Re-engaging learners in schooling through applied learning reform

The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) emerged in Australia to provide more relevant curriculum programs that would cater for increasing retention rates of high school students. It is also an example of the new learning arising from contemporary debates and reforms that highlight inadequacies of the more traditional modes of learning. This book focuses on the pedagogical and sociological issues emerging from the VCAL being introduced as an alternative learning pathway for at-risk students within a traditional high school culture. Through the eyes of an insider- researcher, the book argues for a deeper understanding of applied learning as a re-engaging pedagogy by studying the schooling experience of VCAL students and teachers. The book concludes that traditional modes of school teaching contribute to the social construction of at-risk students and argues that high school pedagogy needs to be redefined as a cultural phenomenon requiring teachers to be reflexively aware of their role in bridging the gap between students life experiences and the curriculum.

Autorentext

Damian Blake is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in applied learning for the School of Education at Deakin University, Australia