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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Changing World: Changing Pedagogy

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The purpose of this chapter is to examine the requirements of the rapidly changing world of work with regard to vocational competences and professional expertise, as well as their pedagogical implications for vocational and higher education. The first part of the chapter deals with recent macro-level trends in the working world in terms of the development of a knowledge society and a network society. On the basis of a brief literature review, a summary of required generic professional competences is presented. The second part focuses on the pedagogical implications of the changing world. First, traditional pedagogical practices which provide little contribution to the development of the kind of expertise needed in today’s society are criticized. Second, a pedagogical model called integrative pedagogy is presented as a promising approach to developing a pedagogy which meets the challenge of combining academic learning with working life skills. The model is based on recent accounts of the development of expertise, the constructivist and socio-constructivist view of learning, and studies of student learning. Integrative pedagogy integrates the four basic elements of expertise, that is, theoretical knowledge, practical knowledge, self-regulative knowledge, and sociocultural knowledge. It also integrates working and learning, thinking and action, and domain-specific and generic skills. The last part of the chapter presents practical examples of how the model can be applied in vocational and higher education using pedagogical approaches such as problem-based learning, project-based learning, guided work experience, and learning by writing. Findings from empirical studies are also presented.