Vocation and craftsmanship

A vocation is a coherent group of functions, being broad applicable and appropriate at several function levels.

And not occupation?

A vocational profile is a description of 1) activities, core tasks or assignments, 2) the domain where these apply and 3) indicators for practising the occupation with necessary criteria and norms.

Craftsmanshipis adequate acting in unpredictable (vocational) situations.

·    a qualification is a part of a competence

·     an ability is a part of a structure of acting (a complete approach)

·     start-capableis qualified for an occupation

·     function-capableis settled in a function.

Acting and learning

Actingis what someone does: perceiving something, thinking something over, deciding about something and/or performing something.

Prerequisitesfor acting at a certain level are adequate equipment (Nijhof, 2008), Bedingungen (Straka & Macke, 2008).

The self embraces interne Bedingungen (Straka & Macke, 2008), internal prerequisites (Nijhof, 2008); the are the individuals’ knowing, skills, capabilities, interests, motives and values (Gagne, 1965).

The situation embraces externe Bedingungen (Straka & Macke, 2008), the external prerequisites in the context:

·    working place: the employer, the production process and the colleagues

·    learning place: the teacher, the methods, the curriculum, the students

·    situations of personal, social or occupational activities.

An activity is actual acting, Handlungsebene (Straka & Macke, 2008); she is enabled through the doing of the self and she is influenced by the situation. The activity may change the situation and also the self, when someone develops.

Working processesare activities for the realisation of a result:

·    a formal working process is a description in a qualification file

·    an adventured working process is the individual acting in a situation.

Learning processesare activities for the change of the self.

Learningis a sustainable change of the self (Straka & Macke, 2008).

Transferrelates to the influence of prior learning in the self, or acquired competence on the acting in a new situation (Cormier & Hagman, 1987).

Learning questions(learning targets, Siegers, 2002; pp. 747-754) are questions of a person about omissions in his repertoire after reconstruction of an adventure.

Learning progressis progression in the level of learning questions. A string learning questions makes a leaning line embracing an integral learning line, experience-reflection learning line, skills learning line and conceptual learning line (De Bie & de Klein, 2001; pp. 25-42).

Our worlds

The reality is the situation as a context actual is. The physical world, World 1 (Popper, 1972). The autonomy of human will in a through nature framed context (Kant, 1788; p. 82).

The world of ideas is a manmade world of thinking, being improved continuously and with own dynamics, the World 3 (Popper, 1972). Arguing step by step … to create a systemic unity of all empirical cognition (Kant, 1781; p. 559). Things made through knowledge production (Gibbons, e.a., 1996).

Practiceis the reality of the occupation, the working and learning processes in practical situations.

Learning in the workplaceis practice as a training situation.

Adventureis the way someone perceives a situation. The things that are brought up at first reflection on an event … perceiving much and perceiving little (Siegers, 2002; p. 18). The subjective mental world, the Wold 2 (Popper, 1972).

A critical adventure is a penetrating perception causing someone to feel at unease due to confusion about a cognitive problem or resistance due to a mental sensation in conflict with a previous identification (Meijer & Wardekker, 2001).

A perception is the concern of someone with an adventure.

An experience is an adventure changing the self, resulting in learning (Siegers, 2002); tacit knowledge (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995)

Informationis data someone understands (von Weizsäcker, 1974); explicit knowledge (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995) .

Theoryis the world of ideas for the occupation, the encyclopaedia for the craft, the references for reflection. Practical theories, academic skill or disciplinary knowledge as far in use in the occupation.

Reflectionis looking back upon acting, situations and the self, such as:

·         reflection on adventures   (for reconstruction) of situations and acting

                                                 situation awareness – process awareness

·         reflection on reasoning     because of validity in the world of ideas

                                                 declarative judgment (Kant, 1790)

·         reflection on concerns      because of realism in the reality

                                                 reflective judgement (Kant, 1790)

·         reflection of aims              because of own will in the self

                                                  teleological / common judgment (Kant, 1790)

Aspects of acting– in a complete structure of acting:

·         Perceivingis letting in things about a situation with the senses, as they are reproduced (a transformation of World 1 into World 2; Popper, 1972).

·         Consideringis generalising, structuring and concluding information into hierarchies and structures (from World 2 towards World 3).

·         Decidingis 1) following a conclusion, 2) choosing – implicit weighing, or 3) judging – explicit weighing. This is connecting World 1 and 3.

·         Executingis realising and cleaning up – changing World 1.

Variables of adequate acting in changeable situations

Situation– de actual situation of acting, a working process

·         Physical pressure        bodily burden of a situation

·         Mental pressure          psychological burden of a situation

·         Autonomy                  the (change of) roles of a situation

·         Complexity                the number variables in a situation

·         Dynamics                   the change of variables in a situation

Performance– acting in working processes (Olbrich & Pfeiffer, 1980)

·         Executing                   doing what is demanded in a situation

·         Adjusting                    correcting when a situation changes

·         Organising                    caring for a smooth execution

·         Communicating         making sure stakeholders are informed

·         Being responsible        deciding & defending initiatives & progress

Capacity– acting in learning processes (Olbrich & Pfeiffer, 1980)

·         Rules                          mastering and utilising (practical) theories;

                                   critical reason (Barnett, 1997; p. 103)

                                                                                                                                                                determinative judgement

·         Own learning              steering & completion of own development

·         Sources                       choosing, utilising & developing sources

·         Connections               trans disciplinary weighing (Gibbons, 1996)

