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The National Staff Development Committee (NSDC) is a committee of the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) and is responsible for the development of national policy and managing national projects in relation to staff development within the National, Vocational Education and Training System (NVETS). This kit is designed to help facilitate a range of staff development sessions about action learning. Each volume in the kit presents case studies around a theme and focuses on staff development experience within a range of organisations. This kit contains four volumes, a workbook and a video: An introduction to action learning (videocassette); An introduction to action learning workbook: a guide to staff development activities / Josephine Murray; Case studies of action learning groups: volume one: assessment, recognition, evaluation; Volume two: curriculum and learning resources development; Volume three: flexible delivery; Volume four: workplace competencies and competency based training (CBT) implementation. Show less

The kit consists of a video cassette, a project report which documents an innovative approach to working with young disaffected people, and a learning model which provides the theoretical underpinnings of the Learning Circle methodology used. The learning model describes the roles of the facilitator and participants in the model and how this was put into practice in the design of the Learning in Circles pilot project. The model emphasises the need for the development of a safe learning environment, where with openness, growth and risk taking can be fostered and encouraged. It acknowledges that every group will be different, and that program design must be flexible enough to incorporate this difference. The report includes details of each session of the 20 week program, which culminated in the participants putting together a final presentation of their experiences during the programme. The video profiles the young people involved and their journey through the program. Along their journey the viewer can see the transformation of the kids involved, their growing confidence and their pride in the ceremony marking the end of their involvement in the program. The project report lists a number of interesting recommendations for people interested in working with young disaffected people, including the need to allow for flexibility in programme design to accommodate the learner's interests and to allow them to take control of the learning agenda. It describes the effectiveness of a reflective journal as a means of communication between tutors and participants; and the need for a structured induction period during which, participants can develop a group indentity and establish their own boundaries and rules before moving towards more learning autonomy. This is a timely resource for many involved in programs with youth. It gives some detail to an alternative and effective methodology for those not able to deal with traditional forms of instruction. Show less

Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Colleges are the main providers of formal vocational education in Australia. This article investigates the perceived contribution of these colleges to the development of skilled trade-persons. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from apprentice trade-persons and their workplace supervisors. The study shows that these colleges do provide an important context that promotes vocational learning for apprentice trades-persons. The major strength of TAFE is the opportunity to practice with teacher feedback, without the press of production. In this context their skills are improved and they learnt aspects of their trade that were not learnt in the workplace. The significance of these results is that TAFE colleges are perceived to provide workplace learning that is not available to apprentices in particular workplaces. Show less

The papers included in these volumes present various aspects of learning and the role of learning within different cultures, with an emphasis on post-compulsory education and training. Volume two contains the following papers: Trading across: teachers who have moved from industry to school / Annette Green; Why we need to refurbish our understanding of learning — the strange case of competence / Paul Hager; Learning cultures for apprenticeships: a comparison of Germany and Australia / Roger Harris and Thomas Deissinger; Education and the changing perceptions of the relevance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi = The Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand today / Ruth Hartnoll; Telling tales: conflicting narratives of identity in a further education college / Michael Humphreys; Does education play a role in ‘practising the art of living’?: the case for designing a customised measurement instrument to evaluate the student outcomes and benefits of VET programs in the Western Australian prison system / Adri Hunt; VCAL - opening up flexible learning and pathways / Arden Joseph; Evaluating the activity of teaching / Clive Kanes; A work-based pedagogy: issues for VET teachers / Lynne Keevers and Sue Outhwaite; Teaching journaling: reflection on the challenges / Wanjiku Khamasi, Erastus Gachii, and Peter Muhoro; What effects will a declining youth cohort have on the organisational functionality of the tertiary sector? / Malcolm King; Vocational education and training in Kenya: lessons for others / Kisilu M. Kitainge; An analysis of institution-based training and work in the automotive industry: the polygon analogy / Kisilu M. Kitainge; Indigenous paradigms: re-imagining practices towards student co-ownership of teaching and learning / Barry Malezer; Dissolving the boundaries and filling the gaps: a case study of addressing skill gaps in a small to medium enterprise in advanced manufacturing / Fiona Martin; Pendulums, policies and Kangan: a possible framework for analysing TAFE policy in Queensland / Greg McMillan, Lisa Ehrich, and Neil Cranston; Collaborative learning in a high-tech classroom: a study of student–teacher discourse / Martha Merrill and John Peters; Proposing a methodology for researching the development of student teacher abilities in design problem-solving / Howard Middleton and John Stevenson; Re-engaging with learning as a result of family and community capacity building projects: a case study from a socioeconomically disadvantaged community / Pat Millar; A suggested model for a ‘working’ horticulture cyberschool ‘special needs’ / Greg W. Miller; Developing meaningful community welfare cultures: can communities of practice exist within models of paucity management? / Susan Mlcek, Regine Wagner, and Merilyn Childs; Learning in two jurisdictions’ post compulsory education and training policies / Gavin Moodie; Making managers in vocational education and training: policy technologies at work / Dianne Mulcahy; How can the interview identify the most expert candidate available for a job? / E. Leigh Olson and Charlie McKavanagh; Teaching economics to the journalists / Gail Pacheco and Maureen Janett.

