Authentic Professional Learning: Making a Difference Through Learning at Work(2 Professional and Practice-based Learning)

There is considerable and growing interest in professionals learning across their working lives. The growth in this interest is likely premised upon the increasing percentage of those who are being employed under the designation as professi- als or para-professional workers in advanced industrial economies. Part of being designated in this way is a requirement to be able to work autonomously and in a relatively self-regulated manner. Of course, many other kinds of employment also demand such behaviours. However, there is particular attention being given to the ongoing development of workers who are seen to make crucial decisions and take actions about health, legal and ?nancial matters. Part of this attention derives from expectations within the community that those who are granted relative autonomy and are often paid handsomely should be current and informed in their decisi- making. Then, like all other workers, professionals are required to maintain their competence in the face of changing requirements for work. Consequently, a volume that seeks to inform how best this ongoing learning can be understood, supported and assisted is most timely and welcomed. This volume seeks to elaborate professional learning through a consideration of the concept of authentic professional learning. What is proposed here is that, in contrast to programmatic approaches towards professional development, the process of continuing professional learning is a personal, complex and diverse process that does not lend itself to easy prescription or the realisation of others’ intents.

Table of Contents:
PART A: INTRODUCTION. Prologue.- 1.- Professional Learning at Work.- 1.1 Genesis of the Research.- 1.2 Intent of the Book.- 1.3 Research Findings.- 1.4 Conceptualising Authentic Professional Learning.- PART B: EXPLORATION.- 2.- Critical Review of Professional Development.- 2.1 Interdisciplinary Inquiry into Professional Learning.- 2.1.1 Professional education.- 2.1.2 Workplace learning.- 2.1.3 Adult education.- 2.1.4 Integrating the research fields.- 2.2 Current Working Context for Professional Learning.- 2.2.1 Certainty through regulation and control.- 2.2.2 Uncertainty related to change and complexity.- 2.3 The Concept of Learning.- 2.3.1 Learning theories.- 2.3.2 The nature of professional learning.- 2.3.2.1 Learning from experience.- 2.3.2.2 Learning through reflective action.- 2.3.2.3 Learning mediated by context.- 2.3.3 The nature of professional knowledge.- 2.3.3.1 Knowledge as a commodity.- 2.3.3.2 Knowing-in-practice.- 2.3.3.3 Embodied knowing.- 2.4 Problematising Practice and Research.- 3.- Phenomenological Conceptual Framework.- 3.1 Wondering About Phenomenology.- 3.2 Phenomenology as a Conceptual Framework.- 3.2.1 Phenomenological philosophy.- 3.2.2 Phenomenological concepts.- 3.2.2.1 Life-world.- 3.2.2.2 Being-in-the-world.- 3.2.2.3 Embodied knowing.- 3.2.2.4 Construction of meaning.- 3.2.2.5 Understanding.- 3.2.3 Philosophical assumptions of this research.- 3.3 Phenomenology as a Methodological Approach.- 3.3.1 Principles of phenomenological research.- 3.3.1.1 Phenomenological attitude.- 3.3.1.2 Phenomenological essence.- 3.3.2 Empirical phenomenology.- 3.3.2.1 Phenomenology as a scientific method.- 3.3.2.2 Phenomenology as evocation of lived experience.- 3.3.2.3 Phenomenology as rigorous yet evocative.- 3.4 Summary of Phenomenological Framework.- 4.- Empirical Phenomenological Methodology.- 4.1 Reflexive Methodology.- 4.2 Criteria of Quality in Research.- 4.3 Research Design.- 4.4 Rigour, Relevance and Reflexivity.- 4.5 Engaging With the Participants.- 4.6 Data Analysis.- 4.6.1 Dwelling with the data.- 4.6.2 Transformation of data.- 4.6.3 Developing the structure.- 4.7 Summary of Methodology.- PART C: UNDERSTANDING.- 5.