1. Characteristics of hands-on simulations with added value for innovative secondary and higher vocational education.
- Author
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Khaled, Anne, Gulikers, Judith, Biemans, Harm, van der Wel, Marjan, and Mulder, Martin
- Subjects
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VOCATIONAL education , *SIMULATION methods in education , *EDUCATIONAL innovations , *CURRICULUM planning , *JOB skills , *PROFESSIONAL identity , *TEENAGERS , *YOUNG adults , *SECONDARY education , *HIGHER education - Abstract
The intentions with which hands-on simulations are used in vocational education are not always clear. Also, pedagogical-didactic approaches in hands-on simulations are not well conceptualised from a learning theory perspective. This makes it difficult to pinpoint the added value that hands-on simulations can have in an innovative vocational curriculum that not only aims at developing technical and procedural skills, but also at developing competencies and professional identity. This paper introduces a more explicit conceptual discussion regarding the opportunities for using hands-on simulations in innovative curricula. A systematic literature review aimed at positioning hands-on simulations in relation to other work-related contexts, based on their learning environment characteristics and outcomes, shows that certain constructivist characteristics and outcomes are underexposed in empirical research about simulations. The results of an additional in-depth analysis of literature specifically focusing on two fundamental characteristics of constructive vocational learning (i.e. authenticity and increasing students’ ownership) propose ideas about how hands-on simulations can have added value to innovative curricula. This paper concludes with concrete strategies for designing and implementing hands-on simulations from the social constructive learning theory with the aim of stimulating not only technical and procedural skills, but also competencies and professional identity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2014
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