Professional Education as a Process of Becoming

In the previous chapter it was argued that enhancing learning as students progress through professional education programmes requires a clear focus on preparation for practice. This is because these programmes are not ends in themselves; their key purpose is preparation for professional practice. As shown in Chapter 3, one of the ways in which the normative curriculum is inadequate for students in professional programmes is that the primary purpose of these programmes is not consistent with the focus of the curriculum. Rather, emphasis on the acquisition and application of knowledge occurs at the expense of a clear focus on preparation for practice. Moreover, research demonstrates that professional development does not simply involve acquiring and applying knowledge, but learning to deal with the situations