Teachers’ Competences
6 October 2014
Caroline Kearney
Senior Project Manager & Education Analyst
Competences are…
Knowledge
A dynamic and
complex
combination of
Skills
Attitudes
Leading to
effective action
in the real world
Teacher Competence Frameworks
National level: Huge variety of approaches to definition &
implementation of Teacher Competence Framework (TCF),
ranging from broad competence sets (e.g. Finland) to
prescriptive lists (e.g. UK).
Teacher Competence Frameworks
At EU/international level:
• A comprehensive general TCF does not exist; only frameworks for specific subject
areas (e.g. UNESCO’s ICT Competency Framework for Teachers; European
Profile of Language Teacher Education)
• 3 broad areas of competence were defined in 2005 in the policy document:
Common European Principles for Teacher Competences & Qualifications
(European Commission, 2005)
• International literature review on teachers’ competences, standards and
development: Teachers’ Core Competences: requirements and development
(European Commission Thematic Working Group on Professional Development of
Teachers, 2011)
3 Broad Areas of Competence for Teachers
1) Work with Others
•
•
Work effectively with Learners
Collaborate with Colleagues
Common European Principles for Teacher Competences
& Qualifications (EC, 2005)
3 Broad Areas of Competence for Teachers
2) Work with and in Society
•
•
Effectively work with local community & education stakeholders
(e.g. parents, teacher education institutions, cultural
organizations, businesses etc.)
Prepare learners to be globally responsible citizens
Common European Principles for Teacher Competences
& Qualifications (EC, 2005)
3 