by Brian Smith

The 1st APEC Youth Skills Camp Seminar

The Seminar was conducted as part of the Youth Skills Camp hosted by the Korean Manpower Agency.

Delegates attended the Seminar from the 22 countries participating and presentations were provided from Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, USA, Australia, Chinese Hong Kong, Russia, Peru, and the Philippines.

While many of the countries presented outlined their approach to vocational education and training, several presenters used the theme of Team Based Learning put forward by Australia.

The inspiration for the project and the paper presented came from a statement contained with the 1996 UNESCO Task Force on Education for the twenty first century titled the treasure within also known as the Delors Report relating to Life Long Learning and developed team based learning theories as outlined below:

• That a team of young people given a building design problem could come up with a workable concept,
  
  
• That a team could be formed and work as a cohesive group within two days,
  
  
• That the team could carry out the design and building task within eight working days,
  
  
• That the building could be built to local design standards and then dismantled, packed into a container, and rebuilt in less than four hours by another team.

The following paper was presented by Mr Brian Smith, Deputy Director, Wodonga Institute of TAFE on behalf of WorkSkill Australia.

TEAM BASED LEARNING, THE QUICK HUT EXPERIENCE
Presented by Brian Smith, Wodonga Institute of TAFE
on behalf of the Dusseldorp Skills Forum, Australia

This paper sets out to test the concept of team-based learning and it relationship to Life Long Learning and non-formal learning. Assumptions made were tested through a project that required the use of knowledge as apposed to skill sets to solve a real world problem. The problem of low cost transportable dwellings that could be constructed by low skilled labour in a short time, was one that had emerged as a result of a number of international conflicts that Australia had been exposed through our country's humanitarian effort.

Life Long Learning Skills
In Australia there is an increased focus on LifeLong Learning skills. The 1996 report of the UNESCO Task Force on Education for the Twenty First Century (Learning: The Treasure Within ... the Delors Report1) identified that jobs are changing. Traditional jobs are disappearing or changing with the introduction new technologies. Flatter business structures and an emphasis on teamwork and multiskilling require the development of new skills and new types of knowledge.

The following extracts from the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) study into Life Long Learning set the scene for the argument for adoption of the Life Long Learning Skills concept.2

Four Pillars of Education
The Delors report (ibid) details 'four pillars' of education for the future: these have been taken as key features of the life long learning concept. They are:

How do these relate to the 'Quick Hut' project? I would like to discuss how the four pillars of learning can be applied to the team based learning as experienced through the Quick Hut project.

Those initially involved with the Quick Hut project approached the task not fully realising the extent of informal learning that would take place. There has long been a national drive to extol the virtues of individual excellence. This had been achieved though the WorkSkill competition in Australia sponsored by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum and the International forum, Skill Olympics. These competitions primarily focus on the excellence of the individual. What was being suggested with the Quick Hut concept was a team based project that would bring together a number of trades and also examine the impact of including in the team non-skilled personnel. Our primary aim was to test a number of theories in relation to the conduct of team-based competitions

The Genesis of Quick Hut
The concept of the Quick Hut had its genesis in the recent wars in the Balkan states - namely Kosova. As part of a huge international relief effort, Australia, like many countries, offered to provide temporary accommodation to the many displaced persons fleeing the war. This was done through establishing Safe Havens in Australian states. The community of Albury-Wodonga was the site of one of these Safe Havens. It occurred to a number of Australians who were working with the Kosova people that many of these displaced persons would be returning to a homeland that had undergone significant destruction - housing would be a critical issue. Our idea was that whilst in Australia, the Kosova people build housing they could use on their eventual return. The housing built would be shipped back to Kosova in containers and re-erected.

Funding the idea was a problem as potential backers were sceptical. Another compounding problem was the possibility of the Kosova people returning to their homeland before finishing the housing: peace was breaking out! Meanwhile as world events changed, Australia's humanitarian focus shifted from Europe to East Timor.

Those who had conceived the idea of the Quick Hut were also examining the design parameters for a suitable dwelling for the tropical environment of East Timor. At this time the Dusseldorp Skills Forum (DSF) approached us with an offer to support the development of the Quick Hut as a team based skills competition.

The DSF therefore provided the financial backing to the project and the encouragement to develop the concept further. Whilst we were possibly not going to achieve our ultimate aim of providing emergency accommodation, we would at least be able to test a number of our theories.

These theories were:

• That a team of young people given a building design problem could come up with a workable concept,
• That a team could be formed and work as a cohesive group within two days,
• That the team could carry out the design and building task within eight working days,
• That the building could be built to local design standards and then dismantled, packed into a container, and rebuilt in less than four hours by another team

The Quick Hut project brought together two teams of young people with different skills sets to test a real world problem - provision of quality emergency accommodation for refugees or disaffected people.

