Stenström / Tynjälä Towards Integration of Work and Learning

Strategies for Connectivity and Transformation
1. Auflage 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4020-8962-6
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 252 Seiten

Marja-Leena Stenstrom ¨ and Pai ¨ vi Tynjal ¨ a ¨ Changing Working Life as a Challenge to Education Recentmacro-leveltrends,suchaseconomicglobalisation,thedevelopmentofthe- formationsociety,changesinmethodsofproductionandtheorganisationofwork,and the growing signi?cance of knowledge as a factor of production, have created a new context for the relationship between education and working life. In this new context, the use of work experience as an educational and learning strategy has become one ofthemostimportantdevelopmentsbothinvocationaleducationandtraining(VET) and in higher education. Although the tradition of making work an integral part of education has varied at different levels of the educational system, the challenges that systems of education currently face are very similar in many respects. These include thechallengeofequivalenceasregardsthelevelofacademicstandards,thechallenge ofdevelopingpedagogicalpracticesfordifferentformsofwork-relatedlearning,and the impact that work-related learning has on the identity of the educational orga- sation, the teacher, and the learner. The diversity of the systems through which work experience is realised, the varying levels of training of workplace trainers, and the lack of industrial experience of vocational school teachers have aroused discussion abouthowtoguaranteeandassessthequalityofthelearningtakingplaceindifferent workplaces and of the work-based learning system as a whole. (See e. g. Boud & Solomon, 2001, p. 27; Grif?ths & Guile, 2004; Guile &Grif?ths, 2001. ) The key pedagogical question regarding collaboration between education and work is how to build a ?rm connection between theory and practice or abstract thinking and practical action – and between the development of general skills and speci?cvocational skills.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Stenström, Marja-Leena

Tynjälä, Päivi

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Author Index;237
2;Subject Index;243
3;Acknowledgements;5
4;Contents;6
5;Contributors;8
6;Theoretical Perspectives: New Paradigms of Work and Learning;12
6.1;Introduction;13
6.2;Connectivity and Transformation in Work- Related Learning – Theoretical Foundations;21
6.3;Being, Doing, Making – A Paradigm for the Connective Curriculum;48
7;Integrating Work and Learning in Individual Experiences;69
7.1;Connecting Work and Learning in Industrial Design and Development;70
7.2;Work Integration in Social Enterprises: Employment for the Sake of Learning;83
7.3;Educating Novices at the Workplace: Transformation of Conceptions and Skills of Students on a Metal Industry Course;98
8;From Individual Learning to Organisational Development;119
8.1;Transformation of Individual Learning into Organisational and Networked Learning in Vocational Education;120
8.2;Evaluation Approaches for Workplace Learning Partnerships in VET: Investigating the Learning Dimension;139
8.3;Developing Entrepreneurship in Small Enterprises – The Succession Process Supported by Apprenticeship Training as a Context for Learning;154
9;Transformations in Work and Education Systems;172
9.1;How Workers Cope with Changes in Working Life: Adaptation Strategies;173
9.2;Connections of School- and Work-Based Learning in the Netherlands;186
9.3;Work Experience Constructed by Polytechnics, Students, and Working Life: Spaces for Connectivity and Transformation;199
9.4;Connecting Work and Learning Through Demonstrations of Vocational Skills – Experiences from the Finnish VET;219
10;Author Index;237
11;Subject Index;243

Leseproben

Introduction

This chapter discusses individual learning in the workplace in the light of a study of Finnish design engineers’ and product developers’ learning through their work. The designers’ work practices and their learning in the course of these activities are described as perceived by the designers themselves. The chapter also examines their learning through the various individual and social processes ongoing in the workplace.

The chapter proceeds as follows: first, phenomenon of workplace learning or learning through work is described. Second, the work of product designers and development engineers is conceptualised on the basis on the recent literature and studies in the field. Third, the methodological choices made in the course of the research process are briefly described and evaluated and the main findings obtained from the different phases of the research process are summarised. Finally, the findings of the study are drawn together. Further ideas for researching designers’ learning through their work and how the formal education of designers could be developed in connection with these ideas are offered. In addition, more general suggestions concerning the guidance of workplace learning are given, and the challenges presented by guiding and assessing workplace learning in the vocational education context are examined.

Of particular interest in the above-mentioned study is the connection at various levels between learning and work. The results indicate a need for more effective integration between education and working life. Also of interest is the connection between work and learning. The concept of connectivity here is thus approached from two perspectives. First, the need to connect the theoretical knowledge acquired at school with the practical knowledge gained from everyday work practices and, second, the need to see individual and social learning processes at work as linked.

Characteristics ofWorkplace Learning and Design Work

The study, on which this chapter is based investigates design engineers’ and product designers’ learning at work. The main results and practical implications of the PhD study (see Collin, 2005) have previously been presented also in Collin’s article (2006). The reasons for the growing interest that has been shown in workplace learning over the last decade are diverse. For instance, the concepts of the knowledge society and the learning society (see e.g. Heiskanen, 2004), which are being increasingly referred to, challenge workers and organisations to structure work in new ways. The phenomenon of workplace learning is of interest in many quarters, e.g. enterprises and organisations, vocational education personnel, human resource development practitioners, and workers themselves, but for different reasons. From the point of view of enterprises and employers, for instance, employees’ learning through work contributes to the development of the vocational and professional knowledge needed for work. An equally important reason usually associated with companies and organisations is that learning is directly relevant to their specific needs which, it is hoped, will lead to better productivity and increased competitiveness (Billett, 2001).

For the individual worker, constant learning may be the route to personal fulfilment and joy, progress in one’s career or a way to strengthen the sense of self and identity (Lavikka, 2004).