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Orenna Krut

Director Africa, City & Guilds

How to teach Vocational

Education

A Theory of Vocational

Pedagogy

City & Guilds is the leading global provider of

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The City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development is an

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for vocational education and training. It works to improve

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based approach. It is part of the City & Guilds Group.

As its name suggests, the Centre for Real-World Learning

focuses on finding out more about how people learn to

accomplish real things in their everyday lives.

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Vocational Pedagogy

• Who is vocational education for? Students or employers?

• What is vocational education for? Develop/ improve

execution or gain access to HE?

• What is vocational education? Definition

• Effective teaching and learning methods

• Theory of vocational pedagogy

• Commissioned Professor Bill Lucas, Dr Ellen Spencer and Professor Guy

Claxton from the Centre for Real-World Learning at the University of

Winchester

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Methodology

• In-depth literature review

• Appreciative inquiry with expert practitioners

• Expert interviews

● Sally Dicketts, Principal, Oxford and Cherwell Valley College

● Lorna Fitzjohn HMI, Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)

● Lord Kenneth Baker, former Education Secretary

● Andy Smyth, TUI Travel Ltd

● Professor Alison Wolf, author of the Wolf Report

● Professor Richard Pring, Director of Nuffield Review on 14-19

Education and Training 8

The lack of a widely accepted

definition of vocational pedagogy

A definition:

The science, art and craft of teaching that prepares

people for certain kinds of working lives

The sector is constantly changing, therefore…the ground rules

for vocational education change

1. A lack of clarity about the purpose of vocational education

2. The dual professional identity of vocational practitioners as

teachers

3. Inadequate models of vocational education

4. Poor analogies for vocational education (Like school but with

work experience, like learning to drive, like working but without pay...)

5. The reluctance of vocational education teacher to use

theory e.g. teaching strategies, learning styles

Types of vocational education Most programmes a mix of all three

• Physical materials

• Symbols

• People

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Outcomes

Outcomes exercise

1. Routine expertise

2. Resourcefulness

3. Functional literacies

4. Craftsmanship

5. Business-like attitudes

6. Wider skills for growth

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Routine expertise

• Anticipating the need to book travel and providing the

appropriate format for the organisation to colleagues (list of

questions, specific travel form, confirm budget for travel)

• Using on-line travel booking system to log in and search for

flights, trains and hotels using the requirements specified.

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Resourcefulness

• On-screen search doesn’t pick up a hotel or a flight that the

administrator can see from searching public websites.

• Contacting the travel company by phone to check the

availability of these other flights or hotels.

• Checking local circumstances e.g. weather patterns or

strikes, on the specific dates of travel and informing

colleagues of any changes they may need to make.

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Functional literacies

• Explaining the travel options to colleague based on their

requirements, with particular regard to time and cost

implications.

• Ensuring names etc. are correct on all bookings made

• Checking the budget available for travel and suggesting

appropriate travel, which is within the budget available

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Craftsmanship

• Ensuring that when a frequent traveller is returning to a

particular city, they are booked into the same hotel where

they have previously provided good feedback.

• Putting together travel packs with the relevant elements

highlighted to ensure colleagues have the most important

information when they need it.

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Business-like attitudes

• Balancing cost implications against travel requirements,

and presenting alternatives e.g. changing planes or

different timings, in order to reduce the cost of travel.

• Being available to address issues when colleague is

travelling, with an awareness of where the colleague is i.e.

hotel/travelling

• Some businesses make an explicit connection between

business-like and being ethically minded

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Wider skills for growth

• Being pro-active in contacting the travel agent in order to

address service issues and save time in future for travel to

specific places where there have been previously been

problems.

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Range of teaching and learning methods

(1)

• Learning by watching

• Learning by imitating

• Learning by practising (‘trial and error’)

• Learning through feedback

• Learning through conversation

• Learning by teaching and helping (peer)

• Learning by real-world problem-solving

• Learning by thinking critically and producing knowledge

• Learning through enquiry (philosophy, research)

Range of teaching and learning methods

(2)

• Learning by listening, transcribing and remembering

• Learning by drafting and sketching

• Learning by reflecting (revising, distilling, etc)

• Learning on the fly

• Learning by being coached

• Learning by competing

• Learning through virtual environments

• Learning through simulation and role play

• Learning through games21

Context

Students

- Age

- Prior learning/experience

Teachers

- Different subject specialisms

- Level of teacher training

Settings

- Workplace

- School/College/University

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A theory of vocational pedagogy

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