Teaching Practitioners In The Post

Teaching practitioners in the post-compulsory education and training sector play a critical role in meeting the professional development needs of the workforce in all other fields. From the design and delivery of entry level qualifications, intermediate and advanced awards, and tailored postqualification programmes, teaching practitioners are central to the academic and skills development agenda. The majority of teaching practitioners in post-compulsory education and training operate within the context of dual professionalism. Having excelled in their vocational or academic specialism in business, industry and commerce, they chose to pass on their skills and expertise to learners in their field. To do this effectively they have undertaken teacher training and have been awarded qualifications in recognition of their skills and abilities as a teacher. Effective reflection takes place in action, whilst engaged in an activity, and on action, after the activity is complete and the learning embedded in professional practice. It is often argued that effective reflective practice requires the support of a mentor, asking those otherwise-overlooked questions that ensure that the reflection is productive, rather than lost in the desire to self-justify or selfindulge. Schon (1983; 1987) clearly writes about reflection that is intimately bound up with action. Rather than attempting to apply scientific theories and concepts to practical situations, he holds that professionals should learn to frame and reframe the often complex and ambiguous problems they are facing, test out various interpretations, then modify their actions as a result. He talks about `reflection-on-action' and `reflection-in-action', the latter implying conscious thinking and modification while on the job. But both his forms of reflection involve demanding rational and moral processes in making reasoned judgements about preferable ways to act.