Päivi Tynjälä

Towards Expert Knowledge? A Comparison between a Constructivist and a Traditional Learning Environment in the University.

Abstract This research monograph examines the potential of constructivist learning environments for developing prerequisites of expert knowledge during university studies. Drawing on recent theories of the development of expert knowledge and on the constructivist view of learning, an experiment was conducted in an educational psychology course. The primary purpose of the study was to compare the learning outcomes of students who studied the course material in a constructivist learning environment with those of students who learned it under traditional teaching and studying conditions. Students in the constructivist learning environment acquired more diversified knowledge. In addition, a theory will be presented about what actually changes when conceptual change occurs.

Pedagogical perspectives on the relationships between higher education and working life

The relationship between higher educationinstitutions and their environment has changedmarkedly during the last two decades.Massification and diversification of the highereducation system, economic globalisation, novelmodes of knowledge production, new professionalrequirements and the establishment of newvocational higher education systems in manycountries have challenged higher educationinstitutions to develop new forms ofcollaboration with working life. The newsituation also challenges higher education todevelop pedagogical and educational thinkingand practices. The purpose of this article isto examine the pedagogical aspects of theincreasing interaction and collaboration thatis taking place between higher education andworking life and to outline what kind ofchallenges it poses for research on highereducation. It is emphasised that from thepedagogical viewpoint integration betweentheory and practice in work-based learning isessential. Our general conclusion is that therelationship between higher education andworking life should be examined at least fromfour different perspectives: (1) from theviewpoint of student learning and thedevelopment of expertise, (2) from the viewpointof educational institutions and staff, (3) fromthe viewpoint of working life organisations andemployers, and (4) from the viewpoint of societyand the system of education.

E‐learning at work: theoretical underpinnings and pedagogical challenges

Purpose – First, to explore the application of e‐learning as a medium for workplace learning, as a form of adult learning and organisational learning from a theoretical point of view, second, to review empirical studies on recent solutions to pedagogical problems encountered in workplace learning in general and in e‐learning in particular, and finally, to consider the challenges facing the further development of e‐learning solutions targeted at the workplace.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews theories of adult learning, workplace learning and organisational learning and brings out main pedagogical implications of these theories from an e‐learning point of view. Some empirical studies in which electronic networks and communication tools have been utilised in workplace learning are also described.Findings – The development of successful e‐learning solutions for the use of work organizations requires integrating research knowledge from different sources: theories of the learning organization, so...

Writing as a Learning Tool.

How learning is understood in everyday schooling and conceptualized in research varies a great deal, as does the way in which writing is used for enhancing learning. This paper reviews recent research conducted mainly in Europe, North Arrierica, and Australia to outline what kind of challenges research is facing at the moment. The paper begins with examining how the concept of learning is defined in everyday use and in research. It considers the analysis of learning conceptions important because the way that learning is understood greatly determines how writing is used as a tool for learning. Second, it analyzes the theoretical basis for using writing as a learning tool--theories are divided into three categories: (1) theories from writing research; (2) theories from cognitive research on learning; and (3) theories representing the sociocultural approach to research on learning and language development. Third, the paper reviews recent empirical research based on these theoretical backgrounds. The studies reviewed in the paper illustrate the wide range of the ways writing is used for learning in schools and colleges. The papers general conclusion is that the conception of learning underlying instruction is a decisive factor defining the nature of writing for learning. (Contains 127 references and a table of examples of how different views of learning lead to different pedagogical aims.) (NKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

Writing as a learning tool. An introduction

This introductory chapter begins with a brief historical account of the writing-to-learn movement, emphasising especially the significance of the cognitive revolution for the development of both teaming research and writing research. The next section considers those theories of the writing process which have had the most profound impact on writing-to-learn, theories of writing as problem solving. Further on, theories and views of learning are discussed as essential determinants of approaches to writing as a learning tool. it is emphasised that current constructivist and social constructivist views imply the use of writing activities requiring transformations of knowledge, social interaction, and collaboration, as well as the integration of writing with other forms of learning and studying.