In testing our assumptions, the young people who made up the two teams, whilst having the building skills needed, were chosen primarily for their ability to work as a team. Their selection was not a complex process; it relied upon the subjective judgement of people such as teachers and in some case the team members themselves.

Quick Hut Teams Formed
Each team consisted of recently qualified trades people. These were a carpenter, a metal fabricator, an electrician, a plumber and a draftsperson in each team. The non-trades persons consisted of two university students, one from environmental science, the other from early childhood development, and two secondary school students. These people were spread over the two competing teams. Those organising and managing the project came from the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) sector of post-secondary education.

The project was conducted over two weekends (four days of team building and design work) followed by four days of construction. The Quick Huts constructed were then dismantled by the construction teams and subjected to a rebuilding test. Under the supervision of the construction teams of young people, two teams of volunteer fire-fighters were set the task of rebuilding the Huts in half a day. Much to the delight of all involved, the design and construction of both Huts passed the rebuilding test with flying colors.

With only limited time to undertake the project, the organising body was keen to maximise the time spent in forming the team. Here our investment in team building activities was to pay dividends as the project developed. Along with the usual 'getting-to-know-you' exercises team members were educated about running and participating in team meetings. (The important but often overlooked skill of taking turns at putting your idea forward was one that was tested as the project developed and the teams enthusiasm reached higher and higher levels.)

We were also interested in how the leadership of each team developed within the dynamics of the group. The organisers provided a mentoring role to the team members, however with only limited time for the project, team leaders were not appointed. Rather the organisers were keen to see if natural leaders emerged.

With one team a natural leader soon emerged. With this team there was no formal election of the leader, however the team was quite prepared for the experience of Mick, the metal fabricator to take the leadership role. We observed that had we been able to conduct personality testing of each of the team members it would have been no surprise that there was a predominance of extroverts in this team. The other team by contrast did not at any time appear to have a dominant leader. As a team that could be said to be made up of introverts, this team adopted a consensus approach to their project.

Whilst our observations regarding leadership were inconclusive, projects of this nature would make ideal studies of the effectiveness of various leadership styles and the importance of team dynamics.

The formation of the teams and the project's aim of providing a solution to a real world problem enabled the concept of the four pillars of eduction to be explored within a real-life related learning environment. The Quick Hut project was envisaged to be a mix of formal and non-formal learning as suggested by life long learning theories. Did learning occur and if so what type?

Quick Hut Learning
Burns describes learning as "a relatively permanent change in behaviour (including both observable activity and internal processes such as thinking, attitudes and emotions)."3 By contrast, training is a "a narrow concept involving arrangements external to the learner, where the environment is deliberately shaped by an instructor for predetermined learning outcomes".4

However, Geri Vaughan describes non-formal learning as learning that is experimental. It encompasses learning from experience through critical reflection on actions in the light of previous learning. Non-formal learning is viewed as being largely contextual, whilst formal learning is seen as being mainly skills based. Non-formal learning may also be skills based, but is underpinned by recognition of the context of the learning within the organisation (in our case within the project). There is also a stronger emphasis on performance aspects of learning - the learning is tied to specific organisational (project) outcomes.

Vaughan also identifies that formal or informal mentoring/coaching processes are often included.5

Applying the Four Pillars

How did the learning in the Quick Hut project reflect the concepts of the four pillars of education as outlined in the Delors report?

Learning to know The mastery of learning tools rather than the acquisition of structured knowledge. Includes developing concentration, memory skills and the ability to think.

The problem the project organisers set the teams was to design and build a dwelling capable of providing shelter to a family of four for a period of two years. The teams were required to work to a strict timeline and to use a range of hand tools. They were also required to work with specific materials - some of which they were not familiar with.

The second pillar - Learning to do - Education to equip people to do the types of work needed in the future. Includes innovation and adaptation of learning to future work environments.

As the teams were made up specific trade types it was tempting to include in each activity only those whose skill type was required. The teams soon realised that because of the extremely short building phase timeline, the traditional demarcations between trades would be an inhibiting factor to completing the project. Here they benefited from earlier team building exercises and quickly adapted skills - or in the case of the non-trades team members - learnt specific competencies to enable progress to be made. The teams used action based learning to quickly learn the new skills needed to complete each activity.

Action Learning vs Closed Learning This relates to whether learning is continuous and transformative; that it is linked to actions and the solving of problems, or just related to a particular skill, event or activity. (Watts, N 2000)

Watts refers to action learning and closed learning. This relates to whether learning is continuous and transformative; that it is linked to actions and the solving of problems, or just related to a particular skill, event or activity. The Quick Hut project embodied action learning. Participants were continually learning, and having to adjust their earlier learning as new problems and situations arose.

The third pillar - Learning to live together, and with others - Education to avoid conflict or peacefully resolve it, through education to discover other people and their cultures, and involvement in common projects.

