Dimensions of Expertise: A Conceptual Exploration of Vocational Knowledge

Description

A detailed philosophical debate on the nature of expertise is long overdue and Dimensions of Expertise opens up that debate. Christopher Winch firstly explores an account of know-how, derived primarily from the pioneering work of Gilbert Ryle, and moves on to relate this epistemological debate to discussions concerning the nature of expertise in vocational and professional education, including attempts to provide a theory of expertise.

Christopher Winch is Professor of Educational Philosophy and Policy at King's College London, UK.

'Professor Winch combines, on the one hand, a profound philosophical understanding of the connection between theoretical and practical knowledge with, on the other, a close awareness of the practical and vocational worlds to be illuminated by that understanding. That, currently, is important as we see the separation of 'knowing that' from 'knowing how', theoretical understanding from practical capability, academic learning from vocational preparation. This book is vital reading for those who wish to look critically at the developing agenda for education and training in secondary schools and colleges.' Richard Pring, Lead Director of the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training and Emeritus Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford University, UK. 'A splendid book that deals searchingly with a topic of major contemporary research interest. It is groundbreaking in that it opens up wider fields for further exploration. We are all in Winch's debt for his richly-layered and challenging text.' Paul Hager, Professor of Education, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia This is an astute and superb text on the nature of vocational knowledge... a must read for anybody interested in, or involved with, vocational education at any level. -- Higher Education and Work Based Learning