Chapter 6 First Reader

Aristotle's View on Learning & Experience

What is the point in going to class? What is the point in learning things like business, psychology, medicine, engineering or law? Why do we all think it is so important to put ourselves through a masters degree and incur even MORE student debt? We do this because we believe it will apply to our everyday lives. We believe it will help us advance our careers, our abilities to learn and, ultimately, our life as a whole. 

Aristotle

However, the lessons we learn in school must translate to 'the real world,' Aristotle once said, "we ought to examine what has been said by applying it to what we do, and how we live; and if it harmonizes with what we do, we should accept it, but if it conflicts we should count it words" (Merriam & Bierema, p. 107). Meaning, knowledge is only validated as useful if it applies to our everyday lives or in the situations they are professed to have significance in.

Kolb

Another, more scientific but less known, person to address learning than Aristotle is David Kolb. Kolb viewed learning as something that happened through concrete experiences. Kolb divided learning into four stages. These stages are: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation (Merriam & Bierema, p. 108).  

Kolb

Kolb's model requires effective learners to go through all four stages and insists that experience, the first stage, is central to learning (Merriam & Bierema, p. 108). This idea is something that rings true to myself. As a learner who has trouble grasping information and knowledge from reading, I learn best through experiences, which is true for many adult learners. An overview of his theory is given in this bond-like video:

Although this learning style resonates with me personally, Kolb's theory does have people who challenge it. As seen in the video, and as explained on pg. 111 of Adult Learning, some argue that people are not required to begin process through the cycle at any one point. Rather, people can begin learning at any stage and proceed through the cycle from that point on. However, the cycle is viewed, as an adult learner myself, I relate to the core idea of learning through experience as Kolb suggests. 

References

Merriam, S. & Bierema, L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle