How can vocational teachers navigate a changing, digitalised world?

Sandra Carlsson has examined the challenges and opportunities vocational teachers face in creating instruction that both reflects working life and meets students' needs. Photo: University West.

In her dissertation “Vocational Teaching Practices – a Sociomaterial Perspective,” Sandra Carlsson explores how vocational teachers work with various kinds of teaching materials, and the challenges and opportunities this entails. In vocational programmes, everything from computers and iPads to screwdrivers and stethoscopes is used. In the Health and Social Care programme, even a person can become a teaching material – for instance, a colleague may be used to practise taking a pulse or interpreting a skin tone.

"It’s not just about digital tools. It’s about all the resources – including analogue ones – that teachers use to create meaning in the classroom", Sandra says.

The teacher as navigator

The potential and challenges of digitalisation became clear when Sandra observed teaching in an Electricity and Energy programme class. The teacher viewed the mobile phone as a useful teaching aid and introduced a “reading quarter” during which students were encouraged to read electric-related news on their phones. The idea was that this would increase the amount of electric-related content appearing in their social media feeds during leisure time. “A well-read electrician is unbeatable,” as the teacher put it. Another initiative involved using Instagram in teaching – for example, by looking at posts from electricians showcasing neat electrical installations, then encouraging students to replicate similar work in the classroom.

"That’s a great example of how to harness the opportunities digitalisation offers to create connections with working life. It also shows how the teacher is grounding the teaching in reality and his own knowledge. However, this way of working also encountered several challenges", Sandra explains.

One such challenge was that the initiative clashed with the school’s rules: mobile phones were to be collected at the beginning of each lesson. Moreover, the broader societal debate around young people’s screen addiction and excessive use of social media added to the complexity. So how should vocational teachers navigate these competing pressures to steer their teaching in the right direction?

Balancing student needs, school rules, and workplace demands

Teaching in vocational education today involves constantly balancing the needs of three stakeholders: the students, the school’s structures, and the demands of a changing labour market. The vocational teacher becomes a navigator between these. Sandra summarises their work using a concept from health sciences: a salutogenic perspective – focusing on what is healthy, on what actually works.

"I’m a teacher and special needs educator by background, and my driving force is that students are entitled to quality teaching. The teachers I highlight are doing fantastic work, but they deserve better conditions to carry out this complex navigation to meet their students’ needs. They’re not really given the time – whether that’s to stay updated on new technologies or to navigate how to handle school policies that may not be fully suited to vocational programmes", she says.

A critical societal issue

Sweden is facing a shortage of vocationally educated labour. At the same time, it’s difficult to recruit both students and vocational teachers to vocational programmes. Sandra believes that her research highlights the need to provide vocational teachers with better opportunities to develop teaching that keeps pace with current developments.

"We need to make vocational education more attractive. That starts with listening to the teachers. They need support in creating teaching that reflects working life while meeting the students’ current needs. Ultimately, this is about securing the skills supply of the future – and safeguarding a kind of teaching that builds both knowledge and pride. I really believe that good teaching is possible – if we give teachers the right conditions", Sandra concludes.

Sandra Carlsson is a new PhD in Work-Integrated Learning at University West. You can find her dissertation here (in Swedish): “Vocational Teaching Practices – a Sociomaterial Perspective.”

Contact: Sandra Carlsson, University West

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