Vocational teachers` professional development in assessment for learning

Abstract

Formative assessment, including vocational education and training (VET), has been included in the assessment regulations in Norway since 2006. This study examines how a continuing education course entitled Assessment for learning in vocational education (15 credits) might contribute to vocational teachers' professional development related to assessment for learning. Qualitative data was collected in two stages from vocational teachers participating on the course. The findings reveal that perceptions of assessment for learning and vocational formative assessment practice are developed through the lens of the general study programmes and are dominated by academic subjects in upper secondary schools. However, assessment for learning is embedded in vocational learning and teaching and needs to be voiced in the educational discourse in schools related to formative assessment. Vocational teachers' professional development in assessment for learning should be based on the characteristics and attributes of vocational learning.

Input From the Grassroots Level — Reflecting Challenges and Problems for VET Professionals in Germany

“…Continuous professional development (CPD) is one key figure for life-long learning and for maintaining and acquiring job related skills and knowledge (Sandal, 2021). Although widely used it is rarely fully recognized nor defined (Collin et al, 2012).…”

“…CPD is regarded as essential to help individuals, organizations and industries as a whole to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. CPD-related training courses, workshops and events allow professionals to maximize the benefits of participation by using the time to meet their individual requirements (Sandal, 2021). By investing in continuing education, knowledge and skills will not become obsolete.…”

“…Increasing the work-related capabilities to achieve and maintain professional expertise on systematic, organizational and individual level is consequently one benefit of CPD (Billett et al, 2008;Collin et al, 2012;Sandal, 2021).…”

Professional Development of Outstanding Secondary School Physics Teachers—Analysis Based on the Personal Life Histories of Special Class Secondary School Physics Teachers

“…Because teachers are the key to school education reform, effective professional development is essential for teachers to improve students' learning success. A major goal of teacher professional development is often to become a better teacher and to promote student learning achievement (Sandal, 2021). Teacher s' professional development can be defined as the process and activities used to enhance professional knowledge and skills of teachers, and to change attitudes toward teaching to increase student achievement (Ufnar & Shepherd, 2019).…”

An Empirical Study on Talent Management Strategies of Knowledge-Based Organizations Using Entrepreneurial Psychology and Key Competence

“…Traditional vocational training pays more attention to the cultivation of professional skills. However, with the progress of social industrialization, to meet the needs of enterprises for knowledge-based talents, a competency-based education quality concept has gradually been established, focusing on the cultivation of key competences (Ewing, 2017;Saputra et al, 2018;Nurtanto et al, 2020). German dual system universities adopt professional competence, method competence, and social competence as support to cultivate students' outstanding professional ability, where students should master professional knowledge, as well as method competence and social competence.…”