In vocational education, it is common for students to carry negative baggage with them as they embark on their learning journey. These burdens can weigh heavily on their minds, hindering their progress and impeding their ability to fully engage in the educational experience. Negative experiences from previous education will very likely impact vocational education (VET) students negatively. Past experiences can lead to a lack of confidence, as students doubt their abilities and hesitate to fully engage in vocational training. Fear of failure may emerge, causing students to shy away from taking risks or exploring new opportunities. Disengagement from the learning process and reduced motivation to succeed may also occur, as students become disinterested and lose their drive and enthusiasm for learning. Negative attitudes towards education and learning may develop, hindering engagement and limiting potential. Furthermore, learning gaps from previous education can create additional barriers, making it harder for students to grasp new vocational skills and concepts. However, supportive instructors, a positive learning environment, and tailored interventions can help mitigate these effects and support students in overcoming the challenges they may face.
The S.C.R.E.A.M. manual developed with the co-funding of the European Commission aims to provide teachers and other educators in VET with knowledge information, concrete examples, and tips on how they can adapt their pedagogy so that it will support and encourage students to drop their negative baggage and enhance their chances succeeding in the world of work after graduation.
The S.C.R.E.A.M! manual is divided into five independent chapters that has been developed in collaboration with VET educators, youth workers, study coaches and mentors, and curriculum mentors from the Netherlands, Finland, Portugal, Spain (the Basque Country), UK and Greece.
In Chapter 1: Understanding negative baggage: Its impact on VET students and educators you will learn more about how we have defined the words negative baggage and hidden agenda. We will also bring up examples of what can be considered as negative baggage and other key concepts. As educators or youth workers one of our main responsibilities and tasks is to see the true and positive potential of students. Often educators and youth workers tend to focus on the negatives and the weaknesses in students. We need to learn to change our approach and adapt a coaching attitude that lifts up the positives and strengths and build on that. A small change in a teacher’s attitude can make a huge difference in a student’s life. Making students see that they are skilled and that they have true potential is always a motivational booster!
What prevents students from dropping their baggage? Is it the hidden agenda and if yes, how does it hinder students from dropping the baggage and reaching their maximum potential? Various stakeholders state the importance of inclusiveness and empowerment in their education systems and action plans. Many times, these plans look good on paper, but do they really help students and educators feel included, empowered and part of a team? These are difficult questions that we will do our best to answer in Chapter 2: Changing of existing exclusive attitudes towards inclusiveness and empowerment.
Our job as educators and youth workers is to make every single student feel important and valuable. To do this we need to adapt new leadership roles in VET and develop skills that will allow us to empower all students and help students that enter VET become their own success stories in life. To become a part in making students’ success stories you will need to learn how to let go of personal preferences. But not only that, you need to accept that you are one in a team of professionals who are involved in educating students for work and life in general. You must accept that there are different opinions and preferences among the team of professionals you are working with. You need to become a team player and open up to new ways of teaching that can involve e.g., co-teaching, student and teacher learning networks. You will learn how to do this in chapter 3: Embracing the Power of Collaboration: The Strength of a “We” Approach.
How can we, as educators or youth workers, help students see their strengths and their potential in a way that helps them constructively self-evaluate themselves, their past, their hopes and based on that, set achievable goals? How can we support and keep students motivated to succeed in learning and motivate them to face their negative baggage? One way is to make students aware of the importance of setting reachable and realistic goals. The goals must be set by the students themselves, for them to fully commit. What educators and youth workers can do is to teach and assist students to construct their goals. You can learn more about how to do this in chapter 4: Empowering students through coaching.
The final chapter, Chapter 5: Introducing the S.C.R.E.A.M! Methodology: Empowering Students to drop negative baggage and thrive in VET, will sum up the idea behind the S.C.R.E.A.M-methodology and clarify how we look at the new leadership roles educators have in VET. You will be introduced to two self-evaluation tools. The first can be used by educators and youth workers to recognize the baggage they carry with them to the classroom. The second one is aimed at VET students and can be used by students to visualize their baggage and how to best make their negative baggage into something positive.