The project participants had to resolve conflict within the group during the planning and construction phase. They had to develop an acceptance of the views of other participants and an appreciation of the experience each participant brought to the project. They also needed to learn the skills of formal meeting etiquette and participation and, most importantly, how to listen to others.

Finally, the forth pillar - Learning to be - Education that contributes to a person's complete development: mind and body, intelligence, sensitivity, aesthetic appreciation and spirituality.

Whilst is it is hard to measure in absolute terms, the project appeared to provide enormous satisfaction to the participants. This was particularly evident where team members broadened their range of skills and were able to see how their contributions were utilised by others. As an example, the draftspersons were required to use and shape the materials that they had only previously seen as lines on a drawing or screen. The university student from early childhood studies had never had the opportunity to construct a building. Her comments are evident in the video made of the project. She did not believe people who, until a few days before had been complete strangers, could do the task.

The greatest satisfaction for participants (and project organisers!) appeared to be when the project teams supervised the fire-fighters to reassemble their Quick Huts. Here they gained immediate positive feedback from members of the public. That last day of the project the pride was most evident, they had done it!

Marsick and Watkins outline distinctions between informal and incidental learning. They cite informal learning to include self-directed learning, networking, coaching/mentoring, and performance planning. By contrast, incidental learning includes learning from involvement, learning from mistakes/trial and error, assumptions, beliefs/values, hidden agendas, and the actions of others.6

The Quick Hut project is the embodiment of non-formal learning and in some cases incidental learning. The learning was self-directed, with mentors there to offer guidance but never solutions. Mistakes were made and learning occurred. Beliefs were challenged and through the team process the actions of others and the implications were experienced.

The action learning model of the project, and mentors providing assistance not answers, meant that participants were required to operate at higher cognitive levels - applying what they were learning and synthesising, and evaluating the results rather than just following instructions. This leads to the essential notion of Life Long Learning - learning how to learn, or, as Senge describes, recognising 'leaps of abstraction' and reflecting on whether they correspond within an existing view of the way the world works.

One of the most significant features of non-formal learning in the workplace is the recognition that non-formal learning within the workplace includes more subtle aspects than much of the formal learning: it incorporates nuances of corporate culture, factors unique to that working environment, skills pertinent to that organisation (in our case project), and styles of communication.7

Learning is ceaseless: a never-ending process of input, change confrontation (of thoughts, attitudes, and old knowledge), a synthesis of these and the consequent development of new learning.8 In this respect non-formal learning is much as life is, and therefore must be considered as a cornerstone of life long learning.

In conclusion I would like to reflect on the learning gained through the Quick Hut project.

A Buddist teacher is said to have once remarked that we have 'too much information and not enough knowledge'. In this context knowledge can be taken to mean the use of information and its application to life - what we in modern terms call learning.

Future prosperity depends on knowledge "information is not the problem - lack of knowledge is".9 "Knowledge is fuelled by information and skill acquisition but knowledge and its development within the individual is a life long undertaking whether we formally recognise it as such or not. Knowledge develops with our every engagement with life."10

The project brought together a range of skills, however this was not enough. What was needed was knowledge. The knowledge developed by the team members enabled a concept to be turned into a reality, and is an example of what can be achieved through Team Based Learning.

Most importantly team members and mentors had a lot of fun developing the knowledge.

Notes

1 Delors 1998
2 ANTA Why Lifelong Learning 2000
3 Burns 1995
4 Burns 1995
5 Vaughan 2000
6 Garrick 1998
7 Vaughan 2000
8 Vaughan 2000
9 Theobald (1999)
10 Marron (1999)

Acknowledgments

The following people and organisations made the Quick Hut Project possible:

The Dusseldorp Skills Forum

Wodonga Institute of TAFE

Riverina Institute of TAFE

Alan Grasset Dusseldorp Skills Forum

Kerrie Stevens Dusseldorp Skills Forum

Teya Dusseldorp Dusseldorp Skills Forum

Glenn Costin Riverina Institute of TAFE

Dave O'Donnell Riverina Institute of TAFE

Bill Buchanan Wodonga Institute of TAFE

References

ANTA (2000). Why life long learning? Australian National Training Authority. Burns, R. (1995). The psychology of learning. The Adult Learner at Work. Sydney, Business and Professional Publishing.

Delors J (1998). Learning: The Treasure Within. UNESCO Publishing/The Australian National Commission for UNESCO

Garrick, J. (1998). Informal learning in the workplace: Unmasking human resource development. London, Routledge.

Marron, A. (1999). Extract from a paper delivered at the UNESCO Conference, Bangkok.

Theobald, R. (1999). Cited from the President's Message, BHERT News letter, Issue 6 Oct 1999.

Vaughan, G. (2000). Training and development in Australia. Vol 27. Number 4. Aug 2000.

Watts, N. (2000). Training and development in Australia. Vol 27. Number 4. Aug 2000.

photo by Alan Grasset