AVETRA OctoberVET - presentations from the May issue of Research Today

This afternoon, a series of presentations from articles published in the May 2021 issue of the Research Today magazine.  The session is hosted by Andrew Williamson from Holmsglen and editor of Research Today. The magazine publishes practitioner and beginning researcher articles, along with pieces from experienced VET researchers. 

Notes taken below:

Dr. Joe Pagnoccolo (also from Holmsglen) on "The role of interpersonal attributes in the apprentice experience". 

 Introduced the qualitative study to explore how final year apprentices coped with their apprenticeship. Completion of apprentices still low, hovering around 50 plus %. The study explored how 'soft skills' contributed towards apprentices' resilience and contributed to completion. Soft skills include interpersonal and people-related generic skills. Applied concepts of emotional intelligence to anchor the study. Summarised the research method. Collated apprentices' stories, behaviours and training experiences. Shared the interpretation of the data,implications and limitations of the study. Argued for the need to support apprentices in appreciating the importance of 'soft skills' - not often made visible in vocational qualifications.

Professor Erica Smith: VET teachers’ accounts of difficult teaching situations and how learning theories explain them. 

 Reiterated the complexity of VET teaching contexts and how learning theories often do not align with VET. In general, VET teachers have little chance to connect with the raft of learning theories available. Used teachers' 'critical incidents' as a means to deconstruct the teaching situation and how to apply teaching theories to try to work through the challenges. The range across 15 VET students was very wide and diverse. Introduced the Holistic approache to technology enhanced learning diagram as a source of some theories. Provided examples of some matches between teaching challenges and learning theories that could be applied. Offered these examples to the audience :) 

Professor Thomas Deissinger & Oksana Melnyk (University of Konstanz): Partnership and cooperation in vocational teacher education as a focus of Erasmus + capacity building in the EU. 

Thomas ummarised the progress of a project which started in 2020. Began with an overview of the context and the cooperative VET project to increase the employability of VET graduates - through the dual system. Includes 6 organisations across Astria, Germany, Italy and the Ukraine. The project's objective are to improve partnerships between universities delivering VET teacher education, the vocational schools and other stakeholders. Oksana provided details on the Ukraine section of the project which involves the Ministry of education and Science, and 5 Universities offering VET teacher education. Shared the first resultf from a national survey. Found students did not have the skills to apply pedagogical practices and there was low work readiness post graduation. The second phase is to open up communication with vocaitonal schools and work cooperative to improve the programmes offered through the universities. More information on the project's site. 

Simon Bruce: Consequential Learning: Learning with real impact.

Began with setting up the context of his work - in leadership and organisational development with a focus on shifting and influencing attitudes and behaviours, developing and enhancing 'soft skills' and developing and reinforcing leadership skills. His observations and reflections include: learning experiences need to provide more than content; These need to allow participants to share their experiences and expertise, question themselves and others, challenge preconceptions, reflect on possible bias and prejudgements and open to perspectives, opinions and views of others. Important to interperse content, context, conversation with opportunities to discuss the consequences. Provided examples and how to operationalise. His research collated through an International specialised skills institute fellowship (ISSI) (2018-2019)- summary here.

Linno Rhodes: Reading Between the Lines – adult literacy education and neuroscience.

Presenting on learnings attained through an ISSI fellowship completed in 2017. Summarised the neuroscience of learning - how the brain deals with danger and the need to keep safe. Overviewed the triune brain - neo cortex, mammalian brain and the reptile brain. Applied to how learning takes place in the VET context, especially the need to create a safe but also stimulating space for learning. 

Lindee Conway & KarenDymke (Melbourne Polytechnic): From Done to or Done for, to Doing with – from ‘PD’ to Professional Learning.

Began with background on Melbourne Polytechnic- a 'dual enrolment' institute - i.e., VET and HE. Referred to the Best evidence synthesis on Teacher PD completed by Auckland Universitty for the NZ Ministry of Education. Summarised the shift from PD which was 'workshopped' to a partnership/collaborative/co-constructed 'impact cycle' - an ongoing journey with instructional coaching and communities of practice. Knight's impact cycle involve the identifing, learning and improving. 

Noticeable shift into empowering teachers. Action research undertaken to see what and why - i.e.. why and how is the impact cycle and instructional coaching working. Discussed the challenge to identify 'what is being researched' and honed in on the 'impact cycle'. Instructional coaches are journalling their experiences to collect data. Shared some data. Look forward to reporting later.

Good connection between the presentations. Each provides a perspective into the complex world of teaching and learning. Having the sessions online this year has made it much more accessible for me as Oct VET is Australian based.