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Understanding learning for the professions

how theories of learning explain coping with rapid change

Erno Lehtinen , Kai Hakkarainen , Tuire Palonen

pp. 199-224

Working life is increasingly in turbulence. Whole traditional professional fields disappear as new ones emerge. Within traditional professions technological and organisational development often means rapid changes in knowledge, skills, and working attitudes required from workers. All of this results in a challenge to develop vocational and professional education, and models of workplace learning that respond to these changes. The central questions are how new generations should be prepared for a future, at least partly unknown, working lives and how old workers should be supported in the necessary updating of their knowledge and skills during their work careers are added challenges. The aim of this chapter is to analyse how adequate the contemporary theories of learning are for dealing with these challenges.

Publication details

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-8902-8_8

Full citation:

Lehtinen, E. , Hakkarainen, K. , Palonen, T. (2014)., Understanding learning for the professions: how theories of learning explain coping with rapid change, in S. Billett, C. Harteis & H. Gruber (eds.), International handbook of research in professional and practice-based learning, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 199-224.

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