The development of thinking skills which will improve learning and problem-solving performance at work is an important aim for vocational education and training. The best of workers - manual, technical, administrative, professional, scientific or managerial - have gained skills in problem solving. This book provides guidelines on how best to teach those problem-solving skills. Rebecca Soden argues that thinking skills are most effectively developed along with vocational competences, and offers practical strategies on which training sessions can be based.
An ambitious book with a number of excellent chapters. It will stand out in the broad field of vocational education and training for its strong basis in the research literature. Professor Michael Young, London Institute of Education Developing Vocational Expertise offers a systematic foundation for vocational education and training. Drawing on current research, it provides a theoretical basis for teachers and trainers to develop instructional strategies. The contributors emphasise the importance of considering learning in context. They examine the core areas of literacy, numeracy, information literacy, problem-solving and creativity, as well as newer areas of instruction: flexible learning and guided learning. Each chapter takes a structured approach to developing core sets of knowledge and skills for work. Within each area of expertise, recent theoretical and research developments are outlined, and the implications for curriculum development, teaching and learning are explained. Teachers and trainers are encouraged to select an appropriate combination of approaches to suit the particular needs of their students and circumstances. Developing Vocational Expertise is an essential resource for students in vocational and occupational education, and will also interest technical and further education teachers and industry trainers.
This book presents a comprehensive overview of extant literature on competence-based vocational and professional education since the introduction of the competence concept in the 1950s. To structure the fi eld, the book distinguishes between three approaches to defi ning competence, based on 1.functional behaviourism, 2. integrated occupationalism, and 3. situated professionalism. It also distinguishes between two ways of operationalizing competence: 1. behaviour-oriented generic, and 2. task-oriented specifi c competence. Lastly, it identifi es three kinds of competencies, related to: 1. specific activities, 2. known jobs, and 3. the unknown future. Competence for the unknown future must receive more attention, as our world is rapidly evolving and there are many ‘glocal’ challenges which call for innovation and a profound transformation of policies and practices. Th e book presents a range of diff erent approaches to competence-based education, and demonstrates that competencebased education is a worldwide innovation, which is institutionalized in various ways. It presents the major theories and policies, specifi c components of educational systems, such as recognition, accreditation, modelling and assessment, and developments in discipline-oriented and transversal competence domains. Th e book concludes by synthesizing the diff erent perspectives with the intention to contribute to further improving vocational and professional education policy and practice. Joao Santos, Deputy Head of Unit C5, Vocational Training and Adult Education, Directorate General for Employment, Social Aff airs and Inclusion, European Commission: “This comprehensive work on competence-based education led by Martin Mulder, provides an excellent and timely contribution to the current debate on a New Skills Agenda for Europe, and the challenge of bridging the employment and education and training worlds closer together. Th is book will infl uence our work aimed at improving the relevance of vocational education to support initial and continuing vocational education and training policy and practice aimed at strengthening the key competencies for the 21st century.” Prof. Dr. Reinhold Weiss, Deputy President and Head of the Research, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Bonn, Germany: “This book illustrates that the idea and concept of competence is not only a buzzword in educational debates but key to innovative pedagogical thinking as well as educational practice.” Prof. Dr. Johanna Lasonen, College of Education, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA: "Competence-based Vocational and Professional Education is one of the most important multi-disciplinary book in education and training. Th is path-breaking book off ers a timely, rich and global perspective on the fi eld. Th e book is a good resource for practitioners, policymakers and researchers."
An ambitious book with a number of excellent chapters. It will stand out in the broad field of vocational education and training for its strong basis in the research literature. Professor Michael Young, London Institute of Education Developing Vocational Expertise offers a systematic foundation for vocational education and training. Drawing on current research, it provides a theoretical basis for teachers and trainers to develop instructional strategies. The contributors emphasise the importance of considering learning in context. They examine the core areas of literacy, numeracy, information literacy, problem-solving and creativity, as well as newer areas of instruction: flexible learning and guided learning. Each chapter takes a structured approach to developing core sets of knowledge and skills for work. Within each area of expertise, recent theoretical and research developments are outlined, and the implications for curriculum development, teaching and learning are explained. Teachers and trainers are encouraged to select an appropriate combination of approaches to suit the particular needs of their students and circumstances. Developing Vocational Expertise is an essential resource for students in vocational and occupational education, and will also interest technical and further education teachers and industry trainers.
