Professional English

Cambridge English for

Human Resources
UNIT 4
additional activities

The learning cycle

Learning cycle stage

Learning cycle stage

Learning cycle stage

Learning cycle stage

Concrete experience

Reflective observation

Abstract
conceptualisation

Active
experimentation

Overview of stage

Overview of stage

Overview of stage

Overview of stage:

Something happens;
we experience an
event.

We stop and think

about what happened.

We try to make sense

of events and create a
theory to explain it.

We test the theory

by trying a new or
modified approach.

Learning style

Learning style

Learning style

Learning style

Activist

Reflector

Theorist

Pragmatist

Learning style
description

Learning style
description

Learning style
description

Learning style
description

Involves having
experiences.

Involves looking back

and thinking about
experiences.

Involves looking for

patterns, explanations
and predictions about
experiences.

Involves planning and

experimenting with
revised actions.

Learner preference

Learner preference

Learner preference

Learner preference

This person likes

to jump into new
experiences and
prefers action.

This person prefers to

observe others and to
have time to think.

This person likes

logical explanations
and builds models
that explain things.

This person is mostly

interested in goal
achievement and
will do anything that
works.

Example

Example

Example

Example

I was giving a
presentation but I
couldnt get my video
files to play.

My first reaction
was to blame the
technician, but then I
realised I should have
checked first.

If youre in a high
pressure situation like
that, youve got to
take responsibility for
things that might go
wrong.

Ive got another

presentation next
week. Im going to
go early to check
everything works
before I start.

Cambridge English for Human Resources

www.cambridge.org/elt/englishforhr

Cambridge University Press 2011

Photocopiable

Professional English

Cambridge English for

Human Resources
UNIT 4
additional activities

Teachers Notes

Before you begin

Make enough copies of the word card sheet for students in your class to be able
to work in groups of three or four. It is advisable to enlarge your copies onto A3
paper as that will make it easier for both you and your students to physically
handle the word cards in the classroom.

You will then need a pair of scissors to cut out the sets of word cards. Finally,
shuffle the cards.

a Write Kolbs Learning Cycle on the board and then invite students to tell you

what they know about the learning cycle and/or what they can remember from
John Peterss presentation in Unit 4 (see page 33 of the Students Book). During
the discussion, check the meaning of the following words with the class: abstract,
concrete, experiment (v), modify, reflective, stage.

b Write the following on the board

Learning cycle stage

Overview of stage

Learning style

Learning style description

Learner preference

Example

Ask students to get into groups of three or four and then tell them that they
are going to check how well they understand the learning cycle. Tell students
that they will be given a pack of cards which contains information about the four
learning cycle stages. Students should work together to create four sets of six
cards, each one following the order of the list on the board (from Learning cycle
stage through to Example). Give students about ten minutes for this task.

While students are working, go around each group making notes of the language
they use to interact with each other (e.g. What do you think? I think this one goes
here , etc.). Watch the groups carefully to make sure that groups dont become
dominated by just one student doing all the work.

c Once the cards are arranged in the right order, students take turns to turn over a
card, one card at a time. Their partners have to remember or work out what was
on that card, using its position in the grid to help them. They keep going until all
the cards have been turned over.
Answers
See the Additional activity worksheet for the correct order and sequence.

10

Cambridge English for Human Resources

www.cambridge.org/elt/englishforhr

Cambridge University Press 2011

Photocopiable