Abstract
The continuously changing business world demands that students entering the world of work have an adaptable skill set. The acquisition of appropriate exit-level knowledge, skills and competencies also holds true for young school students and early school leavers. At school level the engagement and connectedness with the outside world and the development of subject-specific practical competencies could be structured through an experiential education approach that will allow students to become self-regulating and active in their learning. The kind of active learning could involve an education that also facilitates a ‘real-life’ experience in the workplace. This article argues for an experiential active-learning approach for Business Studies teaching by reflecting on the ‘connectedness’ dimension of the productive pedagogies framework. In doing so, the authors deliberate on a unique Irish model called the ‘transition year’ (TY), its orientation of ‘real-life’ learning, the background to the development of the TY, its implementation and its viability within a South African school context.
Highlights
Businesses are constantly exposed to changing environments and fast-paced technological advancement, which demand employees with an adaptable skill set
This paper focuses on the following question: How relevant could a transition year” (TY) as an experiential active-learning approach be within the South African school system? We argue that the TY could be a productive opportunity for young leaners to explore a yearlong real-life business experience within a structured school programme
It is common to suggest the use of a broad array of active learning methods and approaches for the teaching of Business Studies
Summary
Businesses are constantly exposed to changing environments and fast-paced technological advancement, which demand employees with an adaptable skill set. This paper is presented from the perspective of the two authors: one a South African and the other Irish The latter completed his school and university education in Ireland and obtained his Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at a university in South Africa with the Business Studies Teaching (BST) module as his specialisation subject. The South African author has extensive experience as a Business Education lecturer and Business Studies teacher educator, witnessing and continuously reflecting on the pervasive inequality of the South African post-apartheid education system and making sense of alternatives to systemic gaps that hinder educational outcomes, from a schooling and teacher education perspective It was the juxtaposition of the respective situations in Ireland and South Africa during these discussions that prompted the writing of this article.
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