Discourses on Professional Learning

The contributions in this volume explore theoretical and empirical analyses on the boundary between working and learning in various contexts and with various methodological approaches. The main focus of the book is the merge of work activities and learning. In the early decades of the twentieth century, at the peak of industrialisation, the distinct separation of working andlearning was the dominant principle—the early concepts of work organisation even distinguished between working and thinking by consequently separating planning of work from executing the work. Within the ongoing discussion on life-long learning and the establishment of modern business concepts which aimed at meeting the demands of permanent change by implementing flexible work structures, the legitimate interest on workplace learning has been continually increasing in recent years. Current approaches emphasise the learning potential of workplaces, combining the application of competence (i.e. working) and its acquisition (i.e. learning). This book provides general discussions of analytic opportunities of work and learning processes. It comprises firstly a part about learning issues in regular work contexts which primarily follow productive purposes. Secondly, a part follows which comprises analyses of work environments which primarily follow learning purposes. The third part of the book explores methodological approaches of analyzing professional learning which comprise quantitative as well as qualitative methods. The final chapter brings together the contributions and balances opportunities for distinguishing learning and acting in work contexts. ?