Introduction

India has one of the largest technical manpower in the world. However,
compared to its population it is not significant and there is a tremendous
scope of improvement in this area. In India, the emphasis has been on
general education, with vocational education at the receiving end. This has
resulted in large number of educated people remaining unemployed. This
phenomenon has now been recognized by the planners and hence there is a
greater thrust on vocationalisation of education.
The role of education in facilitating social and economic progress has long
been recognized. Education improves functional and analytical ability and
thereby opens up opportunities for individuals and also groups to achieve
greater access to labour markets and livelihoods. A better educated labour
force is essential if we are to meet the labour supply requirements of faster
growth. Education is not only an instrument of enhancing efficiency but is
also an effective tool of widening and augmenting democratic participation
and upgrading the overall quality of individual and societal life
India is in transition to a knowledge based economy and its competitive
edge will be determined by the abilities of its people to create, share and use
knowledge more effectively.
This transition will require India to develop workers into knowledge
workers who will be more flexible, analytical, multi skilled and adaptable.
In the new knowledge economy the skill sets will include professional,
managerial, operational, behavioral, inter personal and inter functional
skills. To achieve this goals, India needs flexible education and training
system that will provide the foundation for learning, secondary and tertiary
education and to develop required competencies as means of achieving
lifelong learning.

Aims and Objectives

This report aims to promote more effective teaching and learning in

vocational education through encouragement of thought, debate and
discussion around vocational pedagogy.
The objectives of the research were to:
Examine the literature on effective teaching and learning in
vocational education and training
Analyze examples of vocational teaching and learning in practice
Compare the outcomes from the literature review and the examples of
teaching and learning to develop a framework for effective vocational
education and training and draw from the findings in order to offer
guidance for practitioners and others
Identify the implications for policy and further areas for
development.

Findings
Even though in ASAP 55% of skill training focuses on practical oriented
sessions, ABL (Activity Based Learning) is not implemented completely
during the session transaction and students find it difficult to understand
the theory part. There are few courses which does have more theory
compared to other skill courses, majority of the students are selected or
mapped to skill courses based on their aptitude. From Monday to Friday
they do their regular studies and on Saturdays and Sundays they get skilled
on courses they have been selected. As there is no linkage between the
regular studies there is less continuity during the learning process, majority
of the students dont acquire skills as we expect.

Recommendation
By implementing Activity based Learning (ABL) in skill training students
knowledge, creativity, presentation and verbal skill can be enhanced and
his/her interest to get skilled will also increase.

Activity based learning in Skill training.

Activity method is a technique adopted by a trainer to emphasize his

or her method of teaching through activity in which the students participate
rigorously and bring about efficient learning experiences. It is a studentcentered approach. It is a method in which the student is actively involved
in participating mentally and physically. Learning by doing is the main
focus in this method. Learning by doing is imperative in successful learning
since it is well proved that more the senses are stimulated, more a person
learns and longer he/she retains.
Why do we need to use activity based learning method?
In the process of learning, they experience, memorize and understand.
Students need to be provided with data and materials necessary to focus
their thinking and interaction in the lesson for the process of analyzing the
information. Trainers need to be actively involved in directing and guiding
the students analysis of the information.
It requires active problem solving by students in finding patterns in the
information through their own investigation and analysis. With continued
practice in these processes, students learn not the content of the lesson but
also develop many other skills.

It enhances creative aspect of experience.

It gives reality for learning.
Uses all available resources.
Provides varied experiences to the students to facilitate the
acquisition
of knowledge, experience, skills and values.
Builds the students self-confidence and develops understanding
through work in his/her group.
Gets experiences, develop interest, enriches vocabulary and provides
stimulus for reading.
Develops happy relationship between students and students, trainers
and students.
An activity is said to be the language of the student. A student who
lacks in verbal expression can make up through use of ideas in the
activity.
Subjects of all kind can be taught through activity.

 Social relation provides opportunity to mix with others.

Kinds of activities:
The activities used
categories:
Exploratory
Constructive
Expressional

in this strategy can be generalized under three main

gathering knowledge, concept and skill.

getting experience through creative works.
presentations.

The Activities you could focus on:Experiencing:

watching, observing, comparing, describing, questioning, discussing,
investigating, reporting, collecting, selecting, testing, trying, listening,
reading, drawing, calculating, imitating, modeling, playing, acting,
taking on roles, talking, writing about what one can see, hear, feel,
taste, experimenting and imagining.
Memorizing:
Sequencing ordering, finding regularities and patterns, connect with
given knowledge, use different modes of perception, depict.
Understanding:
Structuring, ordering, classifying, constructing, solving, planning,
predicting, transferring, and applying knowledge, formulating ones
individual understanding, interpreting, summarizing, evaluating,
judging, explaining and teaching.
Organizing activities:
The process of organizing activities must be based on curricular aims
bringing together the needs, ideas, interests and characteristics of the
students with the knowledge, skill, experience, and personality of the
trainer within a given environment. The extent to which the trainer
works with students individually or in groups affect the relation the
trainer has with each student.
Steps required for Effective Organization of Activities.

a)
b)
c)
d)

Planning.
Involving students in the learning process.
Each student is made an active learner.
For each activity ensure you follow the principles of: What?
How? Work directions step by step, including:
With whom? Where? How long?
What after?

e) Ensure you give clear instructions before each activity. It must

focus on the above a, b, c, d.
Role of a Trainer in an Activity Based Method

A planner, an organizer and evaluator.

Facilitator.

Decision maker.

Knowledge imparter

Disciplinarian