WAYS OF LEARNING

Abstract

This article is based on a seven-month ethnographic study of the work and learning of seven refrigeration service technicians working for a supermarket chain in the north-eastern United States. The resources that are used for learning by these technicians are varied and complex and lie in the realms of the physical affordances of technical objects, particular forms of discourse, and in the social relationships that are built around the service department. In managing the troubles between machines and people in the supermarkets under their care, the technicians use the rich collection of locally available resources for learning in their daily work life that ensures them a central place in this community of practice.