Learning and teaching strategies for making a good living.

Jeanne Booth and Paul Hacking

Follow your head or your heart?

Top 10 reasons for going to university

Can you predict the future based on what has gone before?

• Millennium bug 2000? Massive demand for IT graduates followed by slump

Unpredictability of the economy

• For the last 10 years there has been a buoyant demand for construction related disciplines

• Following recession lack of opportunities for surveyors, construction managers, civil engin.

Teaching

• Has moved from being very unpopular choice for graduates (particularly males) 2 years ago to the most popular profession today in UK

Most graduates do not directly use their degree discipline in their job

• Psychology (undergraduate) only about 20% enter related jobs

• Law (undergraduate) the majority now enter non law jobs

Long term picture more optimistic

• For some sectors such as ‘creative’ disciplines the 6 month destination survey is not a useful indicator of a future career whereas a 3 or 5 year survey can show a progression (Elias & Purcell)

Following the heart?

If students are enjoying what they are doing they are more likely to:

• persevere• seek out opportunities• become more creative

& flexible (‘flow’, Csikszentmihalyi,1990, ‘broaden-and-build’, Frederickson, 2001)

Desire to improve job opportunities is about more than salary prospects

Today’s learners will have 10-14 jobs by the

time they are 38

Half of what a technical student learns in his/her first year will be out of date by their third year.

out of date

New UK graduates face...

• Average £16,000 plus debt• Greater competition for fewer ‘graduate’ jobs• Technology breaking down need for large

organisations and increasing the kinds of work that can be accomplished as tasks or projects anytime, anywhere, at the best price

Generation Y

Want good work• Makes a difference• Shared values• Flat structures• Self-development• Ethical & sustainable operation• Sharing learning & working in teams

Neither head or heart but balance

1. In-depth knowledge of a favourite subject

2. How to apply knowledge

3. What makes a good life

4. How others think

5. How change happens

6. The dynamics of power and influence

7. Global interdependence

Implications for teaching & learning strategies?

• How can we enable the graduate to manage the complexities, uncertainties and dynamic aspects of modern work?

• Influence personal aptitudes e.g. persistence, flexibility, risk taking & curiosity.

• Facilitate movement through different phases in career development.

Discussion

• What would you advise your children/students – follow your head or your heart?

• What can you do through your teaching to help prepare graduates to make a good living?

Strategies?

• Projects that encourage multidisciplinary working such as ‘creative’ students working alongside ‘science & technology’ students.

• Mini work based learning projects where graduates are ‘problem solving’ for ‘SME’s which can also grow new jobs.

• Alumni mentoring students/graduates and providing models for managing uncertainty.

• Unexpected changes

WORKING TOGETHER