Background: It is well recognised that changes in the contemporary world demand that professional... more Background: It is well recognised that changes in the contemporary world demand that professionals continuously learn. Often this continual professional learning takes the shape of formal courses, seminars and other obviously educational events. The starting point of this paper is an acknowledgement that people also learn in the day-to-day practices that constitute their work. Work can be understood as a bundle of practices that are typically shared by most people employed in that profession. For engineers, and experienced engineers in particular, an example might be attending design review meetings, toolbox talks and or carrying out site walks. In this paper we posit that these practices afford important opportunities for professional learning. Purpose: Drawing from contemporary practice theorists such as Schatzki et al. (2001), Gherardi (2008, 2009), and Gherardi and Nicolini (2003), this theoretically motivated, qualitative paper begins by conceptualising the notion of 'pract...
Introduction In recent years, not-for-profit (NFP) organizations have become embroiled in contest... more Introduction In recent years, not-for-profit (NFP) organizations have become embroiled in contestations over their purpose, operations and management. Most strongly such contestations are infused with the increasing managerialization of the sector. This is a process where NFPs are expected to manage themselves in a manner resembling commercial organizations. In a sense then, the identity of NFPs can be understood to exist within competing sets of differences that seek to define and fix the meaning of ‘community organizations’ and ‘businesses’. Of course, no matter the confidence of their rhetorical usage, neither category is stable. It remains the case, however, that these categories are mobilized discursively as normative attempts to secure the meaning of NFP organizations. In this paper we focus on how they interact in practice and explore how this interaction fuels a form of agency tending towards ad-hoc transgression. To do so we draw some theoretical insight from queer theory. ...
This chapter provides examples of how arrangements for collection and analyses of video data were... more This chapter provides examples of how arrangements for collection and analyses of video data were organized across different sites. The common approach to data collection builds on established methods for recording of audiovisual materials in the social sciences with a focus on interaction and learning. The chapter describes how arrangements for data collection across different sites were organised, and how video analysis can be used as a method for collaborative analysis of practices. One approach is entitled purposeful approach to collaborative data analysis. A second approach draws on video-based studies of situated action, and a third approach of analysis is the use of qualitatively different readings of the same data. One does not replace the other, but rather draws out different features.
Ongoing restructuring, new types of students, changes in systems and the movement of staff within... more Ongoing restructuring, new types of students, changes in systems and the movement of staff within sections and institutes are only some of the daily challenges facing practitioners in many areas of TAFE as they grapple with the notion of organisational flexibility and customer responsiveness. This paper looks at how members of four workgroups based in two metropolitan institutes are dealing with challenges through informal learning. This paper draws from preliminary findings of an Australian Research Council collaborative research project concerned with determining the significance of informal learning and its contribution to organisational performance. The project is currently midway through and has completed interviews and held feedback sessions with members of four workgroups undertaking quite different types of work. While the project is based in an educational organisation, the major focus of the research project is on TAFE as a workplace. Wenger has written extensively on comm...
Introduction In New South Wales (NSW), ‘social work’ and ‘adult community education’ are understo... more Introduction In New South Wales (NSW), ‘social work’ and ‘adult community education’ are understood as two different activities that operate from different sites (Flowers, 2005). In NSW, social work comes under the broad domain of a myriad of not-for-profit, faith-based and increasingly for-profit, organisations, or as an adjunct to the core business of state institutions (eg hospitals). On the other hand, adult community education is the largely understood as the responsibility of the state supported Adult Community Education (ACE) sector: a sector comprising ‘sanctioned’ sites of learning.
The Australian Research Council project, Uncovering Learning at Work explored the extent and natu... more The Australian Research Council project, Uncovering Learning at Work explored the extent and nature of informal learning and its contribution and significance to the TAFE workplace and its employees. The research was a qualitative study carried out in partnership between the University of Technology, Sydney and the TAFE Professional Development Network unit. This collaborative arrangement was ideal for this study because TAFE, as an organisation, are interested in the relationship between work and learning. The research employed the term ‘everyday learning’ to describe the phenomenon under investigation. This understanding recognises that there are elements of both formality and informality in all learning situations. Uncovering Learning at Work was conducted in three stages. The first involved one-to-one interviews and the collection of initial qualitative data. In the second the researchers worked closely with individual workgroups around particular workplace issues. The final sta...
