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One of the defining features of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme is that it ‘aims to improve outcomes for learners of all ages in teaching and learning contexts across the UK’. This article argues that, although it is possible to use the terms outcomes for learners and learning outcomes interchangeably, they have an important difference in connotation. Particular meanings of the latter term are dominant within the Further Education sector. Some insight from analysis in the TLRP project Transforming Learning Cultures in Further Education is presented to illustrate this difference and to underline the necessity for educational research to engage critically with both outcomes for learners and learning outcomes if it is to provide knowledge with a practical application.

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This paper reports on a study to explore the work specialisms of chartered general practice surveyors against a framework of learning styles. The aim is to comprehend better the abilities that surveyors use. Factor analysis of practitioner responses to a questionnaire reveals two learning styles to be meaningfully identified. However, the hypothesis that these learning styles are reflective of differing surveying work specialisms is substantially rejected. Show less

Ageing is accompanied by a multitude of changes in cognitive abilities, which in turn affect learning. Learning collaboratively may benefit older adults by negating some of these age-related changes. However, studies on collaborative learning in older age differ in their methodology and findings. This systematic review provides an overview of the current research on collaborative learning in older age, exploring what factors influence collaborative learning in this age group. The titles and abstracts of imported 6629 works were screened, as well as four works added manually, which resulted in 29 studies. These studies were conducted across five countries (Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Belgium) between 1993 and 2023. Most studies were quantitative with a non-randomized (n = 16) design. Of the 29 studies, almost all studied collaboration in pairs (n = 28). The results suggest that the benefits of collaborating in older age may depend on the type of learning material, that familiarity between partners does not affect learning, and that age differences appear to decrease or disappear when older adults are provided with adequate time or trials. In addition, this systematic review identifies several gaps in the literature that future research should investigate further. This study was preregistered prior to its commencement on 21 January 2022.

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This book explores teacher workplace learning from four different perspectives: social policy, international comparators, multi-professional stances/perspectives, and socio-cultural theory. First, it considers the policy and practice context of professional learning in teacher education England, and the rest of the UK, with particular reference to professional Masters level provision. Secondly, it considers models of teacher workplace learning to be found in international research and practice to explore what perspective they can bring to understanding policy and practice relating to workplace learning in the UK. Third, the book draws on cross-professional analysis to understand workplace learning by examining how insights from across the professions can provide useful perspectives on policy and practice. It draws in particular on insights from medicine and educational psychology. Finally, it draws insights from educational research perspectives such as socio-cultural and activity theory, and situated learning/cognition to determine their contribution to the analysis of the theoretical and pedagogical underpinnings of teacher workplace learning.

Edited excerpts from publication.

The chapters are as follows: Framing workplace learning / Olwen McNamara, Marion Jones and Jean Murray (pages 1-27); Developing a multi-layered system of distributed expertise: what does cultural historical theory bring to understandings of workplace learning in school-university partnerships? / Anne Childs, Anne Edwards and Jane McNicholl (pages 29-45); Developing knowledge for qualified professionals / Michael Eraut (pages 47-72); Work-based, accredited professional education: insights from medicine / Tim Dornan and Anne-Mette Morcke (pages 73-86); ‘In this together’: developing university-workplace partnerships in initial professional training for practitioner educational psychologists / Kevin Woods (pages 87-101); Disentangling what it means to be a teacher in the twenty-first century: policy and practice in teachers’ continuing professional learning / Bob Burstow and Meg Maguire (pages 103-119); Pulling learning through: building the profession’s skills in making use of workplace coaching opportunities / Philippa Cordingley and Natalia Buckler (pages 121-135); Empowering teachers as learners: continuing professional learning programmes as sites for critical development in pedagogical practice / Yvonne Barnes and Yvette Solomon (pages 137-150); Lessons study in a performative culture / Julian Williams, Julie Ryan and Sian Morgan (pages 151-167).

The policy context of teachers’ workplace learning: the case for research-based professionalism in teacher education in England / Anne Campbell (pages 169-182); Workplace learning in pre-service teacher education: an English case study / Olwen McNamara, Jean Murray and Marion Jones (pages 183-205); Work-based learning in teacher education: a Scottish perspective / James Conroy, Graham Donaldson and Ian Menter (pages 207-219); ‘Learningplace’ practices and pre-service teacher education in Ireland: knowledge generation, partnerships and pedagogy / Paul F. Conway, Rosaleen Murphy and Vanessa Rutherford (pages 221-241); Teacher learning in the workplace in pre-service teacher education in Portugal: potential and limits from a pre-service teacher perspective / Maria Assuncao Flores (pages 243-260); Learning to teach in Norway: a shared responsibility / Kari Smith and Marit Ulvik (pages 261-277); Teaching as a Master's level profession in Finland: theoretical reflections and practical solutions / Pertti Kansanen (pages 279-292); Improving workplace learning in teacher education / Jean Murray, Olwen McNamara and Marion Jones (pages 293-315). Show less

The Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC's) Learning Society Programme comprised 14 projects involving research into the learning society and the ways in which it can contribute to the development of knowledge and skills for employment and in other areas of adult life. Policies to enhance participation in learning require consideration of different forms of learning and this report represents an exploratory study of the less visible, widespread and significant body of learning that takes place informally and implicitly. The articles are: Introduction: the structure below the surface: reassessing the significance of informal learning / Frank Coffield; Non-formal learning, implicit learning and tacit knowledge in professional work / Michael Eraut; Informal learning and social capital / John Field and Lynda Spence; Implicit knowledge, phenomenology and learning difficulties / Stephen Baron, Alastair Wilson and Sheila Riddell; Formalising learning: the impact of accreditation / Pat Davies; Necessary and unnecessary learning: the acquisition of knowledge and 'skills' in and outside employment in South Wales in the 20th century / Ralph Fevre, Stephen Gorard and Gareth Rees.

Individual articles are indexed from TD/TNC 67.193 to TD/TNC 67.197. Other publications from the ESRC Learning Society Programme are indexed at TD/TNC 67.145, TD/TNC 67.152, TD/TNC 67.169, TD/TNC 67.176, TD/TNC 67.185. Show less

The aims of the Youth Training Scheme (YTS) are to serve as a foundation for subsequent employment, training and education and to equip young people with the skills and experience needed to create a more versatile, adaptable and well-motivated workforce. The contents of this report are: Introduction to this report: a note for the reader; Background; Changing the learning environment: preliminary research; Developing skilled learners; Learning to memorise and understand things: some research in youth training courses; Further research on memorising; Further research on understanding; Skills of learning related task; Concluding remarks; References. Show less

Informal learning is defined as the learning that takes place in the work context, relates to an individual's performance of their job and/or their employability, and which is not formally organised into a program or curriculum by the employer. It may be recognised or unrecognised by the parties involved and may or may not be specifically encouraged. This report explores informal learning in the workplace and investigates how it can contribute to the success of companies, especially small and medium sized companies, and how it can enhance the employability of employees. The report is structured into five sections. The first provides a general introduction and background for the project. The second provides an overview of the national policy context and background to informal learning. The third sets out the working definitions of informal learning and employability for this study with a synopsis of the literature review. The fourth presents the main findings of the study, combining the literature review with employee discussions, employer interviews and company case studies. The fifth summarises the issues arising from the findings and considers the practical implications. Finally, a number of recommendations are made for the various stakeholders of informal learning. Show less

The challenges facing young people as they become adults are more complex and demanding than ever before. Education has become vital to young people's life-chances and a central part of strategies for economic prosperity. The author argues that educational research should focus on the connections between schools and society, rather than focusing on spending money on making schools more effective as institutions, more attention should be given to the connection between schools and society. This book reviews projects from the UK and other countries which represent the beginning of a new approach and explains how this approach can be used to address some of the most pressing challenges for education, promoting active citizenship, developing employability and tackling chronic underachievement. The author also stresses that in an increasingly complex society, dedicated teachers must not be solely relied on to deliver the understanding and personal qualities young people will need to thrive. Effective education will have to extend beyond the classroom, using a broader range of resources - cultural, social, finnacial and physical. This book provides a wide-ranging review of educational innovation and on contemporary analyses of economic, social and technological change. It outlines a vision of education which combines the rigour and depth of the best professional instruction with the flexibility of community-based collaborative learning. Show less

This article uses the results of a large-scale study of patterns of participation in post-compulsory education and training over the past 50 years to identify some of the social determinants of adult participation. It is suggested that these determinants are of two types, those more relevant to immediate post-school education and training and those relevant to lifelong learning. This possibility is used to reinforce doubts about the wisdom of current policy in seeking mass participation in further and higher education and immediate post-school training. Such measures, while creditable in themselves are not sufficient to create the United Kingdom Learning Society so widely espoused in official discourse and its associated policy literature. Show less

Well-developed career stories are becoming increasingly important for individuals as they navigate an unstable and unpredictable labour market. Existing narrative approaches in career guidance do not yet clearly identify the learning process by which career stories are created. In this article, a model of transformation-through-writing will be introduced to help explain the learning process that occurs when narratives are used for constructing career stories. We propose that this learning process occurs stepwise in four cognitive stages: sensing, sifting, focusing, and understanding. To progress through these stages, an internal (with oneself) as well as an external (with relevant others) dialogue is needed. The case study used to illustrate the process is a story of unemployment and effectively shows how narratives can be created through expressive and reflective writing and how such a process may foster career learning in response to a boundary experience.

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