Adult Learning Styles
Discussion on Kolb's Theory of Learning Styles and Silver
and Hanson's Learning Style Inventory
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Kolb's Theory of Learning Styles
Kolb's theory of
learning styles is one of the most well-known and applicable models of
experiential learning. While this theory is not specific to adults only, its
applicability in adult learning contexts remains relevant. Mulligan &
Griffin (1992) theorize that the reason why Kolb's theory is such most
applicable for adult learners is because it has been found successful in an
adult learning context. Kolb's model argues for a "dialectical
relationship between learner and environment in which two diametrically opposed
modes of knowing provide the means through which we appropriate our experience
and transform it" (Thorpe, Edwards & Hanson, 1993, p.7).
MacKeracher
(2004) confirms that as a result of excessive literature on the topic of
learning styles, Kolb's model of learning presents one of the more solid
theories that can be used in adult learning.
Owing to its
success, Kolb's theory has been extensively applied throughout the education
field and used to not only justify the importance of experiences in the
learner's reflection process but also emphasis the importance of learning style
in how people learn (Kearsley, 1996). Kolb first began by illustrating that
learning styles could be visualized as a cyclic continuum containing for
specific stages. According to Kolb's, there are two dimensions in learning
which include; the abstract-concrete dimension and the active-reflective
dimension.
The abstract-concrete dimension “deals with the taking in of
experiences and understanding them either by reliance of conceptual interpretation
or by the reliance of tangible felt qualities that the person experiences” (Rothwell,
2008). The active-reflective dimension on the other hand deals with the
transformation of what has been taken in through their internal reflection or
active external manipulation (MacKeracher, 2004).
From this, it is evident that
learning requires both the taking in and understanding of experiences through
the process of representing the said experiences in the mind as concepts. Kolb
however theorized that all learners are not equally skilled in the four types
of activities that make up learning therefore giving rise to the various types
of learning styles.
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