Competencies in Education

By: Águeda Castillo

What is CBE?•Competency Based Education is a functional

approach to education that emphasizes life skills and evaluates mastery of those skills according to actual leaner performance.

•It was defined by the U.S. Office of Education as a “performance-based process leading to demonstrated mastery of basic and life skills necessary for the individual to function proficiently in society”

(U.S. Office of Education, 1978). .. Savage

What are competencies?

•Consist of a description of the essential skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors required for effective performance of a real-world task or activity.

Mrowicki

COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION

4. Competency Based Education Programs

1. Specific, measurable competency statements2. Content based on learner goals (outcomes/competencies)3. Learner continues in program until demonstrating mastery4. Use a variety of instructional techniques and group activities5. Focus on what the learner needs to learn, which is the application of basic skills in a life skills context.

Competency Based Education Programs6. Use texts, media, and real life materials.7. Provide learners with immediate feedback on assessment performance8. Pace instruction to learner needs9. Have learner demonstrate mastery of specified competency statements.

The problem of competence as a theoretical entity1. The problem of competence standards

•When competences are chosen as the ultimate objectives of education (as in, e.g. competence-based education), they should be described in terms of well-expressed behaviours in well-expressed situations.

The problem of assessment

Assessment of competences must include the issue of transfer; but such assessment would require a number of environments, each of sufficient complexity. This would not only be laborious to set up, and costly, but it would also require detailed insight into the structure and functioning of the competence concept.

The problem of values

Competence has been associated with successful performance, effective use of resources, and making the right choices.

Problem of stability

•Human performance is subject of decay. Performance in new situations may even become 'less competent‘

•The assessment of competences requires the perspective of time and, in this regard, we need to note again the lack of valid assessment standards appropriate to complex situations.

The problem of conscious thought

•Descartian problem of mind-body dualism and the associated question of whether human behaviour is 'reflective', i.e. the result of a free will and understanding, or 'reflexive', i.e. a collection of automated responses.

The problem of complexity

Complexity cannot be an absolute criterion for the distinction between skills and competences.Difference between skills and competences.

•Skill is a part of competency. Competency consists of three parameters- Knowledge (K), Attitude (A) and Skills(S).

For example- I might be having very good interpersonal skills or people skills, but I will not be competent to join a company as HR Professional unless I possess adequate education/ experience (Knowledge) and the right temperament/ behaviour (attitude).

▫e.g. Writing is a skill.... being ambidextrous is a competency

The problem af sub-competences

•Another problem arises from the idea of complexity .

•Competences may be decomposed into contributing sub-competences. ▫For instance, flying an airplane

competently includes the sub-competences of taking-off, landing, dealing with emergencies, and so on.

Competecy profile features• COMPETENCE 1: COMMUNICATION .• COMPETENCE 2: MATHEMATICAL AND

LOGICAL THINKING.  • COMPETENCE 3: KNOWLEDGE AND

INTERACTION WITH THE PHYSICAL WORLD.• COMPETENCE 4: HANDLING INFORMATION

AND DIGITAL COMPETENCE• COMPETENCE 5: SOCIAL AND CIVIC• COMPETENCE 6: CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC.• COMPETENCE 7: LEARNING TO LEARN• COMPETENCY 8: FOR AUTONOMY AND

PERSONAL INITIATIVE

Workshop Answer the following questions in group of three.• What is a competence?• What is the difference between

competences and skills?• Is the education system in Panama

implementing Competency Based Education? If yes, how?

• What are the benefits of Competency Based Education for learners of English as a second language?

• What are some problems of competence as a theoretical entity?