Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle C1: Concrete experience: provide direct experiencing of the subject

Learning activities give learners a direct, here-and-now encounter with the subject (a field project, laboratory work, a simulation, a role play, a case, a shared event that brings the subject into the room) in which they are genuinely experiencing rather than going through the motions of an exercise. Kolb, following Dewey and James, holds that everyday experience is habitual and culturally pre-interpreted and mostly confirms what learners already think; new learning is triggered when that flow is interrupted by being stuck on a problem or struck by something unfamiliar that violates expectation. Engagement in this mode is strengthened by being present, attending to sensations and feelings, and by interpersonal skills; a psychologically safe setting helps learners stay with the experience.