Research Methods Learning diary 2

Over the past few months I have learnt so much on my course at Middlesex and its starting to come to light that all of the previous tasks are the foundations for the final module The Project.

Over the past few months I have learnt how to set up a blog to represent me and my work, it has also connected me to my peers and tutors. I have produced and advertised my CV to inform others of my training and my goals/dreams. I have learned how to express my interests and those who inspire me and why. I now know about the Kolb theory something I had never heard of before and to understand what it was I researched it to broaden my knowledge thus helping me with my current module as it’s something I have experienced doing before. I know that on a daily basis I use the Kolb Theory to make things work better and now I evaluate my work more frequently.

The most significant work to help benefit this module and my project is the writing styles as I have learnt how to write academically which will be the main style of writing for my project, learning the Harvard way to reference will be required for significant information. I know how to market something which may benefit me if say for instance i want to market some of my new classes. I know how to write a good descriptive piece of writing and have learnt that this is my favourite style of writing. The need to market work and the use of descriptive writing may be required as part of my research dependent upon my project title.

During the course I have had to reflect and analyse my work which is not something I used to do, I have had to take into account comments and critique from my peers in order to improve it which was very valuable. I’ve also learnt that my comments to my peers are very valuable for them and can improve their work and felt I did this very well. I learnt that appropriate and useful feedback is vital for improvement.

Everything I have learnt will benefit me in one way or another especially for the next few months ahead.

Elaborations of the Experiential Learning Cycle

Click on the picture to reveal Apprehension & Comprehension

Not all forms of skill and knowledge emphasise all the stages of the Cycle to the same extent, and Kolb has carried the argument further by relating topics and subject areas to the cycle in the following ways:

Concrete Experience corresponds to "knowledge by acquaintance", direct practical experience (or "Apprehension" in Kolb's terms), as opposed to "knowledge about" something, which is theoretical, but perhaps more comprehensive, (hence "Comprehension") and represented by Abstract Conceptualisation.

Reflective Observation concentrates on what the experience means to the experienced, (it is transformed by "Intension") or its connotations, while Active Experimentation transforms the theory of Abstract Conceptualisation by testing it in practice (by "Extension") and relates to its denotations.

So it all sounds pretty complicated and that’s because as people in the arts we don’t put things on paper. We are “doers” however once it has been digested it starts to show clearly that we do all parts of the cycle we just don’t realise it.

Kolb, A. and Kolb D. A. (2001) Experiential Learning Theory Bibliography 1971-2001, Boston, Ma.: McBer and Co, http://trgmcber.haygroup.com/Products/learning/bibliography.htm
Kolb, D. A. (1976) The Learning Style Inventory: Technical Manual, Boston, Ma.: McBer.
Kolb, D. A. (1981) 'Learning styles and disciplinary differences'. in A. W. Chickering (ed.) The Modern American College, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kolbs Learning Cycle “ The center of learning is experience”

Some of the students that attended Cat Hill campus at Middlesex University recently looked at the Learning Cycle process by David Kolb as shown above. They were given extracts from an anonymous peer's blog, which they separated into the relevant stages of Kolb's system. This then gave them a better understanding of the cycle.
As I was unable to attend due to an extremely busy week in work I have done some of my own research on Kolb and his cycle of learning.

David A. Kolb is Professor of Organizational Behaviour in the Weatheread School of Management. He joined the School in 1976. Born in 1939, Kolb received his Batchelor of Arts from Knox College in 1961, his MA from Harvard in 1964 and his PhD from Harvard in 1967. Besides his work on experiential learning, David A. Kolb is also known for his contribution to thinking around organizational behaviour (1995a; 1995b). He has an interest in the nature of individual and social change, experiential learning, career development and executive and professional education.

The cycle basically suggests that there are four stages in learning which follow from each other: Concrete Experience is followed by Reflection on that experience on a personal basis. This may then be followed by the derivation of general rules describing the experience, or the application of known theories to it (Abstract Conceptualisation), and hence to the construction of ways of modifying the next occurrence of the experience (Active Experimentation), leading in turn to the next Concrete Experience. All this may happen in a flash, or over days, weeks or months, depending on the topic, and there may be a "wheels within wheels" process at the same time.

You can see a video of David Kolb and Alice Kolb where he quotes “The center of learning is experience” If you learn quickly by watching and listening as opposed to reading lots of text this will be helpful to you. It was for me.
http://www.learningfromexperience.com/