Vocational Learning; the Art of Reflective Curiosity.

Recent discourse in educational theory on the interface between individualized academic learning versus learning through “hands-on” activity and social cooperation holds promise for change in the education of the future. These complex questions are discussed in relation to the writings of Walter Benjamin on craft knowledge and how the hand with its tactility is central in his comprehension of experience. I also view this in the light of recent neuroscientific research on the neural bases of art creation and aesthetic experience. I relate this to my earlier work on mentoring, a concept rooted in the Socratic method that is now in the forefront in discussions about learning and teaching. I propose that a Master-teacher’s work is to promote a pedagogy of questioning to develop learners’ curiosity in cooperation with co-learners. This understanding of learning follows an apprenticeship model where productive activities and stored knowledge are the basis for learning. The model can be observed in the craft traditions of the Middle Ages.