In this essay, I will explain the theory and processes of learning from Honey and Mumford and Kolb and also the key influences of the personal learning processes of individuals.
Learning is a process by which we gain knowledge and skills. The process of learning starts in early experiences as a small child and then continues through formal education and academic study or training. Learning is not only limited to formal education but also continues informally throughout your life. Most health and social care workers are expected to support the learning of other staff as a routine aspect of their work.
Two of the most known theories linked to learning are Kolb’s experimental learning cycle (1984) and Honey and Mumford’s.
David Kolb first published his learning styles models in 1984 from which he developed his learning style inventory. His experimental learning cycle helps us to understand how adults learn. According to Kolb, the way in which people learn are called their cognitive abilities. This means the ways in which an individual thinks by using their own knowledge and experiences. He suggested that during adolescence and early adulthood, we develop our own preferences in the way in which we process information and use it to make sense of our experiences. Kolb’s experiential learning cycle is represented by a four stage learning cycle:
1. Concrete experience – this is the ‘doing’ stage where you carry out or participate in an action
2. Reflective observation – reviewing or reflecting on the experience and where you think about what you did and what happened
3. Abstract conceptualisation – concluding or learning from the experience, sometimes called the theorising stage. In this stage, you use all the information you have gained about the experience and organise your thoughts into order and make sense of the experience.
4. Active experimentation – the