Perspectives of new trades tutors: Towards a scholarship of teaching and learning for vocational educators

Last updated by: ako_admin (Ako Administrator) on 15 January 2010 - 2:29pm

In this Southern Hub funded project and report Selena Chan from Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) worked with 13 tutors from five Institutes of technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) in New Zealand to find out about the factors that contribute to how beginning trades tutors become teachers.

The report will be interest and value to educators and trainers involved in trades based teaching and learning.

Demographic and historical information about the tutor’s education, apprenticeship and workplace experience were gathered through questionnaires. Through interview Selena investigated:

  • The factors that motivated trades tutors to begin a teaching career
  • Their work history as trades people
  • Their experiences in learning the trade
  • Their workplace experience in training
  • Their perceptions of their role as tutors

As a result of her study, Selena has formulated suggestions for organisations and staff to support trades tutors to cross the boundary between workplace trades/craft based practice to teaching roles. These are:

  • The importance of a learning organisation approach to staff development
  • The establishment and continual nurturing of both internal and external communities of practice which value learning and teaching
  • An improvement in the current induction systems at ITPs
  • The alignment of trades tutors’ workplace training based conceptualisations of teaching and learning to extend the teaching of craft knowledge

Read more or download the full project report

Parent group: 
Ako Aotearoa Southern Hub