What novice vocational education and training teachers learn in the teaching workplace

ABSTRACT

Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers often begin teaching with limited or no teaching qualifications, and necessarily much of their learning to be a teacher takes place in the teaching workplace. This paper considers what novice VET teachers learn in the workplace and what enables and constrains that learning. We argue that teachers learn to undertake their teaching role primarily in the same way as others in their teaching department undertake the role. The paper introduces the concept of three different groups of VET teachers whose learning is enabled and constrained in different ways: fringe teachers; favela teachers; and those who have an employment contract or are permanently employed. Using the theory of practice architectures, we show that teacher learning in the workplace is impacted by various site based conditions: including material arrangements; arrangements related to the use of VET language and of industry related language; and social-political arrangements.

KEYWORDS:

• VET teacher learning
• practice architectures
• vocational education and training
• practice theory
• favela teachers
• fringe teachers
• workplace learning
• workbased learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. In the Australian Qualifications Framework, a Certificate IV is three levels below a Bachelor degree. It is a competency based qualification, and the time taken to complete varies between training providers, but it is rarely more than one semester and often less.

2. In Australia a training package for each industry is made up of nationally recognised qualifications with each qualification consisting of a range of competencies.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susanne Francisco

Susanne Francisco has worked with teachers, and supported other adult learners for many years. Her PhD looked at how novice VET teachers learn to become teachers, and further research considers how workplaces can enable and constrain that learning. Susanne’s research areas also include workbased learning more broadly, mentoring, and the professional learning of teachers and of academics.