VET Teachers and Teaching: What Counts?

Author(s):

Margaret Eleanor Malloch(presenting / submitting)Len Cairns(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

02 SES 06 C, Studies On Teachers, Learners And Pedagogical Relations

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-19

15:30-17:00

Room:

FCT - Aula 23

Chair:

Vibe Aarkrog

Contribution

Concern for educational research to champion freedom, education and development for all in Vocational Education and Training (VET) extends to consideration of the VET programmes designed to prepare VET teachers/trainers. The quality and attention to learning and teaching integral to the professional development of these VET trainee teachers impacts on how they in turn will work with their own students and as to what freedom through learning, education and development they may or may not be enabled to implement. This paper examines the preparation of VET teachers/trainers in three countries, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia, each with standards and qualifications frameworks, which impact on the models and focus of the teacher training. Issues explored in the paper include a consideration of quality, education and training, pedagogy and the impact of the Qualification frameworks.

We argue that the preparation of VET teachers/trainers is some countries can be a blueprint for deprofessionalisation and diminution of status of trainee teachers and hence their students.

The quality and attention to learning and teaching integral to the professional development of these VET trainee teachers impacts on how they in turn will work with their own students and as to what freedom through learning, education and development they may or may not be enabled to implement. A range of models are employed to train VET teachers. UNESCO (2001) recommended that vocational teachers should be of the same status as other teachers, and that their preparation for teaching should be over three years. As Grollman and Rauner (2007) note there are highly professionalised models and more ad hoc approaches to vocational teacher training. Of the three countries, Germany fits the more highly professional end of the spectrum emphasising a dual system with work and school based learning, with Australia very much at the opposite end in relation to training models with a minimalist requirement for qualifications. In the UK, the Tomlinson Report (Skills Commission, 2009) emphasised the importance of pedagogy for vocational teachers. We ask in the paper whether these teachers/trainers are prepared and capable to extend, enrich and challenge their own students/trainees, or are they limited to a procedural assessment of demonstrated skills? Does their training equip them to be the teachers working to achieve highly skilled workforces, a shared international goal.

Method

A qualitative ethnographic methodology is employed, with a review of relevant policy and course documentation and a series of semi structured interviews with a selection of VET personnel, such as Directors of Colleges, higher education programme leaders, and teachers. The interviews will provide perspectives on what aspects of VET teaching count and the pedagogical issues seen as significant for VET teachers. Issues of the models employed, of development and delivery of programmes, of quality, professional development, professionalism, and pedagogy will be explored with the interviewees.We consider whether the trainee teachers are able to build on their experiences and knowledge gained throughout their work and training, and if the training programmes are centred on the learner and the workplace. Attention is paid to learning processes and the positioning of the trainee teachers to the needs of a range of learners. We explore whether the trainee teachers are able to build on their experiences and knowledge gained throughout their work and training, whether the training programmes are centred on the learner and the workplace, the presentation of the learners and learning in the training programmes and the understanding gained about learning processes.

Expected Outcomes

From interviews with training providers, key stakeholders and teachers from Australia, England and Germany, we examine current programmes with consideration of pedagogy, and the learning and teaching of the trainee teachers and the potential impact on the students they work with. As Simons, Harris and Smith (2006) indicate there is a difference between the intended, the delivered and the received curricula in the Australian training of VET teachers. There is a difference in what is delivered and how in the highly competitive Australian training market, with universities no longer so important in VET teacher development. (Guthrie, 2011) Germany’s dual system brings the academic and vocational strands into the training programmes and in the United Kingdom, efforts are being made to update the skills of Further Education teachers. (Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, 2007) The standards and quality of the training programmes impact on the scope and skills and capability of VET teachers. The perceptions of the training of the trainers are presented for discussion and consideration and contribute to recommendations for the future developments.

References

Cairns. L., and Malloch, M., (2011) ‘Theories of Work, Place and Learning: New Directions’, in Malloch, M., Cairns, L., Evans, K., and O’Connor, B., (eds) The SAGE Handbook of Workplace Learning, SAGE, London, pp.3-16 Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills,(2007) A Guide to the Further Education Teachers' Continuing Professional Development and Registration (England) Regulations, England Grollman, P., and Rauner, F., (eds) (2007) International Perspectives on Teachers and Lecturers in Technical and Vocational Education, EI, Brussels Guthrie, H., McNaughton, A., and Gamlin, T., (2011) Initial training for VET teachers: a portrait within a larger canvas, NCVER, Adelaide, SA Lifelong Learning UK (2007), Further education workforce reforms: explaining initial teacher training, continuing professional development and principals’ qualifications in England, London. Further Education Sector in England, 2007-2012, London McLean, R., and Wilson, D., (eds), (2009) International Handbook of Education for the Changing World of Work, Bridging Academic and Vocational LearningSpringer, UNEVOC, Germany Misra, P.K., (2011) VET teachers in Europe: policies, practices and challenges in Journal of Vocational Education & Training, Volume 63, Issue 1 Sanderson, P., and Sommerlad, H., (2009) Values for money: learning and unlearning professionalism. In: Journal of Vocational Education and Training Eighth International Conference: Researching Vocational Education and Training, 3rd - 5th July 2009, Worcester College, Oxford, UK. (Unpublished) Simons, M., Harris, R., and Smith, E., (2006) The Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training: Understanding learners and learning, NCVER, Adelaide, SA Skills Commission, Teacher Training in Vocational Education, http://www.policyconnect.org.uk/fckimages/skills_report.PDF UNESCO, (2001) Revised Recommendation Concerning Technical and Vocational Education and Training, UNESCO, Paris Wheelahan, L., and Moodie, G., (2011) The quality of teaching in VET: final report and recommendations, Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Australia Wolf, A., (2011) Review of Vocational Education – The Wolf Report, Department of Further Education, UK

Author Information

Margaret Eleanor Malloch (presenting / submitting)

University of East London

London

Len Cairns (presenting)

University of Monash

Faculty of Education

Moe South

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