Learning for the Future : From Hands to Minds and Back again

The relationship between the conceptual world of academic education, untouched by realities of the practical world, and the practice-oriented world of vocational and professional education with its roots in actual work, is a classic theme both in sociology of knowledge and educational theory. The trajectories of educational systems up to the present have produced hegemonic dichotomies where both academic and vocational education separate knowledge from experience, theory from practice, thought from action. The remoteness of the academic world from the world of work demands new solutions. The traditional contradictions between the work of the hand and the work of the mind, between intellectual and manual labour both in general and inside different professions, face new challenges today. The technological revolution based on ICT is restructuring production at an accelerating speed and is constantly changing labour processes both on the intellectual and manual labour market. This creates new needs for skills in all trades and professions. Old trades vanish, and new trades develop. These developments also lay the groundwork for challenging traditional practices in teaching and learning in educational institutions