Reflections on Illeris

Illeris, in A model for learning in working life (2004) states that it is in the interaction between work practice and work identity that the most important factors for workplace learning take place. He emphasizes a holistic model, in which there can be no individual learning in isolation from the social context in which learning takes place. It is in this interplay that, as a Library professional, I can see potential for investigation.

In A Comprehensive model of human learning, Illeris (2009) states that for youth, who are in a stage of identity development, learning initiatives must be "subjectively accepted as a usable contribution to the present demands of the identity process". I would suggest that this applies to a much wider demographic than in youth, and that the development of identity is a lifelong development process.

This leaves me with the questions: 

Does our social and collective professional identity inhibit or promote a change in practice? What are the key differences between generations of librarians in regards to both workplace identity and working practice, and how does this affect an individual's attitudes and actions in relation to workplace learning? How do we create environments, social contexts and learning initiatives that have the potential to alter or shift existing individual workplace identities?

How is my own professional identity related to my behaviour and to my work-based learning?

List of References

Illeris, K. 2004, A model for learning in working life, Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 16 Iss: 8, pp.431 - 441


Illeris, K. 2009, A Comprehensive model of human learning, in Contemporary Theories of Learning: Learning Theorists... In Their Own Words, Routledge, London.