Developing learning activities for different learning styles

I have always found Kolb’s learning cycle a helpful concept but have been a little more uncertain about his learning styles.  I suppose I don’t like the idea of “putting people in boxes”.  (Kolb’s four-stage cycle of learning is: ‘immediate or concrete experiences’ provide a basis for ‘observations and reflections’. These ‘observations and reflections’ are assimilated and distilled into ‘abstract concepts’ producing new implications for action which can be ‘actively tested’ in turn creating new experiences).

This week the ocTEL course asked us to read this summary of Kolb’s Learning Styles Theory and to think about what learning activities might work well for the four learning styles identified by Kolb.  I found this a helpful question to consider because rather than putting people into boxes, it provides a way for thinking about including a range of different learning activities in our courses that cater for and encourage the expression of a range of different ways of learning.  If we as teachers work towards including a range of activities in our courses (whatever mode they are offered in and whatever technologies they use), this will not only help to address the learning preferences of individuals but also provide a variety of learning activities and assessments, and ensure that we don’t cater (whether intentionally or unintentionally) for only some ways of learning.

So here are my very preliminary thoughts about the kinds of learning activities and assessment tasks that might be relevant to the four learning styles identified by Kolb. I’d appreciate any suggestions from others and will add to this as I gather more ideas.