In the Borderland Between Vocational Didactics and Special Education
Special Vocational Didactic Lessons from Finnish Vocational Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7577/sjvd.5885Keywords:
special education, vocational didactics, special vocational didactics, special support, vocational teachersAbstract
Vocational teachers often face challenging teaching situations because vocational education groups include a large heterogeneity among students regarding their learning abilities, experiences, interests, and ambitions. This study focuses on the didactic aspects of teaching and the solutions that vocational teachers use when working with students with special educational needs. The article introduces the concept of special vocational didactics, a combination of vocational didactics and special education. Hiim and Hippe's (2022) didactic relational model serves as the study's theoretical perspective.
Data was collected through focus group discussions at a Finland-Swedish vocational educator. Three different groups with a total of 14 vocational teachers participated in the data collection. The data was analyzed using directed content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). The results reveal a consensus among vocational teachers that all students need to meet the minimum goals regarding vocational knowledge. To achieve these goals, vocational teachers use a variety of special vocational didactic solutions at structural, group, and individual levels. Challenges also exist in the field. At the structural level, for example, vocational teachers prefer to collaborate with other staff to provide student support and would like to collaborate more than is currently practically and resource-wise possible. At the group level, teachers offer students structural support to help them understand the demands and expectations in their studies, thereby facilitating student learning. Large groups and groups with students who have vastly different levels of knowledge and experience are highlighted as particularly challenging. At the individual level, it is shown how vocational teachers meet students' needs for support by individualizing tasks. The central results are discussed, and development opportunities and challenges are highlighted.
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