LEARNING

 

INTRODUCTION

Why Learning is important?

Learning is an important process as it supports organizational strategy, performance and strengthens workplace skills. Where a high level of workplace skills enhances business productivity and efficiency (CIPD, 2021).

What is Learning?

Learning is a method of gaining knowledge and skills and having them readily available in memory to use in future problems or opportunities.

How we learn.

People learn by doing (experiential learning) and from each other (social or cooperative learning) and by teaching (Armstrong, 2020).

Objective

To review the theories on the individual learning process.

 

LITERATURE

Learning Theories.

Table 1: Learning Theories

Theory	Elaboration
Reinforcement theory	Changes in behavior are a result of an individual response to events or provocations and they can be changed through reinforcement such as rewards and punishment  (Wagen, 2008).
Motivation theory	People learn more effectively when they are motivated.
Cognitive learning theory	Process of absorbing information in a form of principles, concepts, and facts  (Armstrong, 2020).
Experiential learning theory	Learning from the experiences and reflecting on the.
Social learning theory	Learning is acquired by social interactions (Wenger, 1998).
Dual coding theory	Learners will learn more when visual stimulation is added to the verbal component (Welcome, et al., 2011).

(Author Developed, 2022)

 

The two most familiar classifications of learning styles are those produced by Kolb and his colleagues and by Honey and Mumford.

 

The Kolb learning cycle.

Kolb, et al. (1974) recognized that there are four stages in the learning cycle

1.       Concrete experience – planned or accidental.

2.       Reflective observation – involves actively thinking about the experience and its significance.

3.       Abstract conceptualization (theorizing) – learning from experience to develop various concepts and ideas that can be applied when similar situations are encountered.

4.       Active experimentation – testing the concepts or ideas in new situations which introduce a new experience and the cycle begins again.

Figure 1: Kolb’s Four Stages of Learning (Kurt, 2020).

To learn effectively learners should become participants from being observers. Every person has a unique learning style (Armstrong, 2020).

The Honey and Mumford learning styles.

Honey & Mumford (1996) identified four different styles of learning.

1.       Activists – involve themself in new experiences and learn from them.

2.       Reflectors – observe new experiences and consider them to arrive at a conclusion

3.       Theorists – apply their observations to theories.

4.       Pragmatics – experimental and try new approaches and see if they work.

 

Figure 2: Honey and Mumford Learning Styles (Expert Program Management, 2022).

What is Experiential learning?

Source: Youtube, This is experiential learning (EBLS, 2020)

REFERENCES

Armstrong, M., 2020. Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 15th ed. London: KoganPage.

CIPD, 2021. Learning in the flow of work. [Online]
Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/strategy/development/learning-factsheet#gref
[Accessed 24 08 2022].

Expert Program Management, 2022. Honey and Mumford Learning Styles. [Online]
Available at: https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2020/10/honey-and-mumford/
[Accessed 25 08 2022].

Honey, P. & Mumford, A., 1996. A Manual of Learning Styles. 3rd ed. s.l.:Honey Publications.

Kolb, D. A., Rubin, I. M. & McIntyre, J. M., 1974. Organizational Psychology : An experimental approach. s.l.:Englewood Cliffs.

Kurt, S., 2020. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory & Learning Styles. [Online]
Available at: https://educationaltechnology.net/kolbs-experiential-learning-theory-learning-styles/
[Accessed 27 08 2022].

Wagen, L. V. D., 2008. Customer Service Intelligence. s.l.:s.n.

Welcome, S. E., Paivio, A., McRae, K. & Joanisse, M. F., 2011. Experimental Brain Research. In: An electrophysiological study of task. s.l.:s.n., pp. 347-358.
Wenger, E., 1998. Communities of Practice: Learning,