Applied Learning Course Learning Outcomes
Chapter 4 Learning and Teaching
4.3 Approaches to Learning in Applied Learning
4.3.1 Understanding the context of the course
The context of an Applied Learning course is generally close to students’ daily life experiences, e.g. medical science, design studies, financial management, hospitality.
However, students’ own knowledge about the context may be limited to the level of common sense and is often fragmented. As such, through the Applied Learning course, it is essential to provide students with a more systematic understanding about the context, which will include:
• the cluster of professions/trades/industries related to the course;
• the future global and local outlook; and
• the beginners’ skill set to facilitate entry to further studies and/or work.
These requirements generally give rise to facts, rules and skills. As such the most effective pedagogical approach towards them is direct teaching, which can include strategies such as:
• lectures;
• guided web-based or other authentic searches of facts;
• demonstration and practice; and
• visits to different workplaces.
4.3.2 Understanding and interpreting workplace requirements
To be an effective practitioner, a defined body of formal knowledge and skills is the necessary, but not sufficient, condition to meet workplace requirements.
The important attributes required could include maintaining high standards of ethics and acquiring the latest knowledge to deliver high quality service, etc.
In Applied Learning, these attributes are infused in the curriculum pillars of foundation skills, thinking skills, people skills, and values and attitudes and practised through the context provided in the pillar of career-related competencies.
In the study of Applied Learning courses, given the relatively small number of contact hours, it is not possible for students to acquire all the essential knowledge and skills to be an effective practitioner in a particular trade. It is, however, essential that students become aware of the complexity of the workplace and of the fact that mastering technical knowledge and skills is not sufficient in itself to be an effective practitioner. They have to be aware that to become an effective practitioner they must become a life-long learner, equipping themselves over time with the range of attributes embedded in the Applied Learning curriculum pillars.
Not all knowledge and skills can be learned through direct teaching, nor can positive attitudes. Students need to have authentic, or at least near authentic, experiences in order to develop what is required in the workplace. Teachers should therefore provide learning-by-practising opportunities for students to explore, experience and try out chosen tasks in an authentic or near authentic environment. For example, they might get students to:
• produce an end product in a design course;
• organise a real event in a hospitality course; and
• explore a financial product through a reality check with target customers.
Through the process of adopting strategies to formulate the end product of the task to earn credentials as well as overcoming the obstacles in achieving the ultimate aim of the task through the collaboration of a project team, students would be able to acquire the non-codified knowledge and skills essential to their further studies and adult life.
4.3.3 Demonstrating innovation and entrepreneurship
Innovation and entrepreneurship involve:
• seeing failures and threats as an invitation to innovation;
• having a strong knowledge base in a relevant discipline, and a knowledge of relevant processes and tools;
• having strong thinking skills to carry out a systematic analysis of a situation, and exercising problem-solving skills to suggest solutions; and perseverance to put the solutions into practice;
• doing something different rather than simply doing better what is already being done – innovation; and
• being able to shift resources (not limited to physical resources) from areas of low productivity and yield to areas of higher productivity and yield – entrepreneurship.
In the process of learning-by-practising, students develop their learning-to-learn capabilities, internalise knowledge, and build up their confidence. As there is no defined body of knowledge and skills in this process, how much students can gain from it cannot be easily quantified and will vary among individuals.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are embedded in the senior secondary curriculum as indicated in the following diagram:
The keywords are seeing failures and threats as an invitation to innovation.
Given the multi-disciplinary nature of the Applied Learning context, students of Applied Learning, after understanding the context of the course, could select an area related to the course, which could be a theme in design, a financial product, etc to conduct an in-depth study, which could be in the form of a project, case study, etc.
This type of learning process not only draws upon a wealth of transferable skills but also a strong knowledge base which students develop from their prior learning in Basic Education, Applied Learning studies as well as other subjects.
In the learning process, some students might be able to go beyond the context of the Applied Learning course to develop application in other areas of their daily life experiences in doing something differently, e.g. apply the knowledge, skills and process in building up an investment portfolio to creating their own portfolio of life-long learning.
The design of learning activities should encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, which should also be reflected in assessment. For details, please refer to Chapter 5.