Realizing Standards of Practice in VET

Abstract

The Sainsbury (Report of the independent panel on technical education, Department for Education and Skills, London, 2016) draws attention to the importance of ensuring that proposed new standards for vocational and technical education in England are not reduced to the simplistic functional analysis of narrow job roles (an approach prevalent in England from the 1980s to the present), or limited to include only the short-term, instrumental needs of individual employers. This lesson is either hard to hear or difficult to learn. Over 20 years ago, Wolf (Competence based assessment. Open University Press, London, 1995) and, more recently, Wolf (Review of vocational education. Department of Business Education and Skills, London, 2011) warned of dangers in the use of functional analysis in the development of vocational standards on the grounds that such approaches tend to lead to the production of “bewildering lists of atomised ‘skills’ and a rather ‘tick-box’ approach to vocational assessment.” Behind this stands the deeper point, that the search to find an absolutely perfect list of vocational standards of knowledge, skills, and attitudes is costly, time-consuming, and ultimately self-defeating because, at the end of the day, all that you have is a longer/different list. Sennett (The Craftsman. Penguin, London, 2008) reminds us that what we mean by good quality work and what we consider to be effective approaches to assessment are central to good educational practice in a wide variety of vocational contexts. Literature from the field of educational research supports the claim that when teaching, learning, and assessment are seen as integrated forms of good educational practice, high levels of achievement can be realized. However, meaningful and workable standards of quality and research-informed assessment practice are not yet well understood or widely evident in the English system of vocational education and training (and possibly elsewhere).

Appendix 1 Guiding Principles of Formative Assessment

Making Learning Explicit

This principle involves understanding the integrated nature of teaching, learning and assessment and the importance of being clear about what vocational tutors and learners want to achieve. The principle of ‘making learning explicit’ involves the use of key strategies such as, clarifying learning intentions and establishing learner generated and therefore learner owned criteria for success; identifying ‘steps to success’ (actions that will support achievement); helping the learner to ‘see’ what success might look like, feel like, sound like or taste like; and helping learners to identify how success will be known and how achievement will be recognised. This includes creating a culture in vocational contexts in which all involved see ability as incremental rather than fixed; involving learners in planning both appropriately pitched content and meaningful contexts; enabling and planning for effective dialogic talk, where worthwhile questioning encourages learners to think ‘out loud and together’ (Mercer 1995); involving students in analysis and discussion not just about meeting the success criteria but how best to meet them and different ways to meet them (Clarke 2008).

Autonomous Learning

The principle of autonomous learning involves learners taking responsibility for and exercising some measure of independence in their learning. It does not mean that they work on their own, although there might be occasions when they decide that this is the most appropriate thing to do. Promoting learning autonomy involves giving some level of choice to learners, and supporting them in developing the skills and confidence to make those decisions. A key feature of autonomous learning is that learners are able to become self and peer evaluators in order to decide on next steps in their learning without having to be reliant on someone else to tell them. Realistic self-assessment informed by knowledge of learning objectives/intentions and criteria for success and quality are crucial. From this perspective, self-regulating learning is not age or stage dependent, but is a learned process. Learners become more autonomous learners with guidance and through practice.

Focusing on Learning

This principle asks teachers to pay attention to the nature of the learning that is promoted and valued. It foregrounds active learning with understanding at its core and encourages learning of intrinsic worth and long lasting value, rather than a mechanistic or narrow utilitarian approach to learning. This principle is closely linked to Dweck’s (2006) notion of a ‘growth’ mind-set rather than a ‘performance’ mind-set. Focusing on active learning involves an emphasis upon the process of learning, as well as what is to be learned. This means establishing systematic opportunities for timely review and feedback from tutors and learners, focusing on recognition of success and the identification of improvement and development needs. Clarke (2001) recommends that the processes of review and feedback should wherever possible include provision of time to act on feedback in the workplace/workshop/classroom/studio.