Writing, Learning And The Development Of Expertise In Higher Education

This chapter combines the issue of writing to learn with recent views of the development of prerequisites of professional expertise during higher education. The knowledge-intensive or symbolicanalytic work characteristic of todays professional jobs challenges educationalists to develop instructional methods that integrate domain-content learning with practising the general skills needed in today’s working life. It is argued here that constructivist and social constructivist views of learning offer promising starting points for developing instruction of this kind. Different traditional and novel fonns of writing are discussed from the viewpoint of these constructivist approaches and expertise development. It is concluded that each form of student writing has different benefits. Different fonns of writing and writing assignments entail different kinds of activities and thinking processes that, in turn, lead to different kinds of learning. From the perspectives of constructivism and studies of expertise, the general direction in developing writing-to-leam tasks would be moving from reproductive learning towards various reflective, metacognitive, and knowledge-building activities and integrating writing with other fonns of learning and studying such as reading and group discussions.

Integrating theory and practice? Employees’ and students’ experiences of learning at work

The integration of theory and practice has been recognised as one of the key questions in the development of professional expertise and vocational competence. In this study the question of how theory and practice meet each other during professional development was approached from the point of view of two different groups of learners: employees with varying length of work experience and university students taking a working life project course. Altogether 18 employees and 51 students were interviewed, after which transcribed interviews were qualitatively categorised. The opinions expressed by the informants indicate that work‐based learning is not a unified phenomenon but varies in different contexts and between actors. The findings suggest, however, that the transformation of students’ explicit “book knowledge” into implicit or tacit knowledge may begin already while the student is still in education, provided that formal knowledge is used for authentic problem solving.

The Acquisition of Professional Expertise—a challenge for educational research

This article examines the acquisition of professional expertise from the educational viewpoint and outlines emerging approaches to research on expertise. The starting points are the need to reflect the nature and content of expertise in the changing world and the aim to understand the preconditions for integrating the viewpoints of working life and education in developing prerequisities for expertise in educational contexts. The section after the Introduction briefly reviews how expertise has been conceptualized in recent research. The next section deals with the role of higher education in developing expertise from the viewpoint of constructivist approaches in research on learning. Then current challenges and alternatives for educational research on the acquisition of future expertise are outlined.

Industry-University Collaboration for Continuing Professional Development.

Over the past few years developments in higher education have brought us to a position where collaboration between the university and the private sector is becoming more and more common. The industry approach to continuing professional development is based on the needs of acquiring, developing and retaining a skilled and competent workforce. Universities in turn may benefit from the knowledge, ideas and practices of working life outside the academy. Both parties urgently need to prepare people to function in the information society. We argue that successful cooperation between industry and university requires that both parties enter into a thorough-going dialogue concerning current pedagogical and educational thinking. This article highlights the specific needs of organisations and how universities can assist companies in the provision of continuing professional development. Some of the initial insights gained from a case study are presented and possible principles on which to base future development are suggested.

Factors promoting vocational students’ learning at work: study on student experiences

In order to promote effective pedagogical practices for students’ work-based learning, we need to understand better how students’ learning at work can be supported. This paper examines the factors explaining students’ workplace learning (WPL) outcomes, addressing three aspects: (1) student-related individual factors, (2) social and structural features of workplace and (3) educational practices related to the organising of WPL periods. The data were collected from final-year vocational students (N = 3106, n = 1603) via an Internet questionnaire. The findings from regression analysis showed that students’ WPL outcomes cannot be seen merely as consequences of student-related individual factors such as motivation, as has often been suggested; even more important for the success of students’ WPL were the social features of the workplace and the pedagogical arrangements for WPL periods. A further finding was that the learning environments of different vocational fields at the interface of school and working life seem to differ significantly from each other, and to offer students different settings for learning at work. This implies that when studies on WPL and professional development are conducted on a single employee group, they should not be directly generalised across different domains.