Search

This deliverable has been produced in the context of the Knowledge-Practice Laboratory (KP-Lab) project. KP-Lab focuses on innovative practices of working with knowledge in higher education, teacher training, and workplaces. Participants of WP10 are University of Helsinki, University of Oslo and Poyry Forest Industry representing both researchers and practitioners. WP10 explores knowledge practices in workplaces to understand more of the ways professionals create, use, communicate, and embed knowledge in their work. Such understandings will be made available for subsequent problem-solving in individual and collaborative knowledge advancement. In a longer term perspective this allows to explore professionals' knowledge creation and production processes during boundary crossing between workplaces, from workplaces to education, and from higher education to workplaces. In this deliverable we report empirical findings from the case studies that are currently active in the portfolio of cases. We draw attention to aspects of "artefact production," "knowledge creation" and "practice transformation." In our studies knowledge-creation and transformation of practice rests in the interplay of tools, activities and actors. In the cases reported here, the tools provide either a) arena for productive interactions and knowledge creation, b) resources for knowledge creation and practice transformation or c) means for data collection and analytic work. The activities point to many examples where new structures of participation in knowledge work are exemplified as boundary crossing or horizontal movements as professional contribute their expertise to solve open-ended problems. The findings in the cases studies reported here will also be a resource in the continuation of work as more integrated studies; leading and satellite studies with extended pilots. In addition, the outcomes of the studies can feed into refinement of process-sensitive methodologies, exploitation and refinement of the KP-Lab Reference Model and elaboration of pedagogical models for open-ended, object-oriented inquiry as explained in pedagogical R&D in the revised research plan. (Individual sections contain references, figures, and footnotes.)

This deliverable has been produced in the context of the Knowledge-Practice Laboratory (KP-Lab) project, which is aimed at facilitating innovative practices of working with knowledge in higher education, teacher training, and professional networks. This deliverable is a synopsis of the first experiences encountered during the first 6 months of the work in WP10. WP10 focused on tools and practices where elicitation, capturing and creating knowledge in different representational modes aims to making them available for problem solving and collaborative knowledge advancement in professional networks. During the first 6 months the emphasis of work has been on the state-of-the-art research, organizing and negotiating the empirical cases with professional organizations and on the coevolutionary process of defining the requirements of KP-Lab tools and practices. State-of-the-art research has concentrated on how the knowledge practices in professional networks have been approached in the literature, what are the major findings, i.e., what themes and perspectives are promising, problematic or absent. In WP 10 we have started to refine the research approaches as there were no ready made approaches available to us. Drawing on previous experiences we will continue to elaborate and develop Change Laboratory[R] approach and Participatory Change Process approach. To do so, we have negotiated access to and secured collaboration with several empirical partners. The cases allow for exploring current tools and practices--embrace complexity, and engage domain experts--from health care, software company, global forest industry consulting. Lastly, our work has led to some initial requirements of the KP-Lab tools and practices and support for capturing, eliciting, reusing and suggesting new tools and practices. (Contains 1 figure.) [Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines.]