                                            reflective judgement

·         Mental growth            steering own aims/perception (Kegan, 1994)

Steps in development (criteria in acquisition of competence)

Performance-indicators(Lernzielstufen- Olbrich & Pfeiffer, 1980)

a.        Single actof an activity (a deed in a structure of acting)

b.        An activitywith all deeds of a complete structure of acting: someone performs an approach – conceiving, considering, deciding and executing of all deeds of an activity.

c.        An alternative activityis the availability of another approach or activity for a changed practical situation in someone’s repertoire

d.        An optimised activityis the ability to combine and integrate several approaches as the most appropriate solution in a practical situation

e.        A new activityis going through the process of execution, adjusting, organisation, communication and responsibility for development or application of new activities – critical action (Barnett, 1997; p. 103).

Capacity indicators(Lernzielstufen - Olbrich & Pfeiffer, 1980)

1.        Knowing theprinciples – ready knowledge about (practical) theory

2.        Connecting principles to practice– knowing the occupational examples

3.        Using principles for performance and analysis of practice – analysing and explaining features in practice; the practical knowledge of the pupil (Senge, 1992; p. 360)

4.        Feel for essence – knowing the things that matter in a practical situation; the principles of the journeyman (Senge, 1992; p. 360)

5.       Personal views – giving a meaning to a situation or a principle; the essence of the master (Senge, 1992; p. 360); critical self-reflection (Barnett, 1997; p. 103).

Seven aspects of acquiring competence

·         Academic skillis mastering theory

·         Professional skillis mastering practice

·         Expertiseis mastering the predictable part of thinking and acting in the occupation. Reflections are “Can you explain?” “Can you do?”

·         Team routineis collaborating in different teams – in their routines

·         Self-relianceis adjusting within the working process in practice

·         Practical repertoireis the conduct in the occupational reality. Reflective questions are “What happened?” “Was it all right?”

·         Judgement see: ‘Our worlds’ for types of reflection and judgement.

Main Processes acquiring competence

Processes in the workplace (and in school)

·         Working processis activity for employer to produce for client

·         Learning processis activity for development of team or individual

Learning processes

·         Declarative learningis learning through work with information. Synonyms are serial learning, learning of theory, learning through instruction and training. The highest level of mastering is determinative judgment. The guidance is an algorithm: learning target > instruction > reproductive assessment.

·         Procedural learningis learning through reflection on adventures. Synonyms are parallel learning, learning from activities, learning by doing. The highest level of mastering is reflective judgment. The guidance is a heuristic: perspective > reconstruction > learning question (or learning experience).

·         Transferis learning to connect (the seven aspects of competence).

Learning placesare contexts or situations for learning processes

·         Learning in practiceis learning through activities in practice, learning in the workplace, outside of school.

·         Learning in schoolis learning through a teaching program.

Instruction in learning processes

·         A (practical) assignment is an open exercise in practice with a controlled risk: “” Solve x …” “Has y still sense …” “Execute z ‘’ In the assignment is controlled uncertainty and room for adjustments.

·         A simulation is a realistic open exercise in a controlled situation

·         A task is a closed exercise in a controlled situation: “Do act a …” “Memorise data b …” There is only one right answer and the teacher knows it in advance.

Reconstruction in learning processes

·         Actual reconstruction

·         Generalising en Problemising

·         Applying new experience – formulating learning questions

Types of question in learning processes

·         A knowledge question is the description of need for knowledge (of a target group in a practical situation)

·         A learning question is an individual knowledge question. See: ‘Acting and learning’

·         A working question is a question used during reconstruction, to support the reflection: “What did you perceive?” “What did you consider?” What did you decide?” “What did you do?”

Assessment

Categories of aspects at assessments

·         Variablesare the possible expressions of adequate acting

·         Characteristicsare variables perceivable in a concrete practical situation and that are a learning objective op the program

·         Criteriaare characteristics expressed by a student is a situation

·         Scoresare values (on a scale) of a criterion

·         Normsscores of criteria required a a level of acquired competence

Assessment of level of acquired competence

·         The situationis the context in which assessors ought to observe the students’ acting; in Dutch competence based education this is a particular working process taken from a formal qualification file.

·         The focusof assessors is the object of their assessment: for assessment of competence this is the learning question of the student.

·         The referencefor assessors is the set of criteria and norms for scoring the degree of mastering the variables of competence.

Levels of references

·         Actrequires

·         Processrequires

·         Targetrequires

·         Aimrequires

Levels of acquired competence(proposed as example)

·         EQF 1the situation is execution, the focus is an act, and the reference is the process

·         EQF 2the situation is activity, the focus is a result, and the reference is the process and objective

·         EQF 3the situation is team, the focus is an effect, and the reference is the process, objective and assignment

·         EQF 4the situation is department, the focus is an assignment, and the reference is the process, objective, assignment and branch

·         EQF 5the situation is department, the focus is an assignment, and the reference is the process, objective, assignment, branch and market

·         EQF 6the situation is department, the focus is an assignment, and the reference is the process, objective, assignment, branch, market and technology

·         EQF 7the situation is system, the focus is an assignment, and the reference is process, objective, assignment, branch, market, technology and philosophy

·         EQF 8the situation is system, the focus is an assignment, and the reference is process, objective, assignment, branch, market, technology philosophy and paradigm.