But, if the main building blocks are knowledge, skills and
understanding, how do we build in all these other
things?
Back to the beginning. Do you remember
what he said?
(This is
a knowledge question – it demands recall!)
“To do this, we need the traditional subjects,
but we also need young people to develop the
key competencies that will enable them to
cope with life in the 21st Century.”
(This will require some understanding!)
© Curriculum Foundation
1
Competencies are a combination of knowledge, skills and
attitudes. They are acquired through the application of knowledge
in meaningful situations. They help deepen learning and turn
knowledge into understanding. They require the development of
the right attitudes to apply the knowledge.
Knowledge
Skill
Attitude
© Curriculum Foundation
Competence
2
The subjects provide the knowledge context. It it the application
of that knowledge that develops the skills. Attitudes are
developed though the teaching and learning approaches. Some
will develop positive ones!
Knowledge
Subjects
Skill
Application
of subjects
Attitude
Competence
Teaching
and
learning
approach
Competence
© Curriculum Foundation
3
All the high performing countries
have a set of competencies at the
heart of their curriculum.
Do you recognise the flag below?
New Zealand
Key Competencies
• Critical thinking and problem
solving
• Using languages, symbols and texts
• Managing self
• Relating to others
© Curriculum Foundation
4
Whose flag is this?
Singapore
21st Century Competencies
• Decision making
• Critical and media skills
• Information and communication skills
© Curriculum Foundation
5
And this one?
South Korea
Student Competencies
• critical thinking and problem solving
• communication
• innovation and creativity
• investigation
• co-operation
© Curriculum Foundation
6
Do you remember Andreas Schleicher from
Unit 1? He is the head of the ‘PISA’
These are
all competencies.
international
educational
comparisons.
He
that:
Sopoints
PISAout
measures
competencies!
“PISA tests students’ ability to:
So we don’t have to choose between
knowledge
and
skills. We can have both!
• apply their
learning
In
need both - and attitudes as
• fact,
thinkwe
critically
well
- in order
develop competencies.
• solve
problems
•
make judgements”
You can find more from Andreas at:
http://www.ted.com/talks/andreas_schleicher_use_data_to_build_better_schools.html
© Curriculum Foundation
7
ED Hirsch also linked the two. He argued that it is not possible to
develop a skill independently of a context of knowledge.
His early research was about literacy, and he found that children
performed better at a whole range of reading skills when they were
familiar with the context of what they were reading. If they were
reading about, say, ballet dancing and already know something about it,
then their skills were better – even to the point of being able to
recognise words they could not recognise in unfamiliar contexts.
He argues that children from wealthier backgrounds tend to do better at
school because they have a wider range of of knowledge and so are
more likely to be familiar with any given context.
© Curriculum Foundation
8
In his “Curriculum Design Handbooks”, Brian Male suggests that
knowledge is important in itself, but it also provides a context for
developing skills:
“You can’t learn to solve a problem unless you have a problem to solve.
You can’t learn to think critically unless you have something to think
about. You can’t learn to work in a team unless the team has some
activity to engage in. The curriculum subjects provide a rich source of
problems, things to think about and activities.
And when we apply learning through competencies, subject
understanding becomes deeper. It is a win-win situation.”
© Curriculum Foundation
9
So, what are the competencies? How many are there?
There is no one ‘right’ set of competencies. Different
countries have different sets – but there is a similarity
around:
•
•
•
•
Critical thinking – problem solving
Working co-operatively
Communicating well
Innovation - creativity
The current English Secondary National Curriculum has the
6 ‘Personal, learning and thinking skills” (PLTS). The neverimplemented Rose Primary Curriculum had the “Essentials
of Learning and Life”. The new English National Curriculum
does not include competencies – so, given their importance
internationally, you might like to develop your own as a
school.
© Curriculum Foundation
10
Developing a Set of Competencies
A good place to start would be with
your ‘Stick Person’ from Unit 1.
Have you listed any competencies
here? Could you put things together?
Are there any similarities with the
international examples? Can you make
a list? (You could start with AIVIRAS !)
A word of warning: Don’t write too
many. Most people find that four or
five is a manageable number. Beyond
that, they just get confusing.
© Curriculum Foundation
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