2. Reflective or assimilating students

These students are characterized by observe events and treat information from many different points of view. His specialty is collecting information and examining it thoroughly before making his hypotheses.

Their way of working forces them to be cautious with their conclusions., analyzing all the consequences of their actions before performing them. They always observe, attend and pay attention to all the details before making any contribution.

They learn better when

• When they can carefully observe the information around them.
• When they are offered time to analyze and reflect before acting.
• When they can go unnoticed.

learn worse when

• They are forced to take center stage or be the center of attention.
• When they are not given enough time to perform a task.
• When they are forced to act without reflecting first.

3. Theoretical or convergent students

This third type of student tends to accommodate and integrate information, turning it into complex theories and with a solid fundamental logic. Your thinking is organized sequentially, going through a series of steps before generating any kind of conclusion.

They tend to examine and summarize all information, and they value logic and reason above all else, for what they feel disoriented in the face of activities that do not have an obvious logic and judgments subjective.

They learn better when

• They are presented with objective models, theories and systems.
• When the activity is challenging.
• When they can investigate and track information.

They learn worse when

• They are presented with imprecise, confusing or uncertain activities.
• Very subjective or emotional activities.
• When they have to work without a theoretical frame of reference.

4. Pragmatic or accommodating students

pragmatic students feel comfortable putting new knowledge into practice, the theories and techniques that they are learning. They dislike having to debate these theories or have to continually ponder the information presented to them.

In short, they are practical, realistic people, with a great problem-solving capacity and who always look for the best way to do things.

They learn better when

They are offered activities in which they can relate theories to practical situations. When they can observe how an activity is carried out. When they can put into practice what they must learn.

They learn worse when

• When abstract activities are presented that are not related to reality.
• When the activity does not have an established purpose.
• When they cannot relate the information to practical situations.

Criticism of Kolb's model

This model has been widely criticized by those who argue that there is very little evidence to support the existence of these styles. A large-scale review of this model concluded that there was not enough research or empirical evidence to support the existence of these styles.

Likewise, his detractors insist that Kolb did not take into account how culture and context shape the learning process.