Today begins with concurrent sessions. I begin with Professor Stephen Billett's presentation on 'Apprenticeship as a mode of occupational learning'. Based on his summary brochure - learning occupations through practice: curriculum, pedagogy and epistemology of practice. We learn through experiences and apprenticeships provide opportunities for the experience. The experienced curriculum is therefore how people are engaged with learning, in apprenticeship through participation with work. The historical evolution of apprenticeship presented. Apprenticeship models in VET include the dual system (Germany/Austria); 3rd space (Swiss); school based (Sweden, Denmark, France); workbased (Oz, NZ), 2+2 (Norway) and ad hoc (UK, USA). Characteristics of apprenticeship include structures and legislation. As a mode of learning apprenticeships are long-standing. Summarised the many ways apprenticeship contributes to learning - mimesis etc. process dependent on active engagement, apprehending knowledge, unobstrusive observation. Support still required. Occurs through curriculum of practice, pedagogical practices (story-telling, verbalisation, practice, part worked examples, pedagogically rich activities etc.), learner epismologies (mimetic learning, ontogenetic ritualisation, deliberate practice etc.). Both school and workbased modes of learning are able to apply the precepts of apprenticeship to support learning.
The join Mark Jordan from Holmesglen Institue with 'What factors enable trades people academic achievement in higher education?' The context is within construction management, of trades people attaining higher qualifications in construction managtement. Provided background on the industry (3rd largest employer in Australia and employs 8.9% of the workforce). Companies expect their managers to have a degree, understand comple computerised technologies, people, organisational skills, financial and economic knowledge and experience/background in the industry. .However, low number of people in the industry with degrees. There are educational challenges between VET and HE - pedagogical differences, no seamless transition causes high drop out in construction degree programmes. OSme universities try to bridge these with associate degrees, foundation courses, co-curricular prgrammes, embed academic learning support into core programs, advancement programmes for trades people etc. Important to acknowledge learners as individuals. Academic enablers include differentiated learning, flipped classroom, formative assessments, appropriate feedback, tutorials, applied and guided problem-based pedagogy, scaffolded learning, grading rubrics/marking schedule, embedding HE academic expectations in core subjects, creating learning environment, lecturer availability and enculturation into university.
Then a session with Dr. Martha Kinsman from the Australian National University on 'Thirty years on: imagining competence in a post-COVID world'. Provided an overview of adoption and evolution of CBT in Australia. Argued that CBT is no longer fit for purpose, especially in the current situation and the rapid need to cope with the future of work. Recommended 'occupational competence' as proposed by Hager (2004), the capabilities approach (Sen 1987/2006), vocational capabitlitie (Wheelahan), threshold concepts as options. This needs to bring together occupational competence, the canonical knowledge of the discipline and skills related to being a life long learning. Covered the serious challenges inherent with CBT including fragmented/disaggregated knowledge, lack of synthesis of qualifications to recognise the breathe of knowledge required in many occupations, restrictive and difficult to define all learning. A good overview of some ways to look at qualifications beyond CBT. Ended with the caution to not just replace one system with another that is equally uniform or constraining!
Following on is the second presentation with Professor Stephen Billet on 'VET and worklife learning pathways". Supporting summary here - practices and policies for sustaining employability through work-life learning. Covered the concept of individual's pathways through working life as a personal curriculum. Pathways are varied and shaped by experiences, work, education, communities etc. Personal curriculum represents the totality of activties and interactions constituing individuals' progression through the lifelong learning pathway. Covered concepts - curriculum (intended, enacted, experienced), personal curriculum (shaped by educative, social etc. and affordances, engagement), transitions and implications for VET. Shared the findings from the 'transitions across working life project'. Changes to be negotiated include the life stages, employment status, occupations, locations, health, and personal preferences (lifestyle) or trajectories. Kinds of learning negotiated included language and literacy, cultural practices, world of work, occupational skills, and work-life engagement. Therefore personal curriculum means the inter-relationships between individuals, their education and the community (needs, norms, networks). Lifelong learning effords and lifelong education provisions are insufficient. Many opportunities arise through happenchance. Important to ensure programme design allows for earlier and subsequent trajectories. Stressed the importance of RPL. Assessments need to project forward. Ensure learners attain 'adaptability' through pedagogical approahes. Privilege education experiences over educational imperatives.
The live Q & A is with Martha Kinsman and Stephen Billett faciliated by Steve Davis.
The first question was to Martha on whether industries are ready for an alternative to CBT. Contends that moving from CBT in VET will be difficult but not impossible. Occupations are perhaps more ready as all work requires complex thinking. Stephen answered a question on whether a personal curriculum is more appropriate in hindsight rather than at the start. Personal curriculums may be 'planned' but openness to happenchance /even 'malicious' challenges, shift the personal curriculum, for better or worse. Questions revolved around WHY the concepts Martha and Stephen have presented, are not factored into discourse and policy. Encouragement to check other systems, especially Singapore and NZ :)
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