* Enlivening Political Science Courses with Kolb's Learning Preference Model" Kathy L. Brock, Wilfrid Lourier University Beverly J. Cameron, University of Manitoba M ost political science professors hope their courses will produce graduates with well-developed criti- cal-thinking and problem-solving abilities, but many report frustration at not being able to meet this goal with all, or even most, of their un- dergraduate students. Among the many possible reasons for this frus- tration is a mismatch between the professor's learning preferences, which may determine his or her teaching style, and the students' learning preferences, which may af- fect their level of comprehension of material covered in the course. Learning preference mismatches may cause students to perform be- low their potential, earn political science the reputation of being a difficult, or worse, arbitrary subject, and reduce the professor's enthusi- asm for teaching. Once these mis- matches are identified and under- stood, they can be easily counteracted, usually without sub- stantial course reorganization. Individuals process information, learn concepts, and solve problems in different ways. An individual's learning preference is "a personally preferred way of dealing with infor- mation and experience that crosses content areas" (Kruzich, Friesen, and Van Soest 1986). There is no Kathy L. Brock is an associate professor of political science at Wilfrid Laurier Uni- versity. Her research and teaching interests include rights, the constitutional process, comparative federalism, aboriginal issues, and Canadian politics. Beverly J. Cameron has a B.A. and M.A. in economics and a Ph.D. in higher education. In 1991 she was awarded the national 3M Teaching Fellowship for her teaching and leadership accomplishments. She is now director of University 1, an innovative program that allows first-year students at the University of Manitoba to explore career and academic options be- fore committing to a faculty program. "best" learning preference, there are just differences. This article exam- ines learning preferences within the context of Kolb's Experiential Learning Model, and illustrates how learning preference mismatches in political science courses may be neu- tralized. Kolb's Experiential Learning Model There are a variety of models and classifications faculty and students can use to identify and understand their teaching and learning prefer- ences (Keirsey and Bates 1984; 1 Reinert 1976 2 ). Of these, Kolb's Ex- periential Learning Model lends it- self particularly well to classroom application (Kolb 1984, 1988). Kolb's model has been widely used, and is respected for its validity and reliability. The model has also been the subject of extensive follow-up research in educational settings (Kolb 1976, 1984, 1988). In Kolb's model, the process of learning is divided into four stages, all of which must be gone through for learning to be most effective (Smith and Kolb 1985). A brief de- scription of the stages follows. 1. Concrete experience (CE) pro- vides the basis for the learning process. Lessons at this stage engage the individual person- ally and learning relies on open- mindedness and adaptability rather than a systematic ap- proach to trie situation or prob- lem. 2. Reflective observation (RO) makes sense of the experience. In this stage, students consider their concrete experiences from a variety of perspectives and articulate why and how they occurred. Learning occurs as a result of patience, objectivity, careful judgment, and observa- tion. Reflection helps students break their experiences into parts and to categorize them for use in the next stage of learning. 3. Abstract conceptualization (AC) assimilates and distills the ob- servations and reflections into a theory or concept. In this stage, students come to understand the general concept of which their concrete experience was one example by assembling their reflections on the key parts of their experience into a general model. Abstract con- ceptualization requires students to use logic and ideas, as op- posed to feelings, to under- stand situations and problems. Students can require consider- able help from the text and instructor to proceed through this stage. 4. Active experimentation (AE) tests the theories and leads into new experiences. In this step, students use the theories they developed during the ab- stract conceptualization stage to make predictions about the real world and then act on those predictions. Students' actions, of course, are a new concrete experience. The learn- ing cycle begins anew. Instructors have countless oppor- tunities for leading students through all four stages of the learning model in political science courses. The key to planning lessons that take stu- dents full cycle is to note that the second word in each of the four stages' names indicates what the learner experiences. The learner be- gins by having an experience that involves him or her in a situation (experience) and then reflects on the experience from several perspectives PSOn/i'ne www.apsanet.org 251