Getting going,

Making it real:

VCAL Personal
Development
resources
Contact:
Carol Macreadie
cmacreadie@kangan.edu.au
03 9094 3072
 Who are our learners?
 teenagers
 haven’t done well academically
 prefer ‘hands-on’ learning

The Light Side

The Dark Side
• sense of humour and fun
• may be dependent learners
• curious
• may be disengaged and ‘anti’
• strong opinions on things
• may lack confidence
• energetic, thinking not limited
• may lack interpersonal skills by adult rationality
Personal Development –
what’s it about?
1. TANGIBLE – the project
 Did the student complete it with the planned result?

2. INTANGIBLE – the underlying skills

 Did the student develop and demonstrate problem-solving
skills? Leadership skills? Communication skills?
A recipe for …

Disengaged youth

+
Teacher–directed
project
DISASTER!

+
Teacher
assessment
A better soufflé?

Disengaged youth
SOME
PERSONAL
+ GROWTH AND A
CONCRETE
Student-devised
OUTCOME
project

+
Collaborative
assessment
The cook’s secrets for
getting going

1. Appeal to their Light Side

 Suggest engaging topics
 Lighten it with humour and fun
 Tease their curiosity
 Invite their opinions
 Help them devise their own project

2. Manage the Dark Side

 Give them something to start with – don’t
leave them to start from scratch
 Give them structured choices
 Give them some early successes
 Recognise small achievements
 Move them gradually from dependent to
independent working
The VCAL Workbooks
 Adventures in VCAL created in 2003
KBT staff delivering a pilot VCAL program to school-aged
students in a non-school flexible delivery centre.
Aimed at Foundation to Intermediate level.

No resources?
We’ll have to do it ourselves!

 VCAL Journeys developed in 2005

Same format but 6 different starter topics, aimed at
Intermediate to Advanced level.
 Philosophy behind
the design
 engage the learner
 activity-based learning
 learner-centred in style and content
 negotiated learning
 aim to create independent self-
managing learners
Why own a personal copy?
 Design encourages students to personalize it
– decorate and graffiti, as well as write and record

 Encourages ownership of book and, by extension,

of activities and learning

 Can become part of portfolio of evidence.

 Main features of
the design
 a focus on active learning

 combines high interest

material and methodical processes

 clear project stages enable a student to

complete the unit as independently as
their level of enrolment allows

 visually engaging graphics with

age-appropriate style

 accessible language without

“talking down”
Main features of the design
contd…..

 students asked to bring their own

preferences and interests to
the activities

 starts from the personal and moves

outwards to larger issues and
broader contexts

 room to customise projects to

student interests or adapt to
local circumstances.
 ok
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The Intro
 Brief overview of VCAL units covered in the Workbook

 Use it to help students identify and articulate the less

tangible benefits of the PD units

 Explain “evidence”
Some Useful Stuff
A collection of tools and attitudes that will be broadly helpful
to students during the year

 Being organised

 Journal-writing skills

 The project process

 Working in a team

 Knowing your own

strengths and
weaknesses
Topics
 purpose is to act as a stimulus for
students to identify an area of
interest and then design their
own project

 topics start with high personal

interest and move outwards to
associated issues and broader
contexts

 six different topics in each book

 Topics Contd…

Adventures in VCAL
1. No-one thinks about us ...

2. Ouch! That’s my nipple!

3. Burnt-out donuts

4. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

5. Party animals

6. Would you like fries with that?

 Topics Contd…

VCAL Journeys
1. Help!

2. I think for myself … don’t I?

3. Independence Day

4. Making a difference

5. The environment? Not my problem?

6. Dude, where’s my wheelie bin?

Topics Contd…
 At the end of each topic is a list of
suggestions for projects

 Suggested strategy is to work in

small groups to research a topic,
then present a brief report to
whole group

 Also allows teacher to identify

gaps in research and presentation
skills

 Students then identify an area of

interest to themselves, form a
team and develop their own
project.
Projects for 3 Units
 PD 1, PD 2 and Work-Related
Skills

 Double spread of graphics at

the start of each section highlights
focus of the section with a
light touch

 Intro to “Tickabox” format

Work Related Skills
Covers a range of topics including
 Employability skills
 Time management
 Team work
 Communication in the workplace
 Workplace health and safety
 Rights in the workplace
 Researching a job or industry
 Pathways into an industry
 Technology in jobs
 Employment conditions
Tickabox format
 Tickaboxes organised under the 6 stages of
the Project Process
 Each stage includes all 3 levels

Helps the student:

 navigate project process
 work as independently as possible
 keep evidence of work completed
 see their own progress.

Helps the teacher:

 support student to follow a methodical
process
 ensure evidence is collected
 easy way to check on progress and set
goals for students
Teacher’s guide
 An explanation of the learning
design and approach of the Workbooks
 Guidelines for using each section
 Record-keeping forms
Each year …

 Check and update web URLs

 Adjust content to reflect any

revisions by VCAA

 Suggestions welcome!