The flask principle in adult education. David Kolb's cycle in life
An empirical model of the learning process and human assimilation of new information (Experiential Learning Model) by David Kolb
A group of researchers discovered that people learn in one of four ways: 1) through experience; 2) through observation and reflection; 3) using abstract conceptualization; 4) through active experimentation - giving one of them preference over the others. According to the authors, learning consists of repeated stages of “doing” and “thinking.” This means that it is impossible to learn anything effectively by simply reading about the subject, studying theory, or listening to lectures. However, training in which new actions are performed thoughtlessly, without analysis and summing up, cannot be effective.
The stages of the Flask model (or cycle) can be represented as follows:
1. Gaining direct experience.
2. Observation, during which the learner thinks about what he has just learned.
3. Understanding new knowledge, its theoretical generalization.
4. Experimental testing of new knowledge and independent application of it in practice.
The starting point of natural learning is the acquisition of concrete experience, which provides material for reflective observation. Having generalized new data and integrated them into the system of existing knowledge, a person comes to abstract ideas and concepts (detached from direct experience). This new knowledge represents hypotheses that are tested through active experimentation in a variety of situations - imaginary, simulated and real. The learning process can begin at any stage. It proceeds cyclically until the required skill is formed; Once one skill is mastered, the brain is ready to learn the next.
Embedded in D. Kolb’s cyclical four-stage learning model, the ideas about the connection between comprehending experience, analyzing pressing problems, mastering theory and testing it in practice have received widespread attention. practical use. It turned out that people give a clear preference for behavior corresponding to any one of the stages of the cycle: practical actions or theorizing (and this applies to both students and the teachers or trainers themselves).
Learning Styles and Performance Questionnaire (LSQ, P. Honey and A. Mumford)
Types of Learners and Learning Styles
Space of cognitive styles by D. Kolb: collection, assessment and application of information
Well-organized information flows are the “circulatory system” of any business; this is what can set a company apart from its competitors. Bill Gates writes: “It is how you collect, organize and use information that determines whether you win or lose.”
This is also true for individual cognition and learning. He who possesses knowledge preserves and competitive advantages. Since a good half of our knowledge becomes obsolete within about three years, we must constantly replenish it. If a person stops learning, he quickly finds himself on the sidelines of life. Continuous learning is prerequisite life success, and knowing your own cognitive style makes this process easier.
It is our cognitive style that determines our perception and interpretation of information, as well as our reaction to it. Cognitive style has two main dimensions: (1) the way in which information is collected and (2) the way in which information is evaluated and used. These dimensions are examined by the methodology presented below, The Learning Style Inventory - LSI.
Kolb's concept assumes that when an individual receives information, a person pays attention to and assimilates some types of information to a greater extent than others. Among other things, when individuals try to comprehend and use this information, they react to it differently. The figures represent two dimensions of cognition: information gathering (concrete experience contrasted with abstract conceptualization) and response to information (reflective observation contrasted with active experimentation).
Every attitude or inclination is the result of a choice. Thus, it is almost impossible to simultaneously drive a car (concrete experience) and analyze engine performance (abstract conceptualization). The study of the possible meaning of information (reflective observation) cannot be combined with experimental testing of its significance (active experimentation).
Research on these cognitive dimensions has shown that, regardless of the nature of the problem an individual faces, he or she tends to retain his or her own cognitive style when learning about it. He gravitates towards very specific situations and types of problems that correspond to his inherent style of cognition (for example, individuals who gravitate toward abstract conceptualization and active experimentation prefer problems that allow step-by-step resolution).
