About VALA

VCAL Chair's Award

In May 2011 VALA was awarded the VCAL Chair's Award.

The award recognises the outstanding achievement of an individual or organisation in delivering or promoting the VCAL in their particular community or region.

Current committee

2011 Annual Report

The Victorian Applied Learning Association (VALA) is the peak organisation for applied learning practitioners. It offers leadership, development and advocacy for educators of applied learning across all sectors. Established in 2005 in response to the rapid growth in Victoria of applied learning in post-compulsory education, it now supports over 1000 applied learning educators from across education sectors.

Nominate for the VALA Committee

Each year at the Annual Meeting members have the opportunity to elect people to serve on the VALA Committee.

You can do this by completing the nomination form (PDF 80KB) when nominations are called.

What is applied learning?

"Applied learning is a teaching and learning pedadogy applicable to all education levels and content areas.

Applied learning is an approach, which emphasises the relevance of what is being learnt to the ‘real world’; the world outside ‘the classroom’, and makes that connection as immediate and transparent as possible. Partly as a result of this, applied learning involves students and their teachers in partnerships and connections with organisations and individuals outside school.

Applied learning is concerned with nurturing and working with a student in a holistic manner, taking into account their personal strengths, interests, goals and previous experiences. It also means taking into

account differences in preferred learning styles, and ways of learning.

Applied learning acknowledges that part of the transition from school to work is being treated as an adult, and that moving students out of the classroom to learn also means helping them to make a shift to become more independent and responsible for their own learning.

Applied learning also places equal importance on both theory and application, where the link between them is provided by the context. Thus the theoretical understandings and knowledge required to complete a task will be drawn out from the context, which also provides the opportunity to use and apply what has been learnt."

(VCAA, 2006)

Vision

For applied learning pedagogy to be recognised and used across all education sectors, levels and content areas.

Mission

To be an outstanding educational organisation which provides leadership and support, and promotes quality applied teaching and learning.

Goals

To provide advocacy and leadership for applied learning pedagogies to all sectors of education, across all levels and content areas
To promote and support the professional learning of applied learning educators
To promote and conduct research into applied learning and applied teaching practice
To promote and conduct curriculum and resource development projects that support applied learning and teaching.
To be an effective, innovative and sustainable educational organisation.