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"Teaching"

The aim of this article is to exemplify the value of using a phenomenological approach when investigating graduates' lived experiences of vocational learning. For this study, qualitative data was obtained during a series of email interviews with 35 participants. As a group they are highly aspirational and, during their graduate studies, were employed as teaching or higher-level teaching assistants in schools. The importance of this group lies in their potential contribution to the wider, international discourse concerning vocational learning and graduate employability. The research underlines the extent to which organisations are 'sites of struggle' wherein opportunities for vocational learning arise as part of people's everyday collective work, and when 'acting up' an absent person's role. Likened to a 'lived' apprenticeship in participant narratives, vocational learning is seen to be negotiated within, and at, the boundaries of working groups, and played out through the dynamics of human relations. © 2012 Copyright Further Education Research Association.

Rapid expansion in scientific knowledge, changes in medical practice, and greater demands from patients and society necessitate reform of the medical curriculum. In recognition of this, medical educators across the world have recommended the adoption of competence-based education. This is intended to increase the rigour and relevance of the curriculum, move students beyond a focus on the memorisation and regurgitation of scientific facts, and better enable them to understand scientific principles and apply them to the practice of medicine. Experience from 40 years' use of competence-based curricula across the world suggests that the uncritical application of this approach to the medical curriculum may not achieve its intended aims. There are valuable lessons to be learnt from the history of competence-based education. By taking on board these lessons, confronting the pitfalls of this approach, and devising new and creative solutions to the problems inherent in this methodology, medical educators can better achieve their aim of providing a strong foundation for the practice of medicine in the twenty-first century. It is only through such a strategy-rather than the uncritical adoption of this educational approach-that we will have real movement and progress both in competence-based education in general, and in its applications to medicine in particular. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

A high level of literacy in both print and digital media is required for negotiating most aspects of 21st-century life, including supporting a family, education, health, civic participation, and competitiveness in the global economy. Yet, more than 90 million U.S. adults lack adequate literacy. Furthermore, only 38 percent of U.S. 12th graders are at or above proficient in reading. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction synthesizes the research on literacy and learning to improve literacy instruction in the United States and to recommend a more systemic approach to research, practice, and policy. The book focuses on individuals ages 16 and older who are not in K-12 education. It identifies factors that affect literacy development in adolescence and adulthood in general, and examines their implications for strengthening literacy instruction for this population. It also discusses technologies for learning that can assist with multiple aspects of teaching, assessment, and accommodations for learning. There is inadequate knowledge about effective instructional practices and a need for better assessment and ongoing monitoring of adult students' proficiencies, weaknesses, instructional environments, and progress, which might guide instructional planning. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction recommends a program of research and innovation to validate, identify the boundaries of, and extend current knowledge to improve instruction for adults and adolescents outside school. The book is a valuable resource for curriculum developers, federal agencies such as the Department of Education, administrators, educators, and funding agencies. © 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Objective: This study characterized teachers' work at a vocational training (VT) center and the conditions under which the activity is learned. Methods: We interviewed administrators and 12 teachers (4 males, 8 females) representing three study programs, selected as representative (age, seniority, and employment status). Results: What emerged was a portrait of an evolving profession within an organization that was highly structured in terms of the assignment of tasks and schedules, but unstructured in terms of support for job adaptation and job retention. The major challenges for the teachers were to integrate their trade-specific knowledge with the new skills required to teach the trade, and to find time for class preparation. The lack of resources and support caused dissatisfaction, stress, problematic work-study-family balance, and health problems, particularly among new teachers. Discussion: A passion for teaching seems to compensate partly for these difficulties but it is uncertain for how long. Further research is necessary in order to understand the coping strategies employed by vocational training teachers. Conclusion: The findings of this study offer guidance for the development of resources that can assist with learning and performing the work of a VT teacher, and for a better recognition of the work of VT teachers. © 2012 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.