Introduction Yet again, ̳the role of the adult educator’ constitutes a theme at SCUTREA. Why migh... more Introduction Yet again, ̳the role of the adult educator’ constitutes a theme at SCUTREA. Why might it be reprised? Does it represent normal everyday paranoia about the continuing existence of SCUTREA and the work of its members, or is there a real issue to be worried about? Like so many members of SCUTREA, our work in university programs for adult educators suggests that, on the one hand, we should be confident about what we do. After all, our positions are typically premised on the assumption that we have expertise in ̳the field‘ and that this is clearly valued by those who seek it out. However, on the other hand, ̳the field‘ has become so dispersed that our roles, along with those who enrol in our programs, are more difficult to define with any measure of confidence.
This paper draws on empirical data of accounts of change from interviews with employees of a loca... more This paper draws on empirical data of accounts of change from interviews with employees of a local government organization. These employee accounts include ones of planned restructuring, of unplanned change in the shape of a critical event, and of the micro change of taking on temporary work (ie ‘acting up’). Across each of these changes employee accounts featured notions of 'challenges', 'excitement' and 'learning'. As researchers interested in learning at work, these stories are prompting us to consider the various learning dimensions of organizational change, and in particular they are leading us to focus future research on a range of organisational practices (like ‘acting up’) that facilitate learning at work.
This paper begins by suggesting that the [New South Wales] NSW adult and community education (ACE... more This paper begins by suggesting that the [New South Wales] NSW adult and community education (ACE) sector may be turning its back on the principles of adult community education. It does this by drawing attention to some of the contradictions between ACE public discourse and ACE practice in NSW. The paper goes on to argue for the restoration of ACE’s principles of adult community education as a legitimate vision for the state, but further suggests that NSW Neighbourhood Centres may be more able providers of adult community education than ACE themselves. However, little is understood about the actual work of Neighbourhood Centres from within the educational fields in NSW. While the Cinderella Report (indexed at TD/TNC 29.09) and other research studies talk about how Neighbourhood Centres contribute to adult learning, these discussion do not reflect the reality of the NSW situation. This paper concludes by suggesting a need for research into the contributions that Neighbourhood Centres...
While we do not wish to take on an argument against such an explosion in this paper, we wonder wh... more While we do not wish to take on an argument against such an explosion in this paper, we wonder whether, when autonomous learning is mooted, this is always the case. Common usage implies that in individualised, self-directed and autonomous forms of learning the learner is learning by him or her self. However, in our own collective research we are noticing how often learning that might seem to be autonomous is necessarily occurring in relationships with others, and might be fostered indirectly by yet others: particularly as it pertains to learning at work. Imagining these as quasi-pedagogical relationships, and ‘the others’ as quasi-teachers, leads us to ask: should ‘the teacher’ (in scare quotes) scare adult educators?
The overarching aim of this paper is to 'talk up' learning in the Australian neighbourhoo... more The overarching aim of this paper is to 'talk up' learning in the Australian neighbourhood centre sector, realising this aim is premised on a need to understand neighbourhood centres themselves. Hence, the paper tentatively offers a mapping of the sector by first asking: 'What is a neighbourhood centre?'. Next, the paper provides an introductory scoping of learning in centres in an effort to invite further consideration. Two important conclusions are made. The first is that centres' capacity for continual re-shaping, while retaining some very particular values, marks them in ways that differ from organisations for which adult education is the primary purpose. The second is that the range of learning possibilities in centres is far-reaching, and makes significant and valuable contributions to individuals and communities, and ultimately to the Australian nation.
The article “Toward a Pedagogy for Professional Noticing: Learning through Observation”, written ... more The article “Toward a Pedagogy for Professional Noticing: Learning through Observation”, written by Donna Rooney and David Boud, was originally published Online First without Open Access.
