Don't picture learning as a straight road — picture it as a loop round a park. David Kolb says that when we learn and work, we always wander through four phases:

1. Just try it: you start with a concrete experience — you try something new.
2. Pause and reflect: then you stop and look at what actually happened (that's reflective observation).
3. Build a plan: from what you've observed, you put together a kind of "checklist" or theory in your head.
4. Test run: you then actively test that theory, which leads you straight into a new experience.

Each of us loops round this circuit differently — some of us prefer to dive in and just try things, others want the plan clear in their head first. The goal is to spot your own pattern. That way you can use your strengths as a real "toolkit". And if you notice that you've been neglecting one phase, you can treat that, stress-free, as a chance to learn. That's especially helpful when school throws a genuinely tough nut your way to crack!