Session Information
02 SES 09 B, Excellence
Paper and Poster Session
Contribution
The current project aims to identify examples of innovative and inclusive pedagogical practices and analyse how they cand be grouped into focal areas in VET excellence centres. The analysis is made in the frame of a large scale project: Governance for Inclusive Vocational Excellence (GIVE): 621199-EPP-1-2021-1-IT-EPPKA3-VET-COVE. www.thegiveproject.eu
Innovative pedagogies are focused on creating a stimulating and conducive learning environment that facilitate the learners to experience good, relevant and robust learning. When attempting to understand and define this concept, we notice a certain degree of fuzziness. Some opinions emphasize the creative and generative potential of teaching practices and environments, others are focused on the use of creative methods and techniques or, in some cases, on technology-enhanced learning (Ciolan et all, 2020), while other are focusing on evidence for impact.
Innovative and inclusive approaches are being used with increased frequency related to learning outcomes (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values) that are needed for today's learners to thrive and shape the world, create and contribute to a better future of themselves and their communities. Short-term and long-term employability based on the resilience and creativity founded by the key competences are essential for each learner.
A good quality education that ensures the maximum valorisation of the individual potential of each student must be centered on the students, on their needs and their characteristics. The need to individualize the learning process is more obvious in the case of education for students belonging to vulnerable groups (learners with special education & training needs, learning disabilities, coming from disadvantaged areas, at risk of exclusion or with a migrant profile).
In the GIVE project we focused exactly on innovative and inclusive pedagogies in VET excellence centres, dealing with a number or even all the at risk groups mentioned above.
Our analysis is a two way process, starting concomitantly from two directions: literature review of different approaches and taxonomies and analysis of innovative practices from the field, attempting to ”meet in the middle” in trying to answer the questions: what works (and what does not work so well) in terms of pedagogical innovation in VET excellence centres focused on inclusion of vulnerable groups.
Among the analysed taxonomies, we investigated the OECD perspective (2018, 2019), Open University (2020, 2021, 2022), Istance & Paniagua (2018) etc.
In the practice identification and analysis, we focused on the four vocational centres of excellence involved in the GIVE project, under the leadership of Cometa Educazione from Italy and we have collected examples from these centres, but also from 5 companies, closely working with them.
Method
The methodology we have used had the following key steps: 1. Extensive desk-research on innovative pedagogies and innovative pedagogies in VET, leading to a Report on the state of the art on active, innovative, and inclusive pedagogies, including the theoretical approach of the related typology of the learning needs addressed by the project. 2. Second step, based on the previous one, was the creation of a self-assessment instrument which contains criteria and characteristics of innovative and inclusive pedagogies. Based on this self-assessment instrument the partners selected the relevant practices that were detailed / described in a common frame. All selected and documented practices were described according to a specific format and afterwards validated against eligibility criteria, and scored according to their level of maturity (from early stage to excellence, a five points scale) by a panel of experts, who developed the framework, in cooperation with specialists from VET Centres (sponsors). 3. Creation of a practice analysis grid for innovative and inclusive pedagogies. Within the grid created there were defined 6 categories (focal domains) and a 7th “undefined”. 2 categories of them have 3 subdivisions and this leaded in a total of 11 actual categories. For each category there were developed detailed criteria in order to support the evaluators to rate the practice in the appropriate category. 4. A number of 44 relevant practices were rated independently by 8 experts in terms of the category (focal domain) each practice should be attributed to. The procedure also allowed for the “second” and “third best” category each practice could be included into, depending on the degree they fit into the criteria of each category. The research carried out among 9 VET European institutions (VET centers and companies), and there are two key targets of this exercise: mapping out innovative and inclusive pedagogies in VET, based on extensive literature review, but especially on systematic practice collection and analysis, and identify potential ”champions” in the different focal areas of the taxonomy to be further developed and become replicable / adaptable to other contexts / circumstances.
Expected Outcomes
The preliminary conclusions show significant fuzziness, at least in how some of the practices are perceived by evaluators (i.e., what is perceived as their main potential applicability). This “versatility” index may be correlated with descriptors of how each practice was presented and documented from the perspective of its results. There are preliminary results showing an inherent flexibility of some practices, that makes them applicable across domains. The reflection in this specific interventions versus transversal / cross-domain innovative pedagogical practices will continue in the next stages of the project, based on real-time / life piloting. A validation through piloting plan will be also presented.
References
Barnes, S.-A., Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Kettunen, J. & Vuorinen, R. (2020). Lifelong guidance policy and practice in the EU: Trends, challenges and opportunities, final report, European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusions, Directorate E. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. DOI:10.2767/91185 Chapman, C., Muijs, D., Reynolds, D., Sammons, P., Teddlie, C. (Eds.). (2016). International Handbook of Educational Effectiveness and Improvement. Research, policy, and practice. London: Routledge Ciolan, L., Iucu, R., Nedelcu, A., Mironov, C, Carțiș, A. (2020), Innovative pedagogies: ways into the process of learning transformation, working document of Task Force Innovative Pedagogies, Civis Alliance. https://civis.eu/ro/tiri/civis-publishes-a-handbook-on-innovative-pedagogies-ways-into-the-process-of-learning-transformation European Training Foundation (2015). Good Practice in Entrepreneurial Learning and Enterprise Skills. European Training Foundation (2020), Centers of Vocational Excellence. An engine for vocational education and training development. An International Study. World Health Organization (2012), Worksheets for developing a scaling-up strategy. Geneva. GIVE application project. (2019). KA3 – Support for Policy Reform. Centres of Vocational Excellence. Application form. Call for proposals: EACEA 33/2019. Detailed description of the project. Istance, D., & Paniagua, A. (2019). Learning to Leapfrog: Innovative Pedagogies to Transform Education. Center for Universal Education at Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/research/learning-toleapfrog/ Kehl, F., Kohlheyer, G., Schlegel, W. (2013). Understanding and analysing vocational education and training systems – An introduction, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation OECD (2004). Career Guidance and Public Policy Bridging the Gap. http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/34050171.pdf OECD (2018) Teachers as Designers of Learning Environments. The Importance of Innovative Pedagogies. Online: https://www.oecd.org/education/teachers-as-designers-of-learning-environments-9789264085374-en.htm OECD. Innovative Pedagogies for Powerful Learning (IPPPL) – The C’s Framework. https://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/innovative-pedagogies-for-powerful-learning-the-5-cs.htm OECD (2019), Getting Skills Right: Engaging low-skilled adults in learning. www.oecd.org/employment/emp/ engaging-low-skilled-adults-2019.pdf Pereira, E., Kyriazopoulou, M., Weber, W. (2016), Inclusive Vocational Education and Training (VET) – Policy and Practice In Implementing Inclusive Education: Issues in Bridging the Policy-Practice Gap. 2016 Schleicher, A. (2014), Equity, Excellence, and Inclusiveness in Education: Policy Lessons from Around the World, International Summit on the Teaching Profession, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264214033-en World Health Organization. (2012). Worksheets for developing a scaling-up strategy. Geneva: World Health Organization. http://www.expandnet.net/PDFs/ ExpandNet-WHO%20Worksheets%20-%20July%202012.pdf
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