Transforming Learning Cultures in FE: Conception/s of learning and teaching
The central focus of this project is on learning. We do not have a specific definition, but
interpret learning as widely as possible, including, for example, both informal and formal
aspects. We are concerned with learning by students, by tutors, by other individuals and
groups within our partner colleges, and learning within the research team. We made three
working assumptions about learning, in order to design the research. They are:
 That learning is a social and cultural activity. That is, much learning concerns
social interactions with others, and individual learning has social and cultural
dimensions. It follows that learning entails social structures, various forms of
agency, and issues of unequal power relations.
 That learning is complex, and that it is valuable to investigate that complexity,
rather than isolating a small number of variables for detailed attention.
 That learning is relational. That is, there is a vast array of influences on learning,
and these various influences are mutually interdependent, so that changing one
may well change others. Simple models of cause and effect are therefore unlikely
to lead to significant insights.
Our prime sampling device is what we call ‘learning sites’ – situations in which FE students
and tutors (of various types and status) interact together for the explicit purpose of learning.
Our developing analysis of qualitative and (where appropriate) quantitative data, confirms the
validity of these starting assumptions. It shows that learning in any site is influenced by the
inter-relationships between
 Students’ positions, dispositions and actions, influenced by their previous life
histories
 Tutors’ positions, dispositions and actions, influenced by their previous life
histories
 The nature of the subject, including broader issues of ‘disciplinary identity’ and
status, as well as specifics such as syllabus, assessment requirements, links with
external agencies or employers, etc.
 College management approaches and procedures, together with organisational
structures, site location and resources
 National policies towards FE, including qualification, funding and inspection
regimes
 Wider social, economic and political contexts, which inter-penetrate all of the
other points.
It follows that ‘teaching’ encompasses a wide range of activity undertaken by a tutor in the
sites, that impacts on or is intended to impact on learning. What is assumed in our underlying
conceptualisation, and is confirmed in the findings so far, is that what tutors do (teaching) is
very important, but that its significance can only be understood in relation to the other
influences listed. Often major changes in teaching and learning arise not from the tutor but
elsewhere, so that s/he has to accommodate them, as best s/he can. Some changes in teaching
require teachers to change themselves, not simply adopt new techniques. For all these
reasons, improving learning entails much more than helping teachers teach better in the way
that this is conventionally understood.
Phil Hodkinson
5th November 2003