The article by Donald Schon highlights the problem in professional education whereby 'what aspiring practitioners need most to learn, professional schools seem least able to teach'. This made me think of the Lave article and his argument for the importance of situated learning - i.e the need for learning to take place in the context of real-world problems.
When I write the Professional Practice unit for the MA in Digital Scholarship I think it will essential for the curriculum to be situated within the relevant areas of professional practice of the students. Wherever possible, students must be presented with opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems so that they appreciate the 'higher ground' of solving complex problems using relevant theories and the 'lower ground' of murky, everyday problems that are more difficult to solve.
The Schon article makes me understand and appreciate the significant differences between 'theory' and 'practice'. There is a need for both in teaching professional practice, and it is important that one is not prioritised over the other.
I also found interesting Schon's observation that in the early years of the 20th century 'professionalisation' meant replacing artistry by systematic, preferably scientific, knowledge. And yet as confidence in professional knowledge has grown, 'educators have begun once again to see artistry as an essential component of professional competence'. There is a clear link to the Lave article here with regard to the notion of apprenticeship. My personal feeling after reading both Schon and Lave is that the benefits of the apprenticeship model identified by Lave - i.e that apprentices learned not only the specific knowledge but also a range of other 'life' skills - seems to provide a more rounded educational experience than the professional, research-driven university model.
When I write the Professional Practice unit for the MA in Digital Scholarship I think it will essential for the curriculum to be situated within the relevant areas of professional practice of the students. Wherever possible, students must be presented with opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems so that they appreciate the 'higher ground' of solving complex problems using relevant theories and the 'lower ground' of murky, everyday problems that are more difficult to solve.
The Schon article makes me understand and appreciate the significant differences between 'theory' and 'practice'. There is a need for both in teaching professional practice, and it is important that one is not prioritised over the other.
I also found interesting Schon's observation that in the early years of the 20th century 'professionalisation' meant replacing artistry by systematic, preferably scientific, knowledge. And yet as confidence in professional knowledge has grown, 'educators have begun once again to see artistry as an essential component of professional competence'. There is a clear link to the Lave article here with regard to the notion of apprenticeship. My personal feeling after reading both Schon and Lave is that the benefits of the apprenticeship model identified by Lave - i.e that apprentices learned not only the specific knowledge but also a range of other 'life' skills - seems to provide a more rounded educational experience than the professional, research-driven university model.
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