TAFE NSW International Centre for VET Teaching and Learning

TAFE NSW International Centre for VET Teaching and Learning

Professional Development Strategies, Theories and Delivery Options to the Learning Context

The foundation of a capability development model rests on the recognition that a range of interactive factors impact on achieving this vision and that a capable TAFE NSW workforce is the key. Institutes are already applying a number of different strategies and methodologies to enable the TAFE NSW workforce to develop skills.

This document attempts to first match the diverse range of strategies, theories and delivery options to the learning context and then provides a brief explanation of each.

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Professional Development Strategies, Theories and Delivery Options to the Learning Context

(Updated Professional Development Strategies and Options Matrix dated 08/05/03 – Professional Development Network)

/ the content is ambiguous and/or constructed / the content is dependent on the situation or context / the learning will be ongoing / the learning will be one-off / the learning will need to be repeated by many other individuals or groups / the learning is compulsory / the need for the learning is urgent / the learning is related to procedures, legislative requirements or similar / funds/resources have been allocated for this learning / a sponsor is available and willing to support the learning / team leadership style encourages and promotes work-based learning strategies / team culture values and encourages workbased learning strategies / experienced and skilled facilitator is available / team members are geographically separate / the team regards the learning as high priority / one or more team members has knowledge or experience in the area of intended learning / confident and experienced learner/s / independent and self-directed learner/s / reliant on having well structured and supported learning / highly motivated to achieve the learning / consequence of not achieving the learning is considered significant / learners have very little time available / this learning will be competing with other daily priorities / learning is linked with pay or promotion /
360o Feedback / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Acting / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Action Learning/ Action Research / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Appreciative Inquiry / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Attachments or secondments / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Case Management / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Coaching / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Communities of practice / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Conferences / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Conversations for Learning / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Courses / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Digital Storytelling / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Disruptive Technology / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Forums / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Further Study Courses / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Individual Learning Contract / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Job Rotation / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Learning Portfolios / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Mentoring / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Modelling / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Networking / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
On-the-job Practice / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Open Space Technology / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Peer Assisted Learning / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Performance Review / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Positive Deviance / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Private Practice / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Problem Centred Learning / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Return to Industry / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Shadowing / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Social Computing / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Study Groups / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Talent Management / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Workshops / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Learning Theories
Collaborative/Co-operative Learning / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Connectivism / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Self-directed/self-managed learning / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Work-based Learning / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Delivery Options
Blended Learning / ü / ü / ü / ü
Distance Education/ Open Learning / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü
Face-to-Face / ü / ü / ü / ü
Online Lerning or e-learning / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü / ü

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The Professional Development Strategies

360 Degree Feedback

360 Degree Feedback is a mechanism of providing ‘rounded’ feedback from within the workplace on an individual’s performance, ie from an employee’s managers, peers and subordinates. It is designed to gain insights into the way a person’s performance is perceived by all those who work with them and usually takes the form of a well-constructed survey. It continues to be used extensively in private organisations and works best as a professional development strategy with an experienced facilitator.

See also

Wikipedia

Provides a definition of 360 degree feedback, its history, references and key links.

360 Degree Feedback: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

A Human Resource article by Susan Heathfield outlining the pitfalls as well as the benefits of using 360 degree feedback.

Facilitated 360 Degree Feedback

An Australian website providing resources and workshops to support the implementation of facilitated 360 Degree Feedback programs.

‘Acting’

The opportunity to ‘act’ in a higher position or salary range than their substantive position within the workplace is a valuable professional development strategy. It assists in developing further skills and capability such as leadership, planning and budgetary, and provides insights into possible promotional positions.

Action Learning

Action Learning is a process which brings colleagues together to work on projects based on real issues while simultaneously enhancing their own skills. The learning is learner driven and individual development is as important as finding the solution to the problem.

Action Learning is well suited to problems and issues that are complex and not easily resolved.Learning occurs when the group, formed into a Learning Set, meets on a regular basis to discuss real work related situations and to undertake practical, problem solving activities. The learning set provides an ideal opportunity for participants to test out new ideas and projects, reflect on their experiences and provide one another with feedback, insight and mutual support.

See also

ICVET ‘Action Learning’ Resource

A broader description of action learning and associated resources.

Organisational Learning Strategies – Action Learning

An easy to understand look at what is action learning, when to use it, how to use it and its relationship to other learning strategies. The webpage’s author outlines three examples of action learning in industry and included is a short list of where to go for more information.

Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative Inquiry was first articulated by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva in 1986 to describe the search for the best in people, their organisations, and the relevant world around them. In its broadest focus, it involves systematic discovery of what gives 'life' to a living system when it is most alive, most effective, and most constructively capable in economic, ecological, and human terms.

Appreciative Inquiry involves the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a system’s capacity to apprehend, anticipate, and heighten positive potential. It assumes that every living system has many untapped and rich and inspiring accounts of the positive. Instead of negation, criticism, and spiraling diagnosis, there is discovery, dream, and design.

See also

ICVET ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ Resource

A broader description of appreciative inquiry and associated resources.

COOPERRIDER, D & Whitney, D 2002, Appreciative Inquiry: The Handbook, Lakeshore Publishers, Ohio.

A handbook which combines theory with practice, aimed at consultants, trainers, and leaders of organisational change. The handbook aims to help trainers understand the foundations of Appreciative Inquiry; appreciate the wide range of applications for Appreciative Inquiry; and facilitate the teaching/coaching of others in introducing Appreciative Inquiry.

MITCHELL, J and McKenna, S. 2008. Appreciative Inquiry and the National Training System – Core Ideas. DEST, Australia.

An overview of Appreciative Inquiry, particularly in relation to VET.

STARON, Maret, Jasinski, Marie, & Weatherley, R. 2006, Life Based Learning: A strength based approach to capability development, TAFE NSW ICVET with Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) (pp69-70)

Appreciative Inquiry is considered an emerging capability development approach around a strength based framework within this report.

Attachments/Secondments

An attachment or secondment is when an employee applies to work in another area of their organisation, or in another organisation, for a given period. It provides an opportunity to extend skills and capability by undertaking the work required in the area of their secondment.

See also

Learning and Returning: The Use of Secondments and Rotations in the New Zealand Public Service

This paper summarises the result of a survey of the impact of secondments and rotations in the NZ Public Service, and their benefits to the individual and the organisation.

Case Management

Case Management’s birth place is within the health sector where a team of professionals will work together to support their client. As a professional development strategy, it is a work-based team process with members working together to solve a specific work-based problem.

See also

Case Management Practice

This website provides an overview of case management in terms of its application to the health sector.

Coaching

The coaching experience can happen as a planned session or be as simple as an unplanned conversation at any time in the working day. You don’t have to be the subject expert to be a coach but you do need to be a good listener, ask the right questions and develop trust in your work relationships whether they are with peers or people who report to you.

Executive Coaching is becoming increasingly popular and is defined as a collaborative or individualised relationship between an executive or group of executives and a coach. The aim is to bring about sustained behavioural change and transform the quality of the executive’s professional and personal life. Areas covered may include leadership development, interpersonal communication skills, executive strategic planning, presentation and networking skills.

See also

ICVET Coaching Resource

A broader description of coaching and associated resources.

Coaching Psychology Unit, University of Sydney

An excellent website from the Coaching Psychology Unit at Sydney University which covers a wealth of different types of coaching and has some good resources as well as other links.

Communities of Practice

Wenger and Snyder describe Communities of Practice (CoPs) as a “group of people informally bound together by shared expertise and a passion for a joint enterprise”. (2000, p 139).

Communities of Practice are spontaneously formed and dissolved. They provide a powerful source of learning and are one of the few residences of 'organisational knowledge'.

See also

ICVET ‘Community of Practice’ Resource

A broader description of CoPs and associated resources

Communities of Practice

This website is Etienne Wenger’s, one of the founders of the term ‘Communities of Practice’. It provides a downloadable Introduction to CoPs as well as a Quick start-up Guide and includes a list of his publications and other references.

Communities of Practice

This website is dedicated to the subject of ‘Communities of Practice’. It contains a wealth of resources and papers and is definitely worth a visit if you are exploring this topic.

MITCHELL, J; Young, S and McKenna, S. 2007. Communities of Practice and the National Training System. DEST, Australia.

An overview of Communities of Practice, particularly in relation to VET, and drawing on a wide body of research.

WENGER, Etienne; McDermott, Richard and Snyder, William. 2002. Cultivating communities of practice: guide to managing knowledge Harvard Business School Press.

This book is one of the key references on using Communities of Practice to manage knowledge written by one of the founders of the term. It provides practical advice on cultivating CoPs and on creating organisational contexts to support them.

Conferences

A conference is an opportunity for people to come together to learn and exchange views on a topic of interest. The term ‘conference’ can refer to a small or large meeting held over a short period or a number of days. More recently the term tends to refer to large meetings held synchronously at a given location (face to face, online or blended) and comprising keynote addresses by experts in their disciplines, and a series of sessions or workshops, often held concurrently, where participants choose the one they want to attend.