ABSTRACT
Experiential learning theory (ELT; Kolb, 1984) draws on the work of prominent 20th-century scholars who gave experience a central role in their theories of human learning and development to develop a dynamic, holistic model of the process of learning from experience and a multilinear model of adult development. ELT is a dynamic view of learning based on a cycle of learning with four learning modes—Concrete Experience (CE), Reflective Observation (RO), Abstract Conceptualization (AC), and Active Experimentation (AE). It is a holistic theory that defines learning as the major process of human adaptation involving the whole person. As such, ELT is applicable not only in the formal education classroom but in all areas of life. For forty years, research based on ELT has been conducted all around the world supporting the applicability of the model in different cultures, educational specializations, and life contexts. The 2009 Experiential Learning Theory Bibliographies (Kolb & Kolb, 2009a, 2009b) include over 3,000 research studies.
