In an earlier post I wrote about incorporating reflection time and questions into your meetings or workshops so that participants can pause to think about how what they are learning or hearing relates to their own experience or prior knowledge.

In this post I’d like to focus on how reflection can be used as a learning tool after participants have left the engagement, and particularly as it relates to Experiential Learning theory.

If you are not familiar with Experiential Learning, in short, it is the idea that one way to learn deeply and meaningfully is by doing. In fact, it is often referred to as “learning by reflecting on doing.” The theory was first published by David Kolb in the early 1980’s and is very useful for those of us thinking about how to support people who don’t always have the time or access to sit in a traditional class to learn what we need to know.

There are four stages in the Experiential Learning Cycle, and a learner can start in on the cycle at any stage:

1. Concrete Experience: This is often referred to as the “Do” stage. For participants I am facilitating this experience can come from two places, a) their experience in their job or b) an experience I lead them through during the engagement.
2. Reflective Observation: This is where the learner intentionally reflects on what they have experienced.
3. Abstract Conceptualization: Also referred to as “Think,” this is the point at which a learner draws conclusions or outlines a theory based on what they have experienced and reflected on.
4. Active Experimentation: In this “planning” stage, the learner decides what to do and then tries their theory out as the process now starts all over again.

Here is an example of how I do this in an actual workshop.

1. Concrete Experience: I set up a hands-on activity, let’s say it’s a math game played with a partner, that participants all engage in.
   
2. Reflective Observation: After they have played the game, I ask them to reflect on the experience. Questions I might ask are, “What did you like about playing the game? What math skills did you learn? What interpersonal skills did you have to use?”

3. Abstract Conceptualization: At this point I will ask participants to evaluate what makes the game a good way for their students to learn math concepts (or not!). I might ask, “Would this game be challenging for your students? Why or why not?” “In what ways could you change the game to make it easier or harder for students with differing levels of math skills?” “How does this game reinforce math learning?”

4. Active Experimentation: Here is where participants are asked to decide on how they will bring what they just experienced and reflected on back to their students. Usually I invite participants to actually make a commitment in writing, on some kind of action plan template where they state, “What I will try” and, “When I will try it,” and that includes any materials they made need to gather to get ready.

One of my favorite opportunities is when I am brought in to do a “series” with a group of staff. The wonderful thing about a series is that it gives time, between sessions, for participants to engage in stage 1 after having been led through stages 2-4 during the initial workshop. In our second meeting, I can start right in on stage 2 by asking participants to share what they tried and repeat the process anew!

As I mentioned in my earlier post, at Spark Decks we provide a Notebook with a template for participants to use that helps them continue this Experiential Learning process when we, as facilitators, are not around. This is something you may also want to try. On a simple handout you can ask questions like, “What did you try?” “What worked?” “What did you learn?” “What would you do differently if you did this activity again?” “What will you do next?” In this way, you are guiding participants through the cycle and encouraging them to bring the learning process into their everyday practice for years to come!

My challenge for you in this post is to do this! Yes, I’m telling you to give your participants some homework. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!