Disturbing the pedagogical status quo: LLN and vocational teachers working together

Publication Type:
Journal Article
Citation:
Pedagogies, 2013, 8 (1), pp. 44 - 59
Issue Date:
2013-01-01
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When language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) teachers work together with vocational teachers as a team, not only do students improve their course outcomes in terms of completions and employment, but the pedagogical practices of both teachers can change and improve. In this article, we begin to explore some of the issues and provide examples of pedagogical changes, linking them with research on interdisciplinary teacher teams in other education sectors that draw on activity theory, and higher education studies of "academic literacies". This article draws on a recent national study of the integration of LLN in the delivery of vocational education and training (VET) courses in Australia in which interviews with over 50 VET teachers and managers provided insights into the pedagogies that emerge when LLN teachers and vocational teachers work as a team. Particularly significant is the relative status of the teachers working together and the cultural and historical practices that enforce or challenge this. Pedagogical changes are encouraged in situations where teachers have equal status and their respective specialist disciplinary expertise is in a relationship of horizontal diversity to each other. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
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