Maintaining Competence in the Field: Learning About Practice, Through Practice, in Practice

Many of the assumptions about the adult, self-directed learner that form the basis of the current model of formal continuing education delivery are largely unsupported by the literature. Yet most practitioners maintain competence despite the apparent flaws in this model. After elaborating a set of problematic assumptions regarding the current construction of the self-regulating professional learner who uses formal continuing education to maintain competence, this paper explores another likely source for the learning that allows practitioners to engage in their own continuing professional development: the process of learning from their personal experiences of solving problems in their daily practice.