reflective observation

David Kolb talks about Divergers, Convergers, Accomodators, and Assimilators in his learning styles. Yesterday we talked about concrete experiences, today we will talk about reflective observation and the combining of those two ideas to create what Kolb calls a “diverger”.

My mother often asked me “if all your friends jumped of the Brooklyn Bridge would you do that too?” I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to answer “if I watched enough of them survive the jump, have fun, and it didn’t look too dangerous, that, yes I would jump too.”

There is often mechanics to how things work. Often referred to as a text book way of doing things. A framing of ideas. Most of the time in education those are your courses in Theory. You spend most of the time reading and trying to grasp information before you can put it into practice. Often you will be asked, what would you do in this form of scenario. How would you take the information you were just presented and use it? It can be challenging. Often, you are unsure, that it’s a “don’t get me wrong, it’s a great idea, I’m just not sure it would work in the real world” moment. You'll be asking for proof that it will work.

You spend time thinking about your past experiences and memories and then you reflect on those moments. A hunch begins to form, if I did add this idea to this memory, maybe it would work. However, often more than a hunch is needed. If the hunch is supported by enough proof then a new idea is then created. Kolb called individuals who used reflective observation and concrete experiences, Divergers.

Divergers, are learners who like to ask why. Often these learners will hold a lot a value to their personal experiences and will form new ideas directly from thinking about past experiences. If enough of those experiences turn out well than their idea is solidified. Their ideas can often be detailed and continue to grow until they create a large scale picture. Often, I’ve heard it be described as being more familiar with the entire forest, than just each individual tree.

What are the benefits to having a diverger on a team (or group project)? What are some of the possible hurdles a group might face as well?