Kolb reflective cycle explained, with an example

The four stages of Kolb learning cycle, how they fit together, and a worked example.

What Kolb learning cycle is

David Kolb described learning as a cycle in 1984. The idea is that we learn best when we have an experience, step back and think about it, draw out a general lesson, and then try that lesson out. Do that and the next experience feeds the cycle again. It suits reflection because it insists you turn a single event into something you can actually use.

The four stages are: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualisation, and Active Experimentation.

The four stages, one at a time

• Concrete experience: the thing that happened. A session, a case, a conversation, a mistake, a success.
• Reflective observation: standing back and reviewing it. What did you notice? What went on for you and for others?
• Abstract conceptualisation: making sense of it. What general principle or lesson does this point to? This is where you connect it to what you already know.
• Active experimentation: planning to test that lesson. What will you try differently next time?

A worked example

Concrete experience: I ran a group session where two people dominated and the quieter members said almost nothing.

Reflective observation: The louder members were not being difficult, they were simply quick to speak. The quieter ones looked like they wanted to contribute but never found the gap.

Abstract conceptualisation: Airtime in a group does not share itself out fairly on its own. If I want everyone included, I have to build that in, not hope for it.

Active experimentation: Next session I will use a round where each person speaks in turn, and I will invite the quieter members by name when it feels right.

Gibbs or Kolb, which should I use?

Kolb is shorter and focuses on turning experience into a lesson you test. Gibbs adds explicit steps for feelings and evaluation, so it suits reflections where how you felt matters. Many people find Kolb quicker for routine reflection and Gibbs better for a difficult or emotional event. Either is accepted for most CPD.

Turn a spoken reflection into a Kolb reflection

With ReflectReady you speak about what happened and it sorts your own words under the Kolb stages, ready to read, edit and keep for your CPD or portfolio. The AI only sorts your words, it never writes them. Free to try.

Sources: University of Cambridge: Reflective Practice Toolkit.

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