Learning Theories and Styles

How people learn

The two ways of learning are individuals learn for themselves and learn from other peoples. Social learning that people learn as a member of teams and by interaction with their managers, co-workers, and people outside the organization. Experiential learning is people learn by doing and by coaching.  Individuals learn will differ and the extent to which they learn will depend largely on how well they are motivated or self-motivated. The key learning theories are following,

Reinforcement theory	Cognitive learning theory	Experiential learning theory	Social learning theory
Changes in behavior take place as a result of an individual’s response to events or rewards or punishments. ‘Operant conditioning’	Learning involves gaining knowledge and understanding by absorbing information in the form of principles, concepts and facts and then internalizing it. ‘Powerful information – Processing machines’	When people learn from their experience by absorbing and reflecting on it so that it can be understood and applied. ‘Own learning’	Effective learning requires social interaction. ‘Communities of practice’

Table 1 – Learning Theories

Learning styles

Individual’s learners will have different styles – a preference for a particular approach to learning, but learning theories describe in general terms how people learn. There are two most familiar learning styles produced by Kolb et al and by Honey and Mumford.

Kolb et al’s learning style

Kolb et al (1974) identified a learning cycle consisting of four stages defined as follows:

01	Concrete Experience	It can be planned or accidental.	How experience is translated into concepts that are then used to guide the selection of new experiences. Learn effectively. Individuals must shift from being observers to participants. From direct involvement to a more objective analytical detachment.
02	Reflective Observation	Involves actively thinking about the experience and its significance
03	Abstract conceptualization	Generalizing from experience to develop various concepts and ideas that can be applied when similar situations and encountered.
04	Active experimentation	Testing the concepts or ideas in news situations.

Table 2 –  Kolb et al (1974) learning cycle consists

Figure 1 Kolb et al’s learning cycle

The Honey and Mumford learning styles (1996)

01.  Activists – who involve themselves fully without bias in new experiences and revel in new challenges.

02.  Reflectors – Who stand back and observe new experiences from different angles. Collect data, reflect on it and then come to a conclusion.

03.  Theorists – Who adapt and apply their observations in the form of logical theories.

04.  Pragmatists – Who are keen to try out new ideas, approaches, and concepts to see if they work?

Figure 2 Honey and Mumford learning cycle

Reference/Bibliography

Armstrong, M. (2012) Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 12th edition

Honey, P and Mumford, A(1996) The manual of learning styles,3^rdedn, Maidenhead, Honey publications

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_styles

https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html

https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/honey-and-mumford-learning-styles-a-simple-picture