The use of English literature in the context of work-based learning - a pedagogic case study

Although Work Based Learning draws upon theoretical roots from a variety of sources, the practice of Work Based Learning has been typically drawn from disciplines such as health, business and education. Yet the concepts in Work Based Learning, for example, an intense focus on developing intellectual skills such as critical reflection, could conceivably encompass other disciplines. With this in mind, I formulated a course which drew deeply from English literature while using the reflective approach inherent in Work Based Learning. I intend to present a case study of this specific course in the context of a Work Based Learning curriculum. I will present the rationale for adopting this literature based approach and an analysis of the student experience. I hope to demonstrate that the pedagogic model that I developed sits comfortably within a Work Based Learning programme and the benefits of a protean programme which is able to encompass and embrace core aspects of a traditional discipline such as English are self-evident: appreciating the expressive resources of literature, fostering sensitivity to the affective power of language, encouraging a sophisticated interrogation into a literary culture and harnessing the power of reflection being among the many advantages to such an approach. My intention is to persuade curriculum developers that the aims of incorporating English literature, particularly in the concern with developing a responsive openness of mind, could and perhaps should be a part of any Work Based Learning programme.