Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI)

The Learning Circle (Start anywhere, use everything)

Concrete Experience

• Learning from specific experiences
• Relating to people
• Being sensitive to feelings & people

Reflective Observation

• Carefully observing before making judgments
• Viewing issues from different perspectives
• Looking for the meaning of things

Abstract Conceptualization

• Logically analyzing ideas
• Planning systematically
• Acting on an intellectual understanding of a situation

Active Experimentation

• Showing ability to get things done
• Taking risks
• Influencing people and events thru action

Learning Style Types (diagonals)

Diverging

• Best at viewing concrete situations from many different points of view
• Observe rather than take action
• Prefer working in groups to gather information, listening with an open mind and receiving personal feedback

Assimilating

• Best at understanding a wide range of information and putting it into concise, logical form
• Less focused on people and more interested in abstract ideas & concepts
• More important that a theory have logical soundness than practical value
• Prefer lectures, readings, exploring analytical models & having time to think things through

Converging

• Best at finding practical uses for ideas and theories
• Ability to solve problems & make decisions based on finding solutions to questions with social & interpersonal issues
• Prefer to experiment with new ideas, simulations, laboratory assignments& practical applications

Accommodating

• Have the ability to learn primarily from hands on experience
• Enjoy carrying out plans and involving self in new & challenging experiences
• Act on gut feelings rather than logical analysis
• Rely more heavily on people for information than on own technical analysis
• Prefer to work with others to get assignments done, to set goals, to do field work and to test out different approaches to completing a project