His principles are based on two partiality dimensions: Concrete and Abstract, Active and Reflective, with four different
styles of learning; diverging, assimilating, converging and accommodating. The aforementioned means that each individual has a combination of two preferred styles.
i) Divergent leaning style consists of CE and RO as foremost learning abilities. Students in of this kind seem to enjoy learning through feeling and watching, see things from a different angle, are sensitive, imaginative to resolve problems. This style is described by Kolb as broadly creative amplification, of ideas prompted by stimulus, has cultural interests, is an open-minded person, prefers to work in groups and is well-matched to artistic pursuits and study in the humanities as they tend to be more attracted to people. (
David Kolb, 1984 ELT)
ii) Assimilator learning style consists of AC and RO as the foremost learning abilities, in this type of learning, they watch and think in order to summarise things sensibly, because ideas and concepts are more significant, when learning something, they require straight forward explanations rather than practical opportunities. Learners in this style tend to be interested in ideas and abstract concepts and reflect on them, reading and lectures are their favourite way of learning; they approach things questioning “what is there I can know?” with the intension of taking time in thinking things through. (David Kolb, 1984 ELT)
iii) Converging learning style consists of AC and AE as the foremost learning abilities, which is termed by Kolb as an active experimentation and abstract conceptualization, in other words is the doing and the thinking that make some students to prefer technical tasks, to experiment and bring material from a variety of sources to bear on a problem. They are normally less attracted by people and are best at finding practical uses for ideas and theories, this enables specialist and technology abilities. (David Kolb, 1984 ELT)
iv) Accommodating learning style consists of CE and AE as the foremost learning abilities. The mixture of doing and feeling that attract certain people, taking a practical and experiential approach. The fascination leads them, to new challenges, acting on gut instinct rather than logical analysis. Accommodators have intuition beliefs rather than judgment. Kolb explained that active experimentation and concrete
experience guide the learning, making it more interesting when the experience is shared, that is why in this learning style people enjoy working in groups, setting
targets, carrying on strategy and enthusiastically work in the field trying different ways to attain an objective. (David Kolb, 1984 ELT)
Is important to clarify that Kolb’s model consequently works on two levels:
Perception dimension;
o Concrete experience – (CE) – Feeling – things are accepted as they are, no changes are needed in any form or shape.
o Abstract conceptualization – (AC) – Thinking – things are looked at as concepts and ideas, after an extent of processes that turns the forms and shapes into an internal model.
People that opt for concrete experience argue that thinking about something changes it, makes it more interesting to the human eyes, as many will look at it and image it differently. Those who opt for concept will argue that connotation is created only after internal processing and that optimism is a more real move towards its reality.
Processing dimension;
Active experimentation – (AE) – Doing – in this process people will complete new experiences based on what they have learnt with the curiosity as to whether the idea or concept really works.
Reflective Observation – (RO) – Watching – in this process people will carefully pay attention to what has been learnt to make sure the method works.
People that prefers active experiences they enjoy hands-on things, trying new methods aiming to be victorious, whereas reflective observers prefer to think things through by watching third parties, as a result they can develop new ways to be tried and possibly contested successfully.
As a result, Kolb’s thesis is one of the many that has been studied and developed, to help people to find exactly what their talents are and how can this be improved and used to obtain new skills. The many different careers existent is a proof that everyone wishes to do things in their own way e.g., one hundred surgeons that studied the same subject, with roughly the same career experience will never spend the same amount of hours and minutes when performing an operation, although they have to follow similar rules they still have their particular and unique technique. The reason why, is simply because, everybody is purely distinctive. Two twin brothers may look identical, but they do not digest things in the same manners, as one could be more talkative, and the other might enjoy a bit of peacefulness to reflect on what is being said. The ways of learning amongst people is very distinct. However, David Kolb in his reports tried to transmit simple explanations, with obvious results, hence learner can speculate, try or reflect on what they might think is the correct mode of approaching, processing or developing a subject, and it does not matter whether it has already been hand manufactured, or its thesis is still on a piece of paper, because what actually counts is the principal of thorough understanding as a whole, aiming to improve people’s learning abilities assisting them to find new skills.