How we learn as humans, adults and professionals and the implications on designing professional development and work-based performance management approaches

In the first part of the session Dr. Dudley will review current research into learning as a whole, and then focus on work-based adult learning. He will look in some depth at notions of community in learning, developing expertise and expert knowledge, and finally at the role of tacit knowledge in professional work and learning. Furthermore he will unpick the challenges each of these poses for those charged with designing, delivering (or indeed participating) in professional development and learning. Then, for the purposes of further exploration and critique, Dr. Dudley will place all of these alongside common approaches to work-based performance management.

In the second part of the talk Dr. Dudley will consider approaches to work-based learning that embody some of the principles developed in part one. These will include enquiry or research based learning (including action research), mentoring and coaching for professional learning and approaches used in Japan based on the concepts of 'kaizen,' 'ba,' collaboration and 'co-evolution' of knowledge and practice. He will focus particularly on the Japanese practice of 'lesson study' in learning centred organisations (schools, colleges, universities) that is spreading west this century and is now increasingly practiced in Germany.

Participation via Mail to: 'christina.huemmer@uni-wuerzburg.de' and the GSiK-WueCampus room.