Introduction

My training at ECU has increased my understanding of the Adult and vocational education. Joining
the course made me realise that the course has a lot of potential in preparing people to work as
craftsmen, technicians, tradespeople and so on. Contrary to other programs the program is different
in that it is non-academic despite being related to a specific occupation or trade. As a practitioner
I have realised that the program has several avenues of introduction and can take places at several
placers including secondary school, higher education, and post-secondary education and even
through further education. As practitioner I have realised that the increased avenues for the course
provision provides room for more job opportunities contrary to the previous dissenting opinions
that maintained that the area had very few employment opportunities.
Increased Understanding of Adult and Vocational Education
Learning at ECU has also challenged my previous thinking that vocational education can only take
place in classrooms or through on the job training in which case the students would gain knowledge
from established proffessionals or accredited professors. According to Bosch and Charest (2008).
The growth of online training has made it possible for students to gain both trade and soft skills
from professionals drawn from all o0ver the world. This as Attanasio, Kugler and Meghir (2011)
asserts further demystifies the assertion that there are no jobs in the field since online learning
provides jobs for online teaching. I have realised that there is an increase in the number of students
who are undertaking the online learning which therefore means that there are increased teaching
opportunities for teachers who can now make more money part time by teaching students from
different countries.
The research by Bosch and Charest (2008) has revealed that there is more thirst for education and
knowledge. In the quest for higher education, many students have abandoned the craft courses and
gone for other courses. However, there seems to be a paradigm shift as countries are now insisting
on the adoption of more craft courses to create more technicians that can solve problems hands on
and reduce the challenge of unemployment.
The one thing which I have come to appreciate and which is appreciated by professionals all over
the world is the different between craft courses and other courses. Other courses as Biavaschi, et
al; contend, rely more on theoretical experience with little or no practical experience. The result
as Savickas (2012) posits, has always been the creation of graduates who do not know what they
are supposed to do in the job market. Vocational education on the other hand is capable of churning
out graduates who have the practical experience of what is expected of them. It produces graduates
who have the knowledge and skills needed in the market and who are capable of creating their own
forms of employment.
Communication Skills Learned
My involvement in the course has also challenged my original notion that it was just about
vocational training and education. I have realised that the course was based on a lot more than the
skill needed to pass on the technical skills to the students. For instance communication was one of
the key aspects that was integrated into the entire course. I now see that the thinking behind this
was based on the premise that as an adult teacher, there is need to deal with people and
communicate with them. Communication as Lewis (2010) holds, goes beyond the classroom and
involves writing emails, memos, and letters and so on. The course has therefore taught me the art
of communication. I have learned the principles that underlie good oral and written
communication. I have learned how to develop professional communication documents whose
rationale are now very clear to me for the little time that I have served as a part time teacher. I have
learned that even as an adult teacher, there is still need to apply for jobs, communicate with
superiors at work and develop professional communication document all which require the art of
good skills in written communication as Wild, Wild and Han (2014) asserts.
I have also learned the art of non-verbal communication. I have been trained to understand that
non-verbal communication as Verbekem (2013) argues, may convey a lot of meaning than verbal
communication in certain cultures. This therefore mean that as a teacher, it is necessary to
understand all my students so that I can tell the exact thing that they are saying through their body
language, facial expressions, eye movements and so on. I have also learnt to keep my non-verbal
cues in check to ensure that whenever I am communicating with my students or my superiors,
there is no disconnect in communication between what I say and the communication conveyed by
my body language.
Principles of professional Ethics
I have learned that teachers have a responsibility to the society to act as experts and perform the
duties for which they have been trained. I have however realised that good professional ethics
alone as Tirri, (2010) contends will not compensate for bad ethical behaviour which therefore
means that I will have to ensure that I continue developing myself professionally to ensure that I
deliver as the requirements and the expectations of the society. Teachers are very close to the
learners. This therefore means that the responsibility for the learners development lies squarely
on the teachers. I will therefore ensure that I diligently perform my tasks to ensure that I deliver to
the students as expected. I will ensure that learners are fairly evaluated by internalizing my internal
ethics to ensure that all the learners are treated fairly and not abuse my position as an adult teacher
as Peters (2015) advices.
As a teacher I will ensure that there is no any form of discrimination. As Durkheim (2013)
advances, I will treat all my students equally irrespective of their ethnic background or physical
differences. The same effort and determination will be given to all the students in the classroom to
ensure that there is a sense of fairness in the way in which the students are handled irrespective of
their background.

