Knowledge is continuously gained through both personal and environmental experiences.
In order to gain genuine knowledge from an experience, certain abilities are required:
This leads us to form a model for the learning process composed out of four elements, sometimes illustrated in the “Learning spiral”:
DO (Tangible Experience)
A new experience or situation is encountered, or there’s a reinterpretation of an existing experience.
REFLECT (Observation Reflection)
Reflection upon the new experience; of particular importance are any inconsistencies between experience and understanding.
GENERALIZE (Abstract Conceptualization)
Reflection gives rise to a new idea or a modification of an existing abstract concept.
APPLY (Active Experimentation)
The learner applies the new learning to the world around them to see what results.