Digital Portfolio, part 2

Question: How do people learn best in vocational settings?

Learning and teaching should be practical and closely related to the world of work. The teaching methods should be diverse and contemporary. Practical training periods in companies are also very important for vocational learning. Learners should be actively involved in the learning process. Here are some guidelines described in the following paragraphs:

1  Four features of high quality practical learning
by Hattie (2009)

According to City & Guilds (2012) guide How to teach vocational education, Hattie (2009) highlights four features of high quality practical learning:

1. "The learning arising from any learning experience is given explicit attention in the moment.
2. Learners have specific, challenging, practical, goals in mind. Learning tasks are constructed with those goals in mind so that they are of benefit. We would add that these goals must be useful to enable learners to progress to higher levels of expertise in their chosen field.
3. Feedback is clear and plentiful. Learners recognise the need to welcome and listen to feedback. We would add that feedback must be of sufficient quality and quantity that it is useful to learners.
4. Teachers recognise learners’ self-concepts and are fully able to coach them to develop improved learning dispositions and strategies."

 
2  Seven principles for teaching and learning in vocational education
by Perkins (2009)

Here is an adapted version of Perkins' seven principles:

1. "Play the whole game – use extended projects and authentic contexts.
2. Make the game worth playing – work hard at engaging learners giving them choices wherever possible.
3. Work on the hard parts – discover the most effective ways of practising.
4. Play out of town – try things out in many different contexts.
5. Uncover the hidden game – make the processes of learning as visible as possible.
6. Learn from the team and the other teams – develop robust ways of working in groups and seek out relevant communities of practice.
7. Learn from the game of learning – be in the driving seat as a learner, developing your own tried and tested tactics and strategies."

3  Effective methods in vocational education

The following list includes methods that have been discovered to be effective in vocational education (City & Guilds 2012, 60-61):

• "Learning by watching
• Learning by imitating
• Learning by practising (‘trial and error’)
• Learning through feedback
• Learning through conversation
• Learning by teaching and helping
• Learning by real-world problem-solving
• Learning through enquiry
• Learning by thinking critically and producing knowledge
• Learning by listening, transcribing and remembering
• Learning by drafting and sketching
• Learning by reflecting
• Learning on the fly: informal learning at work
• Learning by being coached
• Learning by competing
• Learning through virtual environments
• Learning through simulation and role play
• Learning through games"

Sources:

• City & Guilds. Centre for Skills Development. 2012. How to teach vocational education: A theory of vocational pedagogy. Pages 60-61.
  http://www.skillsdevelopment.org/PDF/How-to-teach-vocational-education.pdf
• Hattie, J. 2009. In Visible Learning. 
• Perkins, D. (2009). Making Learning Whole: How seven principles of teaching can transform education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.