The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) emerged to provide more relevant curriculum programs that would cater for increasing retention rates of post-compulsory 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 thesis focuses on the pedagogical and sociological issues emerging from the VCAL being introduced as an alternative learning pathways for at-risk students within a traditional secondary school culture. Through the eyes of an insider-researcher, the thesis argues for a deeper understanding of applied learning as a re-engaging pedagogy by studying the schooling experience of VCAL students and teachers.
The thesis concludes that traditional academic modes of teaching contribute to the social construction of at-risk students and argues that secondary 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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/217165 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Blake, Damien, mikewood@deakin.edu.au |
| Publisher | Deakin University. School of Social and Cultural Studies in Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.deakin.edu.au/disclaimer.html), Copyright Damien Blake |
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