Integrating Abstract Conceptualizing With Experiential Learning

This article examines the personal application memo (PAM), a tool for encouraging students of organizational behavior to actively engage the context of their experiences and to carefully conceptualize those experiences. PAM is a written assignment format based on the rationale of the Kolb learning model. Kolb describes learning or problem solving as a four-stage process beginning with concrete experiencing, then proceeding through reflective observation to abstract conceptualizing and finally to active experimentation. The author provides an example of how this method is carried out and discusses the benefits of this experiential learning process. The author contends that it allows students to apply concrete data with abstract theories, addressing two competing educational philosophies.