Seventeen social educator students were taught to analyze their work activity by means of a Vygotsky-inspired method, drawing on Engeström's notion of an activity system. The method aimed at increasing the consciousness of the students of the structure of work activity system. The participants wrote two accounts of their field-work practice experiences in child welfare institutions, six months apart. The accounts were blind scored for Kohlberg moral judgment stage and for the ethic of care level. While few instances of care reasoning were identified, most of the accounts could be coded for moral judgment stage. Stage 4 (or higher) reasoning increased from 22% at Time 1 to 59% at Time 2. It was interpreted as due to increasing reflection of one's activity, induced by use of the tools provided by the teaching. We also present evidence of socio-cognitive conflicts that involved a normative orientation attributed to the permanent staff of the institutions and a more flexible orientation of the students.