In-Service Teachers’ Learning Through Integrating Theory and Practice

Vocational education aims to prepare competent workforce for the needs of continuously changing work life. A competent employee does not only carry out routine tasks but is also required to have the ability to act in the communities of practice in his field and develop his way of working. The challenge of Finnish school-based vocational education has been in creating such learning environments that promote learning professional knowledge demanded by work life. The challenge has required vocational teachers to develop their competences in collaboration with employers. The research covers the role of Finnish vocational teachers’ authentic work placement periods in developing competences from the viewpoint of sociocultural learning. During the work placement period, a teacher furthers his or her competences by working in goal-oriented and planned ways in the work communities of enterprises or in the public sector of their fields. The purpose of the present qualitative case study is to increase the understanding of the role of authentic work placement periods in vocational teachers’ competence. Experiences of teachers representing different subjects were studied during their work placement periods. The results show that work placement period supports the development of teachers’ competences and provides prerequisites for work-based vocational education.