Reflecting on formal learning, feedback and professional practice

One of the challenges of ‘formal’ education (School; college; University) is that it sets out certain conventional ways of doing things. You know, a classroom is like ‘this’; a lecture is like ‘that’. And those conventional ways of doing things, the ‘conventions’ of education, bear little resemblance to the actual ways in which we conduct our professional, working lives. The conventions of education perhaps are built upon the preferences and conveniences of the educator more than the needs of learners?

One of the conventions of schooling at all levels is that the teacher is dominant in the relationship. It’s a ‘master’ and ‘apprentice’ model that I think permeates all educational thinking from the ancient to the current.

As learners, indeed as professionals engaged in learning, I propose that we need to think differently about the act of learning. I think we can think of learning as something that is not ‘transmitted’ by the master to the apprentice, but something constructed by learners themselves (if interested, you might do some follow up reading on Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky ideas of social constructivism and education). If this makes sense, then the teacher’s role is to enhance the opportunities to make meaningful and worthwhile knowledge constructions. Additionally, it might mean that anyone, not just the teacher, can contribute to the process of learning of another individual.

This is why we have created, and want to engage in a learning community, and to see your Blogs as more than complying with assignments, but far more than that. They are one way of connecting with professional practitioners within the programme and very importantly, with professional practitioners beyond the programme. The Blogs, and other technologies come to represent the way we are all developing our professional networks, and how these networks can contribute to our learning.

So when we come to think about feedback, you might get a better understanding of why your teachers are giving such prominence to the ideas and comments of others, over our own. We want you to find and appreciate the way forward by seeing good practice around you, rather than seeing what the teacher thinks as the dominant ‘voice’. It is our conviction as teachers that the professional conversations you strike up and develop (on the programme and beyond) are what matter, not what you teacher thinks. I believe our role is to guide and enhance those conversations, and to place value on the extent and depth you make of these links and conversations.

These conversations happen in real life and online. The online version for us is partly a practical thing – we all cannot be in the same place at the same time. But also it opens us to the world and the ideas and work of others who share our interests. Online also allows us to present ourselves, and represent our qualities and thinking. It also can represent the use we can make of real conversations, observations and reflections in real-life. This is something of equal important to me and those of you, who, like me, are established professionals, as well of those who are just in the process of establishing yourselves. Others will look you up, and your Blogs will speak volumes about you as a serious, intelligent and active professional person.

So our Blogs are not just about the programme, but present us, and represent our qualities as professionals. Keep Blogging, and see your Blogs as something that will continue and be part of a richer, more dynamic presence that you are creating for yourself.

You might like to look at: the Seven Habits of Highly Connected People