A Dynamic Concept of Culture

1. FAKULTÄT I • Institut für Berufliche Bildung und Arbeitslehre TU-Berlin Sekr. FR 4-4 Franklinstr. 28-29, D-10587 Berlin A Dynamic Concept of Culture A toolkit to investigate the gap between schooling, vocational training system and the youth Dr. Stefan Wolf Diplom Berufspädagoge, Studienassessor, Mechanikermeister Koordinator des Süd-Süd-Nord Wissensnetzwerk für nachhaltige Entwicklung - IKN-Netzwerk INAP-Conference, Turin, 17 September 2009

2. Content • Shifts in the German VET system • Insights from participant observation • A dynamic concept of culture • The new approach as a toolkit to investigate educational processes • Selected studies reviewed by the dynamic concept of culture Dr. Stefan Wolf,INAP-Conference, Turin, 17 September 2009

3. Shifts in the German VET System • The Dual System is in decline, only about 40% get a business apprenticeship, • The fully qualifying school system stay stable at high level, • The most dynamic part of the tripartite German VET system is the increasing transition system. Source: Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung, 2009; p. 96 Dr. Stefan Wolf,INAP-Conference, Turin, 17 September 2009

4. Shifts in the German VET System • The transition system with no change to gain any work level qualification have a very bad effectiveness, only half of the participants move to vocational qualifying parts, the other part stay into the senseless system of holding pattern or leave the educational system. Source: Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung, 2009; p. 158 • The main number of new entrants to the transition system are school leavers from the hauptschule with or without a school degree. We can mention them as disadvantaged youth by economic market rules because they are declared as not capable for business apprenticeship or with no willingness to go into apprenticeship. Dr. Stefan Wolf,INAP-Conference, Turin, 17 September 2009

5. Insights from participant observation –experience in “disadvantaged VET-classrooms” • Their stance on learning is identificatory, • Learning by heart is the only possibility to get any learning improvement, • Their methods of learning was tied to their sensual perceptions, • They found it difficult to transfer their everyday knowledge to a more abstract way of thinking, as is required in math or technology, • A big lack of knowledge to written presentation but often a impressive personal performance in verbally presentation, • Their decision-making system is spontaneous, intuitive and with minimal intellectual reasoning. In no straightforward terms did they employ rational or logical thought or deliberative analysis. Dr. Stefan Wolf,INAP-Conference, Turin, 17 September 2009

6. A dynamic concept of Culture Dr. Stefan Wolf,INAP-Conference, Turin, 17 September 2009

7. The new approach as a toolkit to investigate educational processes Factors of influence acted upon the social actors Factors of influence acted upon the social actors Factors of influence acted upon the field of negotiation Factors of influence acted upon the field of negotiation Dr. Stefan Wolf,INAP-Conference, Turin, 17 September 2009

8. Review of selected studies Dr. Stefan Wolf,INAP-Conference, Turin, 17 September 2009

9. Conclusion • Let‘s start to research and to move schools to places of successful learning for people with alter-cultural dispositions, too. • With the here showed new approach to understand the youth in “disadvantaged VET-classrooms” the misty view clears up if we use the dynamic concept of culture as a cloth to clean the glasses of our perception of these youths. • We come to an understanding and can begin to change our learning arrangements to make school and vocational training successful for these young people. Dr. Stefan Wolf,INAP-Conference, Turin, 17 September 2009