Learning in vivo

Sense making for personal knowledge management

Personal knowledge management (PKM) is an individually—according to own abilities, interests & motivation—created process to make sense of information and experience in our electronic surround, states Harold Jarche in his blog post of 17 March 2010. He uses the diagram below (seek-sense-share) to illustrate the value adding through five different ways, namely filtering (sorting out signal from noise); validation (ensuring reliable information); synthesis (indicate patterns, trends or flows); presentation (making understandable); and customisation (describing in context).

Visit http://www.jarche.com/2010/03/sense-making/ for a more detailed description.

In Harold Jarche's follow-up post on 18 March 2010 he states: "People use their knowledge to make sense of data and information. People create information that represents their knowledge, which can then be more widely shared."

I dare say that the two post by Harold Jarche captures my intentions with this blog learning_in_vivo. Ultimately my aim is to share and engage in debate to personally grow in wisdom.

Five stages of an internship

The Sweitzer & King (2004) developmental stages of an internship reminds to some extend about the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1969) five stages of grief model for death and bereavement counselling, personal change and trauma. The developmental stages of an internship are:

1. Anticipation
2. Disillusionment
3. Confrontation
4. Competence
5. Culmination

Sweitzer, H.F. & King, M.A. 2004. The successful internship—transformation and empowerment in experiential learning, 2^nd edition. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole—Thompson Learning

Raw learning materials and learning tools

Sweitzer & King (2004:4-5) differentiates between classroom and internship learning with regard to two dimensions. I am adapting their description to distance education:

	Distance theoretical learning	Internship learning
The raw learning materials	Study guides, reading, tutorial letters, exercises, on-line discussions & tutorial sessions	Intellectual, physical and human experimental interactions—full of feelings and struggles. These emotions are not just a backdrop to the real-work experience, but every bit as real and important. Mastery of psyco-motor skills may also apply.
The learning tools	Memorise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate.	Experience must be processed and organised; reflective dialogue with self and others is a primary tool for learning; and relationships are the medium of internship.

Please note that Sweitzer & King (2004:3) use the internship to refer to a range terms of that entail an academic credit for experiences, for example field work/experience, cooperative/field education and practicum (terms they indicate no consensus exists on about the meaning).

Sweitzer & King (2004:6-7) further clarify the following terms (Download Sweitzer+King-terms):

• Placement or site—refers to the place where the student is working (gaining experience).
• Intern—refers to the student or volunteer who is working.
• Supervisor—person assigned by the placement site to mentor the student.
• Instructor—the academic staff member that oversees the student's placement.
• Coworker—refers to other people working at the placement.

Sweitzer, H.F. & King, M.A. 2004. The successful internship—transformation and empowerment in experiential learning, 2^nd edition. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole—Thompson Learning.

Commentary e-mailed by a peer:

"Thomas, my comments:

Perhaps consideration be given to differentiate between and internship and experiential learning/work integrated learning. Internship specifically refers to students after a qualification has been achieved, whilst experiential learning/WIL is while the student is busy with its qualification.

The principle of experiential learning applies to both however there might be a difference. I do recognize a difference since the one is part of a qualification and the students is perhaps less mature than a graduate (intern) who is more mature and is a graduate. Time is an important factor. Maturity in terms of cognitive, emotional, social skills  etc

Wrt internship, I would recommend the integration of the theories of learning which will explain many of the emotional, social and cognitive processes of the learner, in terms of EL/WIL which can be related to an intern as well.

Wrt Terminology:  

I prefer using a workstation instead of a placement site,

Instructor I am a bit uncomfortable with, I would rather use a term like a supervisor or mentor.

Hope this was of value Thomas!

Marius"

A map of the learning in vivo posts

Since 1 August 2008 I have accumulated a lot of knowledge and ideas captured in numerous posts. There are more than 50 alphabetically listed categories, on this blog. I considered it necessary to give some sort of structure, which resulted in the in the map below. I would be grateful for critique with regard to my allocation of categories to groupings in the map, as well as critique about the map itself.

All of this blog's categories are related to the notion of in vivo learning. The linearity of the map is accidental, starting on the left with descriptive categories, from which branch three sets of vertical categories. All the categories are, however, in some way connected, thus the two nodes.

·    Clinical training	·    Placements
·    Learning authenticity	·    Real-life learning
·    Learning contract	·    Worker-learner

Zooming in on in vivo learning three clusters of categories emerged:

Theory & terminology	Spaces of learning	Learning through work
·    Cooperative education	·    Absence & presence	·    Action learning
·    Curriculum development	·    Community service	·    Learning through work
·    Experience defined	·    Learning in ...	·    Work-based learning
·    Terminology	·    Spaces of learning	·    Work-based project
·    Theory of learning in vivo	·    Students with disabilities	·    Work-integrated learning
	·    Violence versus learning

On a more intimate level of learning in vivo emerged a further three clusters of categories:

Mentoring during learning	The importance of reflectivity	Assessment
·    Accompaniment	·    After thought	·    Assessment methods
·    Coaching	·    Journaling	·    Assess prior learning
·    Mentoring	·    Life course	·    Quality assurance
·    Preceptorship	·    Mindfulness
·    Supervision	·    Mirroring
	·    Reflective practices
	·    Story telling/
	·    Tacit-explicit knowledge

Systemically or holistically a a further three clusters of categories emerged:

People development	Talent growth	Community of practice
·    Academic development	·    Talent growth	·    Community of practice
·    Capabilities	·    Lifelong learning	·    Learning organisation
·    Career develop learning		·    Professional practice
·    Competence development		·    The learning university
·    Develop human resources

The categories ‘books’ and ‘online/e-learning’ do not form part of the map.