- Authentic Professional Learning.- 5.1 Professional Life-World.- 5.2 Situations Where Professionals Learn. 5.3 Structure of Authentic Professional Learning.- 5.3.1 Overview of authentic professional learning.- 5.3.2 Learning as change in professional understanding.- 5.3.2.1 Change in professional understanding.- 5.3.2.2 Learning transitions.- 5.3.2.3 Varying types of transitions.- 5.3.2.4 Gina: A whole new way of looking at everything.- 5.3.3 Learning through engagement in professional practice.- 5.3.3.1 Active engagement in professional practice.- 5.3.3.2 Caring about practice.- 5.3.3.3 Uncertainty in learning.- 5.3.3.4 Revealing the novel.- 5.3.3.5 Mary: Putting the pieces together.- 5.3.4 Learning through interconnection over time.- 5.3.4.1 Circuitous and iterative web.- 5.3.4.2 Imagination draws together.- 5.3.4.3 Dynamic interaction with others.- 5.3.4.4 Olivia: How will I do it differently next time? 5.3.5 Learning as circumscribed openness to possibilities.- 5.3.5.1 Openness to possibilities.- 5.3.5.2 Opportunities and constraints of professional context.- 5.3.5.3 Resolution of tensions.- 5.3.5.4 Sam: The theory doesn’t match reality.- 5.4 Summary of Authentic Professional Learning. 6.- Making Meaning Through Professional Learning.- 6.1 Learning as Part of Being a Professional.- 6.2 Ways of Being a Professional.- 6.2.1 Being Gina: Learning as an interesting journey.- 6.2.2 Being Mary: Learning as problem solving.- 6.2.3 Being Olivia: Learning as personal growth.- 6.2.4 Being Sam: Learning as an challenging ideas.- 6.3 Making Meaning as a Professional. PART D: INTEGRATION.- 7.- Rhetoric Versus Reality.- 7.1 Dealing with Dissonance.- 7.1.1 Credibility of the evidence about CPL.- 7.1.2 Describing the dissonance.- 7.2 Problematic Issues inCPL.- 7.2.1 Questioning assumptions.- 7.2.2 Engaging with uncertainty.- 7.2.3 Imagining conversations.- 7.2.4 Voicing what is valued.- 7.3 Wider Context of Professional Dissonance.- 7.3.1 Competing life-world discourses.- 7.3.2 The hidden nature of dissonance.- 8.- Authenticity in Professional Life.- 8.1 Ontological Claims.- 8.1.1 What does "being a professional" mean? 8.1.2 Being-in-the-professional-world.- 8.1.3 Ontological dimensions of learning.- 8.2 Authenticity in Professional Life.- 8.2.1 Mavericks and Impostors.- 8.2.1.1 Sally: I’m never sure if what I’m learning is the truth.- 8.2.1.2 Being an authentic professional.- 8.2.2 The concept of authenticity.- 8.2.2.1 Social construction of self.- 8.2.2.2 Public professional world.- 8.2.2.3 Being authentic.- 8.3 Transformation Through Learning.- 8.3.1 Change through learning experiences.- 8.3.1.1 Nerida: Learning to do what a professional does.- 8.3.1.2 Way of being a professional.- 8.3.2 Transformative learning.- 8.4 Implications of Ontological Claims.- 9.- Implications for stakeholders.- 9.1 Principles of Authentic  Professional Learning.- 9.1.1 Awareness as a resource.- 9.1.2 Learning relationships.- 9.1.3 Challenging support.- 9.1.4 Learning culture.- 9.2 Changing Support for Professional Learning.- 9.2.1 Culture of inquiry.- 9.2.2 Reflexive authenticity.- 9.2.3 Cultural change.- 9.3 Models of Support for Authentic Professional Learning.- 9.3.1 Authentic professional learning support groups.- 9.3.2 Existing models for supporting learning.- 9.3.3 Existing resources for supporting learning.- 9.4 Implications for Undergraduate Education.- 9.4.1 Preparation for the realities of practice.- 9.4.2 Learning to be a professional.- PART E: CONCLUSION.- 10.- Making a Difference in Professional Learning.- 10.1 Ontology and Epistemology in Learning.- 10.2 Potential of Authentic Professional Learning.- 10.3 Making a Difference in Supporting learning.- 10.4 A Way Forward for Research on Learning.- 10.5Possibilities for Change.- References.- Appendices.- A: Interview Questions.- B: Data Analysis Examples.- C: Summaries of Learning Situations Described by Participants.