Volumes of papers are indexed from TD/TNC 77.351 to TD/TNC 77.353. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 77.354 to TD/TNC 77.437. Show less

This emerging doctoral research is concerned with apprenticeships within traditional trade areas that are employed by a group training organisation (GTO) operating within the Australian Capital Territory and Southern New South Wales geographical regions. Using constructivist grounded theory, data collection and concurrent analysis has commenced, with the researcher using semi-structured interviews of apprentices, supervisors and vocational teachers to understand the processes associated with the development of self-directed learning by apprentices. This paper seeks to engage practitioners and researchers within the vocational education and training (VET) community in identifying and discussing the concept of finding value.

Published abstract. Show less

Historically, police educators delivering academy programs have overused traditional or teacher-centred methods as part of an authority driven command and control culture. In addition to being educationally unsound, this teaching approach has limited the development of the critical thinking skills needed for effective reform in the community policing era. Problem-based learning (PBL), a teaching method linked to social constructivist theory, has been widely advocated in recent years as an alternate teaching method in police academies to promote deeper and integrated learning of content, with the benefit of also developing the problem-solving and teamwork skills. However, implementing learner-centred methods such as PBL can be challenging as it runs counter to traditional teaching cultures.

Recent research into the teaching and development experiences of police educators by the author has discerned aspects of the facilitator role that can inform and maximise the impact of methods such as PBL. This paper synthesises an understanding of the facilitator role as described in these experiences with the underlying learning theory of Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD). This theoretical discussion is then applied via a proposed model of police learning to highlight the facilitators' role in developing problem-solving within a policing context.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Many in the National Training System have felt besieged and beset upon as they respond to the continuous change process which in its newest generation are at risk of being overtaken by exhaustion from the need to be innovative and creative, yet again. In 2000 the focus of Training Packages has moved to full implementation. To ensure the quality of vocational learning, implementation must be grounded, of high quality and based on sound teaching and learning practices. The position of learning will therefore increase and essential systems and processes will be needed more than ever in order to respond to the varying needs of clients and stakeholders for the reporting of outcomes. RMIT University has been working on a project which aims to raise the awareness of RTOs in Victoria to plan for the implementation of Training Packages with a full knowledge of the necessary support systems, resource management and, most importantly, the development of whole of organisation approaches. This workshop discusses the issues facing RTOs in this task, and highlights models which provide insights into their resolution.

Volumes of collected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 64.481 to TD/TNC 64.483. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 62.625 to TD/TNC 62.632 and from TD/TNC 64.484 to TD/TNC 64.541. Show less

Application of the Double Heuristic Method (DHM) to the delivery of programs in vocational education and training (VET) in Queensland (Azemikhah 2010) has been implemented in this research resulting in the emergence of a new theorising of the pedagogical engagement in the VET sector. Key elements of the findings will be shared in this paper, and it will be argued that these elements and the grounded theory that emerges are central to the heart of VET pedagogy. The DHM graphical interface template (GIT) was designed as central to doctoral research conducted by the presenter. The template was designed to bring about the pedagogical clarity that was much needed in the VET community. This paper discusses the two inter-related theories that have emerged from this research, i.e. Meta-competency theory (MTC) and Confusion to clarity theory (CTC). While the Meta-competency theory argues that synthesis of the segmented component parts leads to meaning making and pedagogical clarity, CTC establishes that pedagogical misunderstanding in VET delivery leads to clarity only through implementation of a way of working where elements are pedagogically defined and synthesized.

Author's abstract. Show less

This journal is the first issue under a new title. It was formerly the Australian Journal of Adult and Community Education.

This research report briefly examines the importance of lifelong learning as a part of a learning society and an essential component of a full life. The author notes the new awareness of informal learning - learning outside formal institutions and structures - and its importance for research. She was inspired by work done in Canada (Livingston, D. 1998) which showed that people learn by informal means more than any other method, whether the information sought is employment-related, community volunteer-related, household-related or general. She was curious to find out how people found the unqualified teachers, who they were, what they were like, how did they teach and, in fact, was it actually teaching. Her study was a qualitative case study conducted in a rural community in Tasmania, using a 'snowballing sampling technique' by community members to identify thirty informal teachers. The methodology is briefly described and Harrison concludes that the results challenge a general model of teaching to include informal teaching based on authority, communication and relationship. The results are to be published soon. Show less

Recent attention has focused on the pervasiveness of informal learning in the workplace and the important role played by workers in fostering the learning of their work colleagues (Harris and Simons 1999). This has raised some significant questions with regard to the role of the workplace trainer and how that role might be conceptualised. In the light of the presenters' findings from a National Research and Evaluation Committee (NREC) funded research study on workplace trainers, this paper offers a critique of the current conception of the role of workplace trainer as represented in the Training Package for Assessment and Workplace Training. Then, drawing on network learning theory, distinctions are drawn between different types of workplace trainers. In particular, the paper focuses on the roles of trainers primarily located in the workplace and the roles of trainers primarily located in training providers, but who also enter organisations to train workers. A model, highlighting how workplace trainers act on and within the learning and work networks in their enterprises to facilitate learning, is presented and discussed.

Volumes of collected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 64.481 to TD/TNC 64.483. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 62.625 to TD/TNC 62.632 and from TD/TNC 64.484 to TD/TNC 64.541. Show less