Vocational Education Teachers
Teach one or more vocational subjects within a prescribed course of study to students at TAFE institutes, RTOs or other training institutes for vocational education and training purposes.
The Thursday before practical assessments
You are a vocational teacher at a regional training centre, with a class of students working towards a trade and assessments starting tomorrow morning. It is 3pm on Thursday. Tomorrow your students are assessed on a practical project that is a big part of their final result. A few things are about to land before the bell rings.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I have not finished my project. I have been on night shifts at my job, and I fell behind. Can I please have extra time? I know I can do it, I just ran out of hours.
Say yes straight away, because he works night shifts and it seems unfair to refuse him
Dean is relieved, but you have bent the rule for one student without checking the process. Two classmates hear about it and ask for the same, and you realise that fair has to apply to everyone.
Ask what happened, check what the process allows and agree a plan with him today
You find that a proper request with evidence can be considered, and you explain how to lodge it. Dean sees that you are on his side and also that the process is real. He uses the evening to finish what he can.
Tell him the date has been set for weeks and there is nothing you can do
You are right about the date, but Dean walks out feeling written off. He turns up tomorrow with half a project and no desire to talk, and you have lost a chance to help him.
I have work experience spots for three of your students next week. I need names by end of day. Please send me your best. They will be on my site with customers around.
Ask the students what they want, then match them to what Hannah needs
Three students put their hands up, and one is not your top mark but is exactly right for the site. Hannah is pleased and you have treated the placement as a learning step, not a prize.
Send the three highest marks without asking anyone, so Hannah gets capable students quickly
Hannah gets capable students. One of them has a family commitment next week and cannot go, and another student who would have jumped at the chance hears about it afterwards.
Tell everyone who is interested to turn up and let Hannah choose on the day
Hannah did not ask for an audition, and students are left feeling anxious and unprepared. You have handed over your judgement of who is ready, which was the part she was trusting you with.
Marcus has not done the finishing step on his project. Everyone knows he is great, though. I would just sign him off, he will be fine. You are the one who marks it, so it is your call.
Sign him off because his other work shows he can clearly do it
You have recorded something you did not see. Later an employer asks Marcus to do exactly that step, and he cannot. The signature on his result now looks less trustworthy, and so does yours.
Leave his result unmarked and say nothing to anyone until you decide what to do
You avoid a wrong decision, but Marcus and Neil both wait, and the paperwork piles up. A decision made quietly is still a decision that someone has to hear about.
Record that step as not yet shown, give feedback and book a short retake
Marcus is disappointed but not surprised, and he finishes the step in twenty minutes next week. The result is honest, and he knows exactly what to do. Neil admits that he'd have wanted that for his own apprentices.
How it went
The assessments start on time, a few students are nervous, and you head home with a pile of marking. Teaching a trade is about the craft, but also about being fair to everyone, holding a standard and still caring about the person in front of you. Does that balance sound like something you would enjoy?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The student who froze at the assessment
A fictional case set in a workshop and classroom at a fictional regional training centre.
The situation
Kofi taught cabinet making at Murray Bend Training Centre. Leila was one of the most careful students in his workshop, and her joints were beautiful. But she had failed her practical assessment twice. Both times her hands shook as soon as Kofi stood behind her with his checklist, and she rushed and skipped steps. Kofi knew he could not simply lower the standard, because employers trust what a pass means. He also knew that the assessment was measuring her nerves, not her skill.
What they did
Kofi asked Leila what changed on assessment days. She said that being watched made her feel like she was already failing. He kept the task and the standard exactly the same, but changed how it ran. He moved the assessment to a quiet bench late in the day, explained in advance what he would be looking for, and asked her to talk through each step as she worked. Hearing her reasons slowed her down, and gave him more evidence of what she understood.
How it turned out
Leila met the standard on her third attempt. She told Kofi she still hated being watched, but that talking made it bearable. Kofi began walking every new class through what an assessment feels like before the first one. Two colleagues asked to borrow the idea.
What would you do?
- What is the difference between lowering a standard and changing how you check it?
- How would you want a teacher to treat you if you froze under pressure?
- Why might an employer care that a pass really means something?