I will ensure that the safety of all the students is guaranteed and will take necessary steps to ensure
that students are protected from conditions that are harmful to their learning. I will also ensure that
students are protected from conditions that are harmful to their mental or physical health. I will
take it as my own responsibility as Tirri (2010) contends to constantly propose safe learning
environment for the students.
I will also ensure that I give the students the chance to take their own independence action in the
pursuit of their learning. This will also entail making sure that the students are not in any way
denied a diverse point of view. I will encourage students to express themselves and state their own
opinion to empower them to learn more and get new methods of learning.
I will also ensure that I deal very justly and in a considerate manner with all the students. I will
ensure that all the disputes that involve the students are solved according to the policy and laws of
the school. I believe that this will ensure that there are no emotions involved in dealing with
students or solving disciplinary problems that arise in the course of teaching.
As professional educator I will ensure that all the professional information pertaining to students
are not released out to anyone unless expressly required by law as stated by Peters (2015). Besides
that, I will ensure that I assume responsibility and accountability for my performance and look for
ways of improving my performance. I will also ensure that I comply with all the laws and
regulations of the schools and will ensure that they guide my practice at the school. Just as the
confidentiality of the students is important I will also ensure that I do not divulge any confidential
information concerning my colleagues unless its a requirement by law. I will also ensure that I do
not spread false rumors about my colleagues.
Incorporating Insensitivity into indigenous and Other Cultures
My involvement in the course has told me about cultural insensitivity for both the indigenous and
other cultures. I plan on applying the sensitivity into my work as I continue working as a carpentry
teacher. I have learned from Williamson and Harrison (2010) that there are students who may be
drawn from the indigenous cultures who have undergone certain historical injustices. They have
learned to live with the fact that they are inferior compared to other cultures and this can easily be
seen in classrooms. I now realise that this is dangerous thing that can curtail learning. The students
drawn from the indigenous culture may feel inferior and may be taken aback most of the time as
Battiste (2009) maintains. Perhaps this now explains why certain students of indigenous descent
have been performing dismally in my class. However, I have now learnt how to deal with the issue.
I have learnt that it may be very wrong to ask them questions in front of others since they may take
that as a sign of intimidation. Besides that I have learnt that the indigenous students do not like
being asked yes or no questions and this is something that is drawn from their culture.
The Non-verbal communication of the indigenous students is also different since they seldom
maintain direct eye contact. I have learned that direct eye contact is a sign of disrespect to them as
Brown (2009). Adavnces. Armed with this knowledge I believe that I am better armed to deal
sensitively with the indigenous students and make them feel like they belong to the school. My
plan is to also encourage cultural interaction between students that are drawn from the different
cultures. I will ensure that there are games and joint activities that will ensure that students from
the different cultures learn to work together and learn to appreciate their differences. I believe that
there is the best way to break the cultural tensions and get rid of cultural animosity that at times
exists at the centre. I will ensure that that the students see themselves as one group as opposed to
we vs them attitude which creates division.
Incorporating Sustainability into Work.
The topic of sustainability is now common everywhere. In this course the issue of sustainability
has been talked about at length. As Junyent and Ciurana (2008) holds, we must ensure that we use
resources responsibly to ensure that there is something for the future generations. This as Cotton
and Winter (2010) states, entails making sure that the renewable and non-renewable resources are
used responsibly to reduce environment pollution that results from emissions and to also reduce a
strain on the resources. I will encourage my students to always ensure that they use clean sources
of energy in their practice in future. This from what I have learnt will reduce environmental
pollution which stems from the emission of greenhouse gases that cause a lot of damage to the
ozone layer.
I will also encourage my students to adopt the practice of reduce, reuse and recycle. This will
ensure that they reduce the resources which are harmful to the environment. I will also train them
on how to reuse some of the reusable products in their practice and recycle those that can be
recycled to reduce a strain on environmental resources. I will specifically preach the importance
of the afforestation strategies since their work as carpenters is majorly dependent on the cutting
down of trees to make furniture. I will explore the dangers of cutting trees ranging from soil
erosion, death of aquatic animals through sedimentation and destruction of the habitat of different
animals. This will ensure that they adopt environmentally safety practices.

Conclusion
I have learned a lot from the course. I am not only equipped with professional teaching skills but
I am also equipped with skills in professional ethics, communication, cultural sensitivity,
sustainability and so on. This will therefore make me an all rounded practitioner which is not only
good for my practice but is also very useful for the peaceful coexistence between my students and
members of the society.
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