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GET REAL WITH AUTHENTIC LEARNING!

by Joycelyn Seet

What is authentic learning? And how can it be applied to Vocational and Technical Education (VTE)? These issues were addressed at the Tay Eng Soon Symposium 2007, held on 30 November 2007. The Symposium also saw the award of the Tay Eng Soon Scholarship to six ITE graduates, who are now polytechnic students, for having excelled at ITE, in studies and co-curricular activities.

Ready for the Real World
Held once every two years, this year’s Symposium reflected the wide interest in ‘authentic learning’ in academia, as well as industry. Explaining the theme of the Symposium, ‘Authentic Learning in Technical Education: Communities of Practice, Issues and Challenges’, Mr Bruce Poh, Director & CEO of ITE, said: “Authentic Learning…is an issue of great interest to educators worldwide and in Singapore. As educators, we are constantly grappling with the challenge of providing authentic learning and authentic environments for our students, so that when they join the workforce, they will be both work-ready and world-ready.”

‘Authentic learning’ describes learning that takes place in a real work environment and the handling of practical problems with the intent of allowing students to learn and explore practical problems in an environment that is meaningful and relevant.

Said Mr Poh, “Globalisation has brought new challenges, and with them, new opportunities. To remain relevant, we have to ensure that our VTE system keeps pace with technological and pedagogical developments worldwide.”

Experts’ Say
Keynote speaker, Professor Ron Oliver, from Australia’s Edith Cowan University, kicked off the Symposium with his presentation on ‘Exploring the Opportunities, Issues and Challenges of Authentic Learning in Vocational and Technical Education’. A proponent of innovative and effective use of Infocommunication Technology in teaching and learning, Prof Oliver spoke on the features, strategies and activities associated with authentic learning.

The participants also heard from Dr Moira Lee of Temasek Polytechnic, as well as Mr Andrew Crow from the Symposium’s corporate partner, Oracle Corporation.

The Symposium attracted more than 500 participants from ITE, polytechnics, government agencies and industry. Organised by ITE, the Symposium has the support of the Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic. It was established in honour of the late Dr Tay Eng Soon under the auspices of the Tay Eng Soon Scholarship Fund. Dr Tay was formerly the Chairman of ITE and Minister-in-Charge of technical and polytechnic education.