Good Questioning for RPL

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• Good Questioning for RPL
• Brian Spencer
• Optin Pty Ltd
• Best Practice Showcase

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The COAG agenda

• By 1 January 2007, all RTOs and assessment
  centres in receipt of public funds will have
  contractual obligations to offer all workers
  entering training, who are not new entrants to
  the labour market, a quick and simple process to
  recognise their skills
• Council of Australian Governments Feb 2006

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The aim and the challenge

• Do justice to the skills and aspirations of the
  client
• To build an effective picture, efficiently
• To understand rules of evidence and competencies
• To make a valid and realistic assessment

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Questions to ask about RPL
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depends is ox all gored it whose on
Is it fair?
It all depends on whose ox is gored

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Talks nobody everybody the does about
weather anything about it but
Is it really happening?
Everybody talks about the weather but nobody
does anything about it
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The squeaking wheel is the one that gets the
grease
Why isnt it a priority?
The gets that is grease one that squeaking the
wheel
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How much do we need to see?
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(No Transcript)
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Why does RPL have to be perfect?
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The problem of evidence

• Conventional delivery
• Traineeships
• On-line delivery
• Distance education
• RPL

• Valid
• Reliable
• Authentic
• Sufficient

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Why do we devalue experiential learning?
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The cruel hierarchy

• University
• Public TAFE
• Private RTOs
• School of life

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Experiential Learning

• Insight gained through the conscious or
  unconscious internalisation of our own or
  observed interactions, which build upon our past
  experiences and knowledge
• The Power of experiential learning, Beard and
  Wilson 2002

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Experiential Learning

• What I hear, I forget.
• What I see, I remember.
• What I do, I understand.
• Kung Fu Tzu (Confucius)

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Experiential Learning

• I never teach my pupils I only attempt to
  provide the conditions in which they can learn.
• Albert Einstein

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Experiential Learning

• The only kind of learning which significantly
  influences behavior is self-discovered or
  self-appropriated learning - truth that has been
  assimilated in experience.
• Carl Rogers

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Kolbs Learning Cycle
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Why do we expect the candidate to know what they
know?
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The Confident Self
I know
Confident Self

• Self confident
• Competent
• Named
• Recognised
• Public
• Will seek RPL

I know I know
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Open to learn
I know
I dont know
Confident Self
Open to learn
I know

• Recognise boundaries
• Will seek training
• Formal
• Mentor
• Self directed

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UnconsciousCompetence
I know
I dont know
Confident Self
Open to learn

• Not confident
• Unknown level
• Unknown scope
• Untested
• Unnamed skill
• Common sense
• In wrong box
• Private experience

I know
Unconscious competence
I dont know
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Dangerous
I know
I dont know
Confident Self
Open to learn

• Dont recognise boundaries
• Pub expert
• Once knew, but times have changed
• Need to unlearn
• Doing something the wrong way continuously
  doesnt lead to doing it right

I know
Dangerous
Unconscious competence
I dont know
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With opportunity
I know
I dont know
Confident Self
Confident Self
Open to Learn
Open to learn

• I identify training need
• I seek to learn
• Open to instruction

Known to others
Dangerous
Unconscious competence
I dont know
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With feedback
I know
I dont know
Confident Self
Open to learn
Confident Self

• I can do that
• Named skill
• Codified
• Measured
• More confident
• From private experience to public competence

I know
Dangerous
Unconscious competence
Unconscious competence
I dont know
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The learning/recognition environment
I know
I dont know
Open to learn
Confident Self
Open to learn
Confident Self

• Reframed
• Named
• Leveled
• Scoped
• Affirmed
• Extended
• Confident
• Competent
• Growing

I know
Unconscious competence
Dangerous
Unconscious competence
I dont know
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Why doesnt it relate more closely to the real
world?
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Competency clusters

• Programs, products services

• Communication

• Workplace

• Health, safety hygiene

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Knowledge Clusters

• Law, regulation policy

• Sector focus

• Client focus

• Health safety

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(No Transcript)
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Questions to ask the candidate.
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Lines of inquiry

• Clarifying experience

• Exploring the routine planned

• Responding to challenges

• Promoting health, safety wellbeing

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Exploring competency

• Range of skills
• Depth
• Boundaries
• Unknown competency

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Can we be professional and compassionate?
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Opening questions- building rapport

• Want client relaxed, affirmed, ready to tell
  their story
• What happened before the client made the
  appointment?

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Establishing rapport

• Connect
• Put at ease
• Empower
• Clarify roles and expectations

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The approach

• Holistic questions
• Back of house questions
• Creating and capturing evidence
• Record it
• Professional conversation
• Professional judgement

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Questions to ask ourselves.
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Why are we so scared of exercising professional
judgment?
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Cna yuo raed tihs?

• I ma wodnernig fi yuo acn rdae adn udnrestnad
  tihs. Otfen ew ptu oto mcuh epmhaiss no corcrte
  lngaauge, ew gte oot psasointae aubot miknag srue
  taht eth owrds aer corecrt. Tish si a shmae,
  beacues ew rae ton lal foarmlly tughta btu aym
  sitll eb cempotnet.

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Why do we underestimate the importance of our
role?
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Hope

• A powerful placebo effect
• Impact is doubled when we meet with an
  authoritative other person who confirms our hope
• Assessors have a critical role as people who can
  articulate and identify competency

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Why do we ask Do they give RPL for
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The COAG mandate
all RTOs

• By 1 January 2007, all RTOs and assessment
  centres in receipt of public funds will have
  contractual obligations to offer all workers
  entering training, who are not new entrants to
  the labour market, a quick and simple process to
  recognise their skills
• Council of Australian Governments Feb 2006

all workers
a quick and simple
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Good questioning for RPL

• Brian Spencer
• Optin Pty Ltd

optinsolutions.com.au