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Planning

Introduction

The VCE Vocational Major: Personal Development Skills Study Design (1 January 2023 – 31 December 2027) Advice for teachers provides teaching and learning advice for Units 1 to 4 or Units 3 and 4 and assessment advice for school-based assessment in Units 3 and 4.

The program developed and delivered to students must be in accordance with the VCE Vocational Major: Personal Development Skills Study Design (1 January 2023 – 31 December 2027).

Developing a program

The VCE Vocational Major: Personal Development Skills Study Design outlines the nature and sequence of learning and teaching necessary for students to demonstrate achievement of the outcomes for a unit. The areas of study describe the specific knowledge and skills required to demonstrate a specific outcome in an applied manner. Teachers are required to develop a program for their students that meets the requirements of the study design including: areas of study, outcome statements, key knowledge and key skills. 

This study examines a range of skills, knowledge and capabilities relevant to optimising the potential of individuals and enhancing community connectedness and cohesion through active participation. Students develop a broad understanding of personal identity and emotional intelligence, health and wellbeing, community, teamwork and leadership through the design, implementation and evaluation of a range of activities, projects and initiatives.

Learning should be planned according to key knowledge and skills specific to an area of study, with attention given to integrating the five applied learning principles within the program:

  • Motivation to engage in learning
  • Applied learning practices
  • Student agency in learning
  • A student-centred and flexible approach
  • Assessment practices which promote success.

Teachers should aim to facilitate learning through developing programs that enable students to gain an understanding of concepts and metalanguage to effectively apply and demonstrate key knowledge and skills in a holistic manner. Teachers should be mindful of developing programs which allow students to connect to authentic ‘real life’ knowledge, skills, environments and experiences outside the classroom. ‘Real-life’ learning experiences may include research, teamwork, verbal and written communication, incursions, excursions, simulations, inquiry approaches or project-based learning.

Attention should be given to developing a course that is;

  • relevant to students
  • contextually based,
  • framed around the applied learning principles
  • employs a variety of manageable tasks
  • uses a variety of source material from reputable and reliable providers.

Teachers should also pay special attention to building the units of work around student interest. It is important that students engage with the topics explored and the best way to do this is to ascertain areas of student interest, expertise and common ground, and build or alter programs to reflect this.

Teaching and learning sample activities

Teaching and learning activities

The following teaching and learning activities represent a range of sample activities teachers can choose to use as learning tasks, formative assessment or summative assessment for outcomes in each area of study. It should be noted that teachers are encouraged to develop teaching and learning activities specifically suited to the needs of their students and context.

Teaching and learning activities should be designed with the key knowledge and key skills of the outcome in mind, and allow students to practice, apply and/or demonstrate their learning. If an activity is used for formative or summative assessment, teachers should develop a related assessment guide or rubric.

Unit 1

Unit 2

Unit 3

Unit 4

Sample approaches to developing assessment

Assessment

Assessment must be a part of the regular teaching and learning program and should be completed mainly in the classroom within a predetermined timeframe. Assessment is to be undertaken as an ongoing process that integrates knowledge and skills with practical applications over a period of time. It will require a combination of evidence collected through teacher observations along with the collection of records of student work.

When developing assessment tasks, teachers should refer to the VCAA policies and school assessment procedures as specified in the VCE Administrative Handbook.
The studies in a VCE VM program must be assessed in accordance with the requirements and guidelines outlined in the curriculum designs for the studies delivered in the learning program.

The assessment should be:

Valid and reliable

  • Assessment tasks/activities should be designed to reflect the nature of the outcomes/elements of the study.
  • Students should be assessed across a range of different tasks/activities and contexts.
  • Assessment should be conducted on a number of occasions.

Fair

  • Assessment tasks/activities should be grounded in a relevant context and be sensitive to gender, culture, linguistic background, disability, socioeconomic status and geographic location.
  • Instructions for assessment tasks should be clear and explicit.

Flexible

  • Assessment should be open-ended and flexible to meet the specific needs of students.
  • Students should have the opportunity to demonstrate achievement at their own level and pace.

Efficient

  • Assessment instruments that provide evidence of achievement across a range of outcomes/studies should be used.