Putting Theory Into Practice

Informal learning, also called free choice learning or out-of-school time, is a relatively new field that has grown exponentially in the past 15 years. Research on the learning and teaching that takes place in these non-traditional, non-classroom environments, such as museums, gardens, afterschool and community programs, has enjoyed tremendous growth; yet we still need to understand much more, and more deeply, how people actually interact, participate and learn in such settings. Putting Theory into Practice: Tools for Research in Informal Settings is designed as a research and practice toolkit, offering a range of theoretically well-grounded methods for assessing learning for life in diverse settings and among diverse populations. We pay special attention to the full complexity, challenges and richness involved in such research into learning in places like museums, aquariums, after-school clubs, and gardens. Putting Theory into Practice serves both, researchers and practitioners, as well as a more general audience. This book offers several field-tested methods for building empirically-based, informal learning settings and research deeply grounded and guided by theory. Sociocultural theory, broadly defined, forms the unifying theoretical framework for the different qualitative studies presented. Each chapter clearly lays out the theoretical underpinnings and how these inform the suggested methods. The chapters are written by recognized experts in the field, and each addresses, in its own way, “the synergy among different learning contexts and the benefits of studying how contexts influence learning.” Together they give voice to the diversity, richness, and complexity of the study of learners and learning for life.

This collection of fourteen essays by scholars from Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States emerges from a growing interest in the ways postmodern theory can illuminate not just the products and ideas of high culture, but also the ins and outs of everyday life. Taking the university classroom, broadly construed, as a site of theoretical investigation, this volume helps us to understand troublesome classroom dynamics as well as offering pedagogical strategies for dealing with them. It also illuminates current pressures on higher education that find expression in the classroom. As a forum for these issues, these essays draw upon Deleuzian, feminist, Foucauldian, and psychoanalytic approaches, among others, recognizing not only that these approaches are often in conflict, but also that, collectively, they enhance our understanding of the classroom. Important questions posed here include whether, and if so how, we can combine a Marxist or Foucauldian emphasis on the disciplinary and hegemonic practices of educational institutions with a Lacanian or Barthesian appreciation for the disruptive pleasures and drives that the unconscious produces within and through students, teachers, and classrooms. Which theoretical and pedagogical innovations can help teachers and students to “get the job done” as well as to theorize “the job,” to simultaneously practice education and imagine other forms and ends for education? How can theory help us to historicize, criticize, and re-draw the productive, but sometimes disabling, lines that “make” the classroom and its subjects? A site for lively theoretical debate about these and related pedagogical issues, this volume will prove useful for anyone wanting to reinterpret, reinvent, and reinvigorate the classroom.

The ability of a business to engage in real organizational learning and to do so faster and in a more sustainable way than its competitors is being increasingly seen as an essential component of success. In Making Sense of Organizational Learning, Cyril Kirwan examines the wide range of factors necessary to create and sustain organizational learning and knowledge at all levels. At the individual level, the generation of continuous learning opportunities and reflection on experiences are critically important. At the team level, it’s about encouraging collaboration, team learning and the sharing of knowledge. At the organizational level, the emphasis is on building systems to capture and share knowledge and providing strategic leadership for learning. The book shows you how you can best exploit the knowledge that already exists within your organization while at the same time develop the capability of the people that work there. It deals in turn with individual learning; learning with others; learning in organizations; and in particular the role of the HR function and of line managers. Each chapter provides theoretical background and real-world examples. Diagnostic questionnaires, checklists and other tools are also included. Making Sense of Organizational Learning provides an evidence-based argument for the adoption of effective organizational learning policies and practices, and offers a real opportunity to improve performance. Thinking practitioners working in and around learning and development or organization development will find it invaluable, as will those undertaking post-graduate study in HR and related disciplines.

Applied Psychology: Putting theory into practice demonstrates how psychology theory is applied in the real world. Uniquely structured as a series of themed 'rooms', it is as novel and engaging as it is essential reading for student mapping a career in psychology.

This book contains a continuation and expansion of the topics covered in the author's previous book, Psychoanalysis: from Practice to Theory, about the use of theories in analytic practice. As a member of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) Conceptual Research Committee and Chair of the Working Party on Theoretical Issues, the author, who teaches at Nanterre University, has studied and taught on the subject for several years, as well as writing many articles on it. The book will be particularly useful for psychoanalytical and psychotherapeutic societies, as well as for research committees.

This fully revised text demystifies interpersonal communication skills by bringing the latest research together with practical guidance that prepares students to discern key communication dynamics and communicate more effectively in all areas of their lives. The new edition draws on current theory and research to guide students through the foundations of the discipline, recent developments in scientific research, and tips for improving their own interpersonal communication skills. In addition, readers will find: Expanded coverage of technology and computer-mediated communication, including explicit examples of what interpersonal communication looks like online. Invitations to engage with elaborated descriptions of theories and related resources on the companion website whenever prominent theories of interpersonal communication are mentioned in the text. A commitment to gender inclusive language and topics, as well as a new feature, "IDEA: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access," that invites students to consider ways to address exclusion and inequity in interpersonal communication. The fully revamped companion website includes updates across all resources, additional videos, self-quizzes for students, and all-new instructor resources, which can be accessed at www.routledge.com/cw/solomon. Also new to the companion website for this edition are links to essays and videos featuring the work that students in the Communication Studies program at the California State Prison, Los Angeles County, produced in response to self-reflection prompts in the first edition. These materials provide insight into facets of interpersonal communication in these students’ lives, and they offer a broad range of rich life experiences. Interpersonal Communication: Putting Theory into Practice, Second Edition is ideal for undergraduate students in courses on interpersonal communication and communication skills.

It is well known the global community is looking towards business to play its role in creating a just and fair economy. This increases the urgency and relevance of new approaches to management education that can engage and foster socially responsible leaders who are resilient, creative and innovative thinkers. Educating for Responsible Management profiles cutting-edge approaches to pedagogy for the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) that go beyond current discussions of sustainability and corporate social responsibility content, to include a wider lens that highlights the processes of educating the next generation of responsible managers. The book draws together leading thinkers, practitioners and management education to share their practice and research on how management educators can prepare themselves, their students, the learning environment, and their teaching resources to meet these challenges. These conversations across practice lines highlight a range of innovative pedagogical approaches and methods used by responsible management educators around the world to provide effective learning experiences.

Educators in the K-12 and adult education milieu, including pre- and in-service educators, are expected to address, in and outside of the classroom, significant political and social issues including increased homelessness, food insecurity, poverty, gender dysphoria, school bullying, and marginalization of the LGBTQ population. Educators seek swift solutions to the situations at hand that will benefit K-12 students. Social Justice and Putting Theory Into Practice in Schools and Communities is an essential research publication that provides detailed research on the creation and implementation of social justice strategies in educational settings. Highlighting a wide range of topics such as gender equality, academic standards, and special education, this book is ideal for educators, sociologists, academicians, researchers, and curriculum designers.