Professional Learning
Situated Learning: The Transition of Social Workers from Professional Education into Practice
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Julie Byrne, Gloria Kirwan
Professional careers involve a number of transitions from one role or activity to another (Arnold, 1997) and one of these transitions is particularly learning intense; the move from professional education into early professional employment. There are two broad perspectives for viewing this transition. The first is that the learning acquired through professional education prepares the individual for employment. The second is that professional education can only teach general information which must be transferred, applied and situated in work contexts (Zucchermaglio & Alby, 2009). This transition can be seen, not as a moment in time, but rather as a prolonged adjustment with multiple phases (Wendlandt and Rochlen, 2008) which build towards cohesion or fragmentation (Moriarty et al, 2011). Using semi-structured interviews with newly qualified social workers in Ireland, this study examines the ways in which social workers situate and contexualise their professional knowledge and skills through early professional practice. It explores the factors that promote effective learning in the practice setting and how newly qualified social workers fill in the learning gaps that professional practice presents. This study also helps to illuminate the sometime uneven learning pathways that can mark this key transitional journey (Holden and Hamblett, 2007) particularly for those in a profession devoted to social justice who must learn to reconcile ideals with the realities of practice.
Boot Camp: An Innovative Learning Experience in Higher Education
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sara Galban, Claudia Fabiola Ortega Barba, Monica del Carmen Meza Mejia
The research is framed in the context of an university level education that seeks to integrate teaching and learning practices directed towards the development of both, professional skills (hard skills) and generic or transversal skills (soft skills). In this context arises, the proposal of the boot camp, which promotes a total immersion experience that aims to meet a real need of society, through interdisciplinary learning and entrepreneurship that results in the development of innovative projects relevant to the context of the student. The main objective of this research is to display the experience that university students have had when participating in a boot camp and how it has contributed to their professional development. A qualitative methodology was used whilst focusing on the description, understanding and interpretation of the meanings that students gave to their personal experience. Among the most representative findings, we can highlight the development of skills for personal life, work environments and social interactions, such as teamwork, decision-making, tolerance to frustration and work under pressure. Additionally they emphasized the value of interdisciplinary work, which allowed them to reaffirm their professional identity. However, the students also reported that they faced certain challenges such as stress management and reintegration to their regular activities.
