Modeling resilient and adaptable work-integrated learning practice : The importance of learning dispositions in initial teacher education

Global industry requires resilience and adaptability to match the new fluid necessities of 21st Century reality. Learning as a finite suite of knowledge and skills at university to prepare for a static career is now anathema, with industry demanding constant new insight and innovation to meet the needs of an ever-changing global society. In the case of initial teacher education, however, programs that purposefully develop these capabilities are not prevalent, with knowledge and skills sets too often being presented as script and thus reinforcing static thinking and teaching practices. This paper explores qualitative data collected across a network of globally focused secondary schools in Denmark and presents a positive approach for cooperative work-integrated education (CWIE) educators and institutions in initial teacher education that is based on the explicit modeling of learning dispositions. Importantly, the approach can also be seen as being the basis for any practice across professional fields where resilience and adaptability are essential. [Author abstract]