Background: It is well recognised that changes in the contemporary world demand that professional... more Background: It is well recognised that changes in the contemporary world demand that professionals continuously learn. Often this continual professional learning takes the shape of formal courses, seminars and other obviously educational events. The starting point of this paper is an acknowledgement that people also learn in the day-to-day practices that constitute their work. Work can be understood as a bundle of practices that are typically shared by most people employed in that profession. For engineers, and experienced engineers in particular, an example might be attending design review meetings, toolbox talks and or carrying out site walks. In this paper we posit that these practices afford important opportunities for professional learning. Purpose: Drawing from contemporary practice theorists such as Schatzki et al. (2001), Gherardi (2008, 2009), and Gherardi and Nicolini (2003), this theoretically motivated, qualitative paper begins by conceptualising the notion of 'pract...
Introduction In recent years, not-for-profit (NFP) organizations have become embroiled in contest... more Introduction In recent years, not-for-profit (NFP) organizations have become embroiled in contestations over their purpose, operations and management. Most strongly such contestations are infused with the increasing managerialization of the sector. This is a process where NFPs are expected to manage themselves in a manner resembling commercial organizations. In a sense then, the identity of NFPs can be understood to exist within competing sets of differences that seek to define and fix the meaning of ‘community organizations’ and ‘businesses’. Of course, no matter the confidence of their rhetorical usage, neither category is stable. It remains the case, however, that these categories are mobilized discursively as normative attempts to secure the meaning of NFP organizations. In this paper we focus on how they interact in practice and explore how this interaction fuels a form of agency tending towards ad-hoc transgression. To do so we draw some theoretical insight from queer theory. ...
This chapter provides examples of how arrangements for collection and analyses of video data were... more This chapter provides examples of how arrangements for collection and analyses of video data were organized across different sites. The common approach to data collection builds on established methods for recording of audiovisual materials in the social sciences with a focus on interaction and learning. The chapter describes how arrangements for data collection across different sites were organised, and how video analysis can be used as a method for collaborative analysis of practices. One approach is entitled purposeful approach to collaborative data analysis. A second approach draws on video-based studies of situated action, and a third approach of analysis is the use of qualitatively different readings of the same data. One does not replace the other, but rather draws out different features.
Ongoing restructuring, new types of students, changes in systems and the movement of staff within... more Ongoing restructuring, new types of students, changes in systems and the movement of staff within sections and institutes are only some of the daily challenges facing practitioners in many areas of TAFE as they grapple with the notion of organisational flexibility and customer responsiveness. This paper looks at how members of four workgroups based in two metropolitan institutes are dealing with challenges through informal learning. This paper draws from preliminary findings of an Australian Research Council collaborative research project concerned with determining the significance of informal learning and its contribution to organisational performance. The project is currently midway through and has completed interviews and held feedback sessions with members of four workgroups undertaking quite different types of work. While the project is based in an educational organisation, the major focus of the research project is on TAFE as a workplace. Wenger has written extensively on comm...
Introduction In New South Wales (NSW), ‘social work’ and ‘adult community education’ are understo... more Introduction In New South Wales (NSW), ‘social work’ and ‘adult community education’ are understood as two different activities that operate from different sites (Flowers, 2005). In NSW, social work comes under the broad domain of a myriad of not-for-profit, faith-based and increasingly for-profit, organisations, or as an adjunct to the core business of state institutions (eg hospitals). On the other hand, adult community education is the largely understood as the responsibility of the state supported Adult Community Education (ACE) sector: a sector comprising ‘sanctioned’ sites of learning.
The Australian Research Council project, Uncovering Learning at Work explored the extent and natu... more The Australian Research Council project, Uncovering Learning at Work explored the extent and nature of informal learning and its contribution and significance to the TAFE workplace and its employees. The research was a qualitative study carried out in partnership between the University of Technology, Sydney and the TAFE Professional Development Network unit. This collaborative arrangement was ideal for this study because TAFE, as an organisation, are interested in the relationship between work and learning. The research employed the term ‘everyday learning’ to describe the phenomenon under investigation. This understanding recognises that there are elements of both formality and informality in all learning situations. Uncovering Learning at Work was conducted in three stages. The first involved one-to-one interviews and the collection of initial qualitative data. In the second the researchers worked closely with individual workgroups around particular workplace issues. The final sta...
Introduction Yet again, ̳the role of the adult educator’ constitutes a theme at SCUTREA. Why migh... more Introduction Yet again, ̳the role of the adult educator’ constitutes a theme at SCUTREA. Why might it be reprised? Does it represent normal everyday paranoia about the continuing existence of SCUTREA and the work of its members, or is there a real issue to be worried about? Like so many members of SCUTREA, our work in university programs for adult educators suggests that, on the one hand, we should be confident about what we do. After all, our positions are typically premised on the assumption that we have expertise in ̳the field‘ and that this is clearly valued by those who seek it out. However, on the other hand, ̳the field‘ has become so dispersed that our roles, along with those who enrol in our programs, are more difficult to define with any measure of confidence.
This paper draws on empirical data of accounts of change from interviews with employees of a loca... more This paper draws on empirical data of accounts of change from interviews with employees of a local government organization. These employee accounts include ones of planned restructuring, of unplanned change in the shape of a critical event, and of the micro change of taking on temporary work (ie ‘acting up’). Across each of these changes employee accounts featured notions of 'challenges', 'excitement' and 'learning'. As researchers interested in learning at work, these stories are prompting us to consider the various learning dimensions of organizational change, and in particular they are leading us to focus future research on a range of organisational practices (like ‘acting up’) that facilitate learning at work.
This paper begins by suggesting that the [New South Wales] NSW adult and community education (ACE... more This paper begins by suggesting that the [New South Wales] NSW adult and community education (ACE) sector may be turning its back on the principles of adult community education. It does this by drawing attention to some of the contradictions between ACE public discourse and ACE practice in NSW. The paper goes on to argue for the restoration of ACE’s principles of adult community education as a legitimate vision for the state, but further suggests that NSW Neighbourhood Centres may be more able providers of adult community education than ACE themselves. However, little is understood about the actual work of Neighbourhood Centres from within the educational fields in NSW. While the Cinderella Report (indexed at TD/TNC 29.09) and other research studies talk about how Neighbourhood Centres contribute to adult learning, these discussion do not reflect the reality of the NSW situation. This paper concludes by suggesting a need for research into the contributions that Neighbourhood Centres...
While we do not wish to take on an argument against such an explosion in this paper, we wonder wh... more While we do not wish to take on an argument against such an explosion in this paper, we wonder whether, when autonomous learning is mooted, this is always the case. Common usage implies that in individualised, self-directed and autonomous forms of learning the learner is learning by him or her self. However, in our own collective research we are noticing how often learning that might seem to be autonomous is necessarily occurring in relationships with others, and might be fostered indirectly by yet others: particularly as it pertains to learning at work. Imagining these as quasi-pedagogical relationships, and ‘the others’ as quasi-teachers, leads us to ask: should ‘the teacher’ (in scare quotes) scare adult educators?
The overarching aim of this paper is to 'talk up' learning in the Australian neighbourhoo... more The overarching aim of this paper is to 'talk up' learning in the Australian neighbourhood centre sector, realising this aim is premised on a need to understand neighbourhood centres themselves. Hence, the paper tentatively offers a mapping of the sector by first asking: 'What is a neighbourhood centre?'. Next, the paper provides an introductory scoping of learning in centres in an effort to invite further consideration. Two important conclusions are made. The first is that centres' capacity for continual re-shaping, while retaining some very particular values, marks them in ways that differ from organisations for which adult education is the primary purpose. The second is that the range of learning possibilities in centres is far-reaching, and makes significant and valuable contributions to individuals and communities, and ultimately to the Australian nation.
The article “Toward a Pedagogy for Professional Noticing: Learning through Observation”, written ... more The article “Toward a Pedagogy for Professional Noticing: Learning through Observation”, written by Donna Rooney and David Boud, was originally published Online First without Open Access.
With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, global and ... more With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, global and inter-disciplinary contexts, different approaches to understanding how engineers practice and learn are necessary. This paper draws on recent research in the social sciences from the field of workplace learning, to suggest that a practice theory perspective on engineers' professional learning is fruitful. It shifts the focus from the attributes of the individual learner (knowledge, skills and attitudes) to the attributes of the practice (interactions, materiality, opportunities, challenges). Learning is thus more than the technical acquisition and transfer of knowledge, but a complex bundle of activities that is social, material, embodied and emerging. The paper is illustrated with examples from a research study of the learning of experienced engineers in the construction industry to demonstrate common practices—site walks and design review meetings—in which learning takes place.
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