Rethinking knowledgeable practice in education - book overview

This book by Professor Jim Horden summarises the author's many years of scholarship on educational knowledge, practice and curriculum studies.

The book draws on studies in the sociology of education and across philosophical studies. It introduces and discusses how practices in education can be better understood and defined and what is required to better understand and generate educational knowledge, expertise and sound educational judgement. 

The book's website, provides access to the first  and part of the second chapters of the book. Chapter one summarises the main argument and the various sections of the book and provides the rationale for the book. Chapter two undertakes the introduction to the topic, providing, discussing and critiquing concepts of practice.

Although the book focuses on educational knowledge and practice, to inform the ongoing scholarship on teacher education curriculum, the discussions also draw on the large and diverse corpus on practice, practice-based learning, learning through practice etc. 

Embodiment and professional learning - open access book - brief overview

 This 2021 book - Embodiment and Professional Education : Body Practice and Pedagogy is published by Springer and edited by S. Loftus and E.A. Kinsella.

Through learning, humans attain not only knowledge, but also appropriates practice. With the current discussions on AI and its impact on teaching and learning, one of the impacts is that AI replaces some of the 'doing'. It is in actual practice that we consolidate knowledge through application. Deliberate practice is required to bring mind and body into active enactment of what has been learnt. Therefore, in the current circumstances, discussions on embodiment and how this makes us human have great relevance.

The book is is open access (via UTS) and has 17 chapters.

The first chapter by the editors, summarises the main themes of the book. It calls for promoting the significance of the body in our lives as to date, it has been much neglected. 

Chapter two by B. Green introduces practice theory and concepts of corporeality and its role in professional education. The practice turn recommends bringing the body back into professional learning.

E. Swartz contributes the next chapter on 'To act as one body? collective and embodied judgement within professional action and education'. Through professional practice, which includes human relations within a social sphere, collaboration amongst professionals contribute to practical wisdom or phronesis. The chapter introduces and discusses the concepts.

S. Loftus then writes on how embodied knowledge and thinking should be the hallmark of professional education.

Two chapters on 'embodiment and professional practice' follow. T. Chemi with 'the genealogy of the actor's laboratory: making kin as embodied pedagogy' and S. DeLuca on 'theatre of carnival: a classroom for the vigilant embodied healer'.

The three chapters on 'embodiment and reflection'. E.A. Kinsella and K. S. Smith with 'I listen to my body more': embodied mindfulness in professional education; 'Body mapping to facilitate embodied reflection in professional education programmes' by H. F. Harrison and 'Ethics and embodiment in health professions education' by A. M. DeBaets.

Following on are three chapter on 'Embodiment and professional knowledge'. S. Loftus with 'Goethe and embodiment in professional education and practice'; B. Roberts with 'Neurophenomology and Professional education'; and 'Embodied learning and two-eyed seeing: indigenous and feminist perspectives in professional education' by E. Cupchik and M. Schnarr.

The last section has four chapters on the theme of 'embodiment and technology. First up, W. Kupers with ' (Re-)embodied digital education practices: Empirical vignettes about teaching and learning in 'tele-co-presence'; B. Delgarno with 'Technological affordances for embodied learning in authentic contexts'; K. Mahon on 'neoliberalised (human) bodies and implications for professional education' and R. A. Gardiner and J. Chisholm on 'Its not just one bad actor: Tracing the embodied effects of institutional sexism in the implementation of gender-based violence policies and practices.

The editors close with the last chapter to present 'implications for practice'. Overall, the book makes important contributions to better understand the processes of human learning. With the advent of AI, it is important to evaluate what makes us humans and to appreciate that processes of learning, involving holistic experiences, to prepare us to live and be in the world. Without doing and by abrogating our responsibilities to AI agents, we become less able to grapple with the complexities of life. Given the VUCA world we now live in, it is to our detriment if we place all of our reliance on using AI rather than take up the work required, to be proficient and skilled at cognitive, evaluative, tasks and critical thinking which are the hallmarks of being human.

 

Measuring professional knowledge - book overview

 This book provides a good in-depth outline of one European approach to better understanding vocational learning. The authors are Professor Felix Rauner and Professor Martin Ahrens. 

The book has 11 chapter, bracketed by an introduction and conclusion, organised into two sections.

The first section has 6 chapters centred around 'professional knowledge'.

The first chapter, 'competence development in vocational training courses and action contexts' rationalises the importance of vocational education. In particular, how vocational education is now only based on the subject/theory component but has contributions into how work is practiced. The differences between practical knowledge and practical concepts are discussed.

In the next chapter, the work of Matthew Crawford who philosophised about the value of work in 'Shop Class as Soulcraft (see here for my summary), is used to discuss the concepts of craftsmanship and professional knowledge. 

Then chapter 3 describes and critiques the current development of school curricula by the German Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMM).

Then the chapter ' methods of occupational scientific knowledge research' provides the framework for how various proposals / models / frameworks are developed through the book.

Chapter 5 then focuses on professional scientific knowledge and work process studies, carried out within the German context.

The last chapter in this section, sets out the details of the COMET competence and measurement Model. 

The next section has 3 chapters on 'knowledge as a dimension of professional competence'.

The section begins with discussion on the 'competence diagnostics and competence development with the COMET method'. Provides a summary of work, carried out over the last three decades on using COMET to trace how it has been applied to vocational education practice. Subject/content knowledge is replaced with the 'learning field' concept (similar to graduate profile outcomes but more detailed).

The next chapter provides examples of applying the KMK framework curriculum to vocational training programmes/.

The last chapter in the section, looks at the evaluation of the validity and robustness of the COMET method.

The book concludes with acknowledgement of the work undertaken thus far and the continuation of research and evaluation of the COMET model.