Facilitating learning by enabling young unemployed people to visually reflect their vocational and educational biography in different European countries

1. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Symposium
'Facilitating learning by enabling young
unemployed people to visually reflect their
vocational and educational biography in
different European countries'
ECER Budapest, 10 September 2015
1. Daniela Reimann
2. Fernando Hernandez, Juana M.Sancho, Rachel Fendler,
3. Liliana Voicu
4. Graham Attwell, Jenny Hughes

2. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Introduction to the project
The concept of ‘visual ‘Vocational
Biography Design’ in the framework of
digital media and German VET research
Dr. Daniela Reimann

3. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Show your own Gold (Acronym)
A European concept to visualize
and reflect the ‘vocational
biography’ using digital media
Erasmus+
Key Action 2
Strategic partnerships
9/2014-8/2017

4. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Presenters (11.00-12.20/ 30)
1. Daniela Reimann, IBP/KIT (11.00- 11.20)
The Concept Of Visual ‘Vocational Biography Design In The Framework Of Digital
Media And German VET Research
2. Fernando Hernandez, Juana Maria Sancho, Rachel Fendler, University of Barcelona
Visual Biographical Narratives As Living Inquiring Process (11.40-12.00)
3. Liliana Voicu, SC AxA Consulting 99 SRL: (12.00-12.20)
Targeting Youth Unemployment Through Financing Of Vocational Preparation – A
Case Study From Romania
4. Graham Attwell, Jenny Hughes, Pontydysgu (11.20-11.40)
New Skills And New Jobs: Developing Vocational Biographies In A Time Of
Precariousness And Austerity
 12.20-12.30 general discussion
Discussant: Martin Fischer, IBP/KIT

5. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
The concept of ‘Visual ‘Vocational
Biography Design’ in the framework of
digital media and German VET research
1.Project aims & tasks, partners
2. Challenges of pre-VET in Germany
3.Concept of ‚Vocational biography design‘ &
visual research approach to it
4.Workshop and learning goals
5.Concluding remark

6. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Project aims and partnership
>to develop a concept to make young people
visually reflect their educational/vocational
biography
>Curriculum design/learning goals for hands-
on-workshops
>Enable participants to display their so called
'vocational biography‘, capacities to encourage
self-awareness of young people, fostering
competencies for approaching the labour
market.

7. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
A ‘digital biographical narrative’
is realized, using digital media, to be
provided online
>as opposed to standardized online
applications and digital CV
>to map, reflect and create the digital
identity using visual means

8. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Work packages & tasks
1. Country reports about pre-VET situation
& its‘ embeddedness in the VET system
2. Transnational comparison
3. staff training event
4. Curriculum + realisation of workshops
with young people in all countries
5. Evaluation of the workshops
6. Final transfer conference in 2017

9. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Strategic partnership
KIT‘s Institute of Vocational and General Education, Germany
Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber, Martin Fischer, Nina Müller
Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Art and Multimedia Laboratory, Portugal
Aldo Passarinho, Ana Sofia Velhinhu Sousa
PONTYDYSGU LTD, Wales/UK: Graham Attwell, Jenny Hughes
SC AxA Consulting 99 SRL, Romania: Liliana Voicu
UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA, Esbrina Research Group, Catalonia/Spain
Fernando Hernandez, Juana Sancho-Gill, Rachel Fendler
Zavod NEFIKS, non profit org,  recognition of non formally acquired skills
Slovenia: Alenka Blazinšek

10. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Challenges of Pre-VET in Germany
Pre-VET is organized in the so called transition-system
(„Übergangssystem“) both
at school level and
 outside schools
Criticised for offering a diversity of uncoordinated measures
which do not lead to an official ‚Beruf‘/vocation
‚jungle of measures‘´, difficult to select by the young
Missing quality criteria/
Curriculum contents intransparent
‚transfer to nowhere‘ participants enrolled are out of
unemployment statistics, but often they get stuck in the
situation of transition, in loops from measure to measure

11. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Pre-VET in the German VET system
Outside school program (BVB) of one year, offered by the
employment agencies of the cities and communities, who
enrole and administer the participants
in collaboration with training providers authorized to offer pre-
VET measures
media offered for pre-VET (by the job agency):
- Mainly as resources (information, data base, job profiles) using
technology as simple tools (self presentation, job matching)
 Media platforms are not used in pre-VET measures
 Go beyond this idea of using dig. media for learning

12. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Target group
Kreatives Denken und Handeln im
Prozess
• Young unemployed people, age 16-22 in pre-VET
• negative learning experiences in common
• familiar with the defizit-oriented learning culture at
public schools
• Did not experience their own competences and
abilities
  Low self-confidence, self esteem
They take the bad reputation they have in society
for granted

13. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Active learners
responsive approach to enable
young people to develop interest in
themselves and research their own
biography and display their
experiences

14. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Creative project work
Subject-oriented approach:
In the workshops, every participant develops,
designs, documents, reflects and presents
a digital narrative about him/herself, including
vocational and educational experiences,
strenghts and abilities
and provides it online

15. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Concept of ‚vocational biography design‘
Merging 2 concepts: from VET research &
media/art education research
Translated from in German term of
‚Berufsbiografiegestaltung‘ and
‚berufsbiographische Gestaltungskompetenz‘‘
visual ‚biogaphying‘ (‚Ästhetisches Biografieren‘)
as a process and visual entrance to their own
biography and ‚educatedness‘ by means of digital
media

16. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
The concept of ‚Vocational Biography Design‘
‚Berufsbiografiegestaltung / Berufbiografische
Gestaltungskompetenz‘ – translated as ‚vocational biography
design‘, defined as a competence to cope with the demands
and discontinuities in life, to be developed by the learner
Introduced in German VET research by Hendrich (2003) and
Kaufhold (2004) in response to the adaptability of the „flexible
worker“
To better handle changes in society and its‘ discontinuities
1. To cope with internal and external claims and request of
flexibility
2. To balance and reflect vocational experience

17. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
The concept of ‚Vocational Biography Design‘
traditional career orientation focused on the categorisation of
the personal strenghts of a person (e.g. „You are the
technical/creative/artistic type.“  contributes to thinking in
boxes)
The concept of ‚Vocational Biography Design‘ as opposed to it,
is about being proactive towards the reflection of one‘s own
vocational (& educational) biography
 Activating the learners  though it is not in the hand of the
individual to get employed in the future

18. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
BARB-model (Witzel & Kühn, 1999)
refering to the BARB-Model: „Balancing - Aspirating - Realisation
– Balencing“
includes situative contexts & dynamics of time into the
reconstruction of vocational orientation, decision making and
acting processes in one‘s life (vita)
Addressing the questions for reflection
> Where do I stand? (Wo stehe ich?)
> Where do I want to go to? (Wohin möchte ich?)
> How can I meet this target? (Wie kann ich das Ziel umsetzen?)
> What did I learn from it? (Was hat das für mich gebracht?)

19. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
The process of ‚visual biographying‘
Derived from art education („Ästhetisches Biografieren“) and
visual research (Ästhetische Forschung), a didactic concept in
linking research to visual culture (Kämpf-Jansen, 2001)
Is about making visible and aware phases of one‘s biography,
using different kinds of media, materials, collections, and
memorabilia as a starting point for the reflection
„Life/the vita has to be drawn, documented, written or sketched in
the first place“ in order to visually appear („Bio muss erst
grafiert werden“ Pazzini, 2002)

20. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
General aims of the workshops
To support
Self-development
Authorship
Collaboration
Communication
Multimodality (diverse modes of interacting with media,
diverse materials, modes of access and perspectives)
Digital presence
 Definition of learning goals
To be realized through team based arrangements & mentoring

21. Institute of Vocational and General Education IBP
www.ibap.kit.edu/showyourowngold.php
KIT – University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Large-scale Research Center of the Helmholtz Association
Dr. Daniela Reimann, Kerstin Huber MA,
Nina Müller, BA, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer
Concluding remark
Variety of measures exist which deal with writing letters of
application, CV , preparing job interviews but without
individual tailor made support of the learners
variety of pre-VET media platforms for job guidance and
vocational orientation exist, which focus on information about
a particular profession, rather than on the individual learner and
his/her capacities, strengths and experience
The project is subject-oriented and intends to support the
individual learner as personalities, rather than „participants“