In-service Initial Teacher Education in the Learning and Skills Sector in England: Integrating Course and Workplace Learning

The aim of the paper is to advance understanding of in-service learning and skills sector trainee teachers’ learning and propose ways of improving their learning. A conceptual framework is developed by extending Billett’s (International Journal of Educational Research 47:232–240, 2008) conceptualisation of workplace learning, as a relationally interdependent process between the opportunities workplaces afford for activities and interactions and how individuals engage with these, to a third base of participation, the affordances of the initial teacher education course. Hager and Hodkinson’s (British Educational Research Journal 35:619–638, 2009) metaphor of ‘learning as becoming’ is used to conceptualise the ways trainees reconstruct learning in a continuous transactional process of boundary crossing between course and workplace. The findings of six longitudinal case studies of trainees’ development, and evidence from other studies, illustrate the complex interrelationships between LSS workplace affordances, course affordances and trainee characteristics and the ways in which trainees reconstruct learning in each setting. The experience of teaching and interacting with learners, interactions with colleagues, and access to workplace resources and training are important workplace affordances for learning. However, some trainees have limited access to these affordances. Teaching observations, course activities and experiences as a learner are significant course affordances. Trainees’ beliefs, prior experiences and dispositions vary and significantly influence their engagement with course and workplace affordances. It is proposed that better integration of course and workplace learning through guided participation in an intentional workplace curriculum and attention to the ways trainees choose to engage with this, together with the use of practical theorising has the potential to improve trainee learning

Circular 03/06 : strategic area reviews : arrangements and guidance for strategic area reviews

"This circular confirms the arrangements made by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for strategic area reviews (StARs) of all LSC-funded post-16 learning and skills provision across England in response to Success for All, the Government’s reform strategy for further education and training. Local LSCs are responsible for leading StARs and will ensure that the process is effectively managed, stakeholders are engaged and that the timetable is met and outputs are achieved. This circular is of interest to Local Authorities (LAs)/Local Education Authorities (LEAs), Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), Jobcentre Plus, schools with post-14 provision/sixth forms, further education colleges, former external institutions, specialist colleges, adult education centres, community and voluntary providers, work based training providers, learndirect hubs and Ufi Ltd, higher education institutions, employers, Trade Unions, National Connexions Service, Learning Partnerships and heads of other key organisations. This circular supersedes Circular 02/21" -- front cover

Learning in a Flash

Text is no longer the primary means of learning transfer. Character-based simulation, in which animated characters provide a social context that motivates learners, can improve cognition and recall and bodes well for high-impact e-learning

Report to HEFCE on student engagement

This study, commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), explored the extent and nature of student engagement in the higher education sector in England. The study was concerned with institutional and student union processes and practices – such as those relating to student representation and student feedback – which seek to inform and enhance the collective student learning experience, as distinct from specific teaching, learning and assessment activities that are designed to enhance individual students’ engagement with their own learning. The study found that institutions view student engagement as central to enhancing the student experience, but the emphasis seems to be placed on viewing students as consumers. For student unions, the emphasis is on viewing them as partners in a learning community. The latter notion seems to be stronger in certain subject areas (for example, Art and Design and Performing Arts) than others. The majority of HEIs and FE colleges rate their student engagement processes – comprising a basic model of student feedback questionnaires and student representation systems – as reasonably or very effective; student unions are less likely to do so. Detailed discussions with staff and students within a diverse range of HE providers showed that actual practices vary between and within institutions and that their effectiveness could be improved. Higher education institutions, student unions and further education colleges with significant higher education provision were surveyed to establish a baseline measure of the nature and extent of student engagement processes. Further exploration of institutions’ formal and informal processes and their effectiveness was undertaken through fieldwork with a number of higher education providers and student unions

Learning and Work: Professional Learning Analytics

Learning for work takes various forms, from formal training to informal learning through work activities. In many work settings, professionals collaborate via networked environments leaving various forms of digital traces and “clickstream” data. These data can be exploited through learning analytics (LA) to make both formal and informal learning processes traceable and visible to support professionals with their learning. This chapter examines the state-of-the-art in professional learning analytics (PLA) by considering how professionals learn, putting forward a vision for PLA, and analyzing examples of analytics in action in professional settings. LA can address affective and motivational learning issues as well as technical and practical expertise; it can intelligently align individual learning activities with organizational learning goals. PLA is set to form a foundation for future learning and work

Learning the Lessons of Openness

The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement has built up a record of experience and achievements since it was formed 10 years ago as an identifiable approach to sharing online learning materials. In its initial phase, much activity was driven by ideals and interest in finding new ways to release content, with less direct research and reflection on the process. It is now important to consider the impact of OER and the types of evidence that are being generated across initiatives, organisations and individuals. Drawing on the work of OLnet (http://olnet.org) in bringing people together through fellowships, research projects and supporting collective intelligence about OER, we discuss the key challenges facing the OER movement. We go on to consider these challenges in the context of another project, Bridge to Success (http://b2s.aacc.edu), identifying the services which can support open education in the future