HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT

David A. Kolb helped to develop the modern theory of experiential learning, drawing heavily on the work of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget.

According to Kolb, knowledge is continuously gained through both personal and environmental experiences.

Kolb states that in order to gain genuine knowledge from an experience, the learner must have four abilities:

1. The learner must be willing to be actively involved in the experience;

2. The learner must be able to reflect on the experience;

3. The learner must possess and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience; and

4. The learner must possess decision making and problem solving skills in order to use the new ideas gained from the experience.