This issue of Lifewide Magazine is dedicated to Professor Michael Eraut who died in 2018. Through his research, Michael made an enormous contribution to our understanding of how people learn in work place settings and how they learn and develop through their work. Michael was a good friend to me when he was a valued member of our team at the Surrey Centre for Excellence in Professional Training and Education at the University of Surrey between 2008-11. In his role as Research Fellow he contributed to the development and application of the idea of lifewide learning and education in the undergraduate curriculum.
The University of Surrey was, and is, committed to the development of students as novice professionals, as they participated in their year long work placements, and their part-time jobs. Michael’s research into how early career professional’s learned in the work environment, provided a much needed evidence base on which to develop our educational thinking and practices. He cared a lot about making his scholarship and research available and accessible to higher education practitioners so that it might benefit students on their journey towards becoming professional. He contributed to our publications, our research, our conferences and our conversations. Through his contributions he enabled the SCEPTrE team to appreciate the particularities of learning and developing in the work environment and in this way helped us develop our concept of a lifewide learning and a lifewide curriculum.
The University of Surrey was, and is, committed to the development of students as novice professionals, as they participated in their year long work placements, and their part-time jobs. Michael’s research into how early career professional’s learned in the work environment, provided a much needed evidence base on which to develop our educational thinking and practices. He cared a lot about making his scholarship and research available and accessible to higher education practitioners so that it might benefit students on their journey towards becoming professional. He contributed to our publications, our research, our conferences and our conversations. Through his contributions he enabled the SCEPTrE team to appreciate the particularities of learning and developing in the work environment and in this way helped us develop our concept of a lifewide learning and a lifewide curriculum.
In 2010 SCEPTrE made a ‘Lifetime of Learning and Achievement’ Award to Michael in recognition of his contributions to this important field of educational research and practice. In this special issue we remember some of Michael’s contributions to SCEPTrE’s work and our lifewide learning and education project. When our SCEPTrE project came to an end in 2011 I anticipated that I would work with Michael again. The opportunity came in 2017 when I began working on a book, with Ron Barnett, on ecologies for learning and practice. I immediately contacted Michael to see if he would join us but was saddened to learn from his wife Cynthia that Michael was now suffering from dementia. Looking back, I can see how Michael’s insights influenced the development of my ideas on ecologies of practice.
Both knowledge and learning can be examined from two perspectives, the individual and the social……An individual perspective on knowledge and learning enables us to explore both differences in what and how people learn and differences in how they interpret what they learn. A social perspective draws attention to the social construction of knowledge and of contexts for learning, and to the wide range of cultural practices and products that provide knowledge resources for learning (1 p1) An ecological perspective combines and integrates these different perspectives.
I am grateful to have known Michael and it gives me pleasure to show my appreciation of his friendship and scholarship by dedicating Lifewide Magazine #22 to his life and work.
Reference
1) Eraut (2007) EARLI 2007 Theoretical and practical knowledge revisited http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/176013.pd
Norman Jackson
Founder Lifewide Education & Commissioning Editor Lifewide Magazine
Director of SCEPTrE 2005-11
Both knowledge and learning can be examined from two perspectives, the individual and the social……An individual perspective on knowledge and learning enables us to explore both differences in what and how people learn and differences in how they interpret what they learn. A social perspective draws attention to the social construction of knowledge and of contexts for learning, and to the wide range of cultural practices and products that provide knowledge resources for learning (1 p1) An ecological perspective combines and integrates these different perspectives.
I am grateful to have known Michael and it gives me pleasure to show my appreciation of his friendship and scholarship by dedicating Lifewide Magazine #22 to his life and work.
Reference
1) Eraut (2007) EARLI 2007 Theoretical and practical knowledge revisited http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/176013.pd
Norman Jackson
Founder Lifewide Education & Commissioning Editor Lifewide Magazine
Director of SCEPTrE 2005-11
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