Learning Work And Practice New Understandings

This book’s original contribution to a crowded literature on work and learning will attract strong international interest. Its focus on the philosophy of learning at work brings a fresh perspective on a topic normally viewed through psychological, anthropological and sociological eyes. It assembles a host of internationally recognized scholars who reflect on the various philosophies of work-based learning. Full of distinctive and original contributions that provide perceptive insights into the subject, the work will be a practical support to teachers, trainers and researchers at the same time as it gives readers a clear philosophical grounding in learning at work. It is, however, not simply a book about philosophy, but a gazetteer of approaches to education in work that will sustain and inspire those who provide, engage in, and support the learning of new knowledge and skills in the workplace. With adaptability to new employment opportunities so vital to existing workers, the authors stand behind continued provision of work-based learning in the face of tightening economic constraints.

Work now invariably requires a continual focus on learning: to improve productivity, to enhance the flexibility of employees and to develop and transform organizations. This volume brings together leading experts from the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand to critically evaluate the current debates on workplace learning and to propose directions for future developments in both research and practice. Topics covered include: * expectations of learning at work into the twenty-first century * learning theories, practice and performance implications * the relationship between workplace learning and other forms of lifelong learning * the international developments in competency-based approaches to learning and assessment * the influence of language, power, culture and gender upon the 'construction' of learning. Topical and informative, this volume will be an invaluable resource for students and researchers of training, HRD, continuing and adult education.

What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum. Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.

Understanding Applied Learning enables teachers, lecturers and educators to facilitate applied learning effectively with learners in schools, colleges and universities. It introduces teachers to the concept of applied learning in practice, cutting across any vocational and academic divide to show how this approach supports high-quality and effective outcomes for learners. Applied learning prepares and equips learners for life in the twenty-first century and lifelong learning. Offering practical guidance on why and how to adopt applied learning in all post-primary settings, this practical resource introduces and explores the core concepts, practices and benefits of using this approach. Illustrated with real-life scenarios, it examines why applied learning is relevant today, how it enables learners to connect knowledge with new situations, how to navigate and solve intellectual and skills-based problems and how to work collaboratively and develop higher-level thinking skills. Key topics covered include: A range of applied learning theories and strategies Relevant, Engaging, Active Learning (REAL) for successful knowledge and skills development The relevance of applied learning to employers Overcoming issues in embedding applied learning approaches How to embed creativity into learning experiences. Understanding Applied Learning is an authoritative, down-to-earth guide to facilitate applied learning effectively and successfully with students in secondary schools, colleges and universities. It is a source of support and inspiration for all those committed to high-quality and effective outcomes for learners.

In Powerful Learning, Linda Darling-Hammond and animpressive list of co-authors offer a clear, comprehensive, andengaging exploration of the most effective classroom practices.They review, in practical terms, teaching strategies that generatemeaningful K–2 student understanding, and occur both withinthe classroom walls and beyond. The book includes rich stories, aswell as online videos of innovative classrooms and schools, thatshow how students who are taught well are able to think critically,employ flexible problem-solving, and apply learned skills andknowledge to new situations.

Work now invariably requires a continual focus on learning: to improve productivity, to enhance the flexibility of employees and to develop and transform organizations. This volume brings together leading experts from the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand to critically evaluate the current debates on workplace learning and to propose directions for future developments in both research and practice. Topics covered include: * expectations of learning at work into the twenty-first century * learning theories, practice and performance implications * the relationship between workplace learning and other forms of lifelong learning * the international developments in competency-based approaches to learning and assessment * the influence of language, power, culture and gender upon the 'construction' of learning. Topical and informative, this volume will be an invaluable resource for students and researchers of training, HRD, continuing and adult education.

This book takes a fresh look at programs for advanced studies for high school students in the United States, with a particular focus on the Advanced Placement and the International Baccalaureate programs, and asks how advanced studies can be significantly improved in general. It also examines two of the core issues surrounding these programs: they can have a profound impact on other components of the education system and participation in the programs has become key to admission at selective institutions of higher education. By looking at what could enhance the quality of high school advanced study programs as well as what precedes and comes after these programs, this report provides teachers, parents, curriculum developers, administrators, college science and mathematics faculty, and the educational research community with a detailed assessment that can be used to guide change within advanced study programs.

The third edition of Patricia Cranton’s Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning brings a wealth of new insight from the tremendous growth in the field during the decade since the previous edition. As in the previous editions, the book helps adult educators understand what transformative learning is, distinguish it from other forms of learning, and foster it in their practice. The first part of the book is dedicated to clarifying transformative learning theory and relating it to other theoretical frameworks. The author examines transformative learning from the learner’s perspective, and discusses individual differences in how learners go through the process. In the second half of the book, the focus is squarely on strategies for promoting transformative learning in a wide variety of adult and higher education contexts. Practitioners will be able to take ideas from the text and apply them directly in their teaching.Since 1975, transformative learning has become a core theoretical perspective in adult and higher education, and research has proliferated. In the past decade, adult education and especially transformative learning grew into a noticeably larger field. The numbers of undergraduate and graduate programs in adult education have increased and continue to increase as more and more individuals are seeking the expertise, skills, and training necessary to work with adult learners in higher education, business, industry, government, health professions, non-profit organizations, and community development. In addition, the number of programs in higher education (both undergraduate and graduate) that include courses in transformative learning has grown dramatically. These academic audiences use the book to further their understanding of transformative learning theory and practice.Drawing on the latest research as well as the author’s own teaching experience in both online and face-to-face courses, this new edition will be a vital resource for members of the transformative learning community, as well as those encountering the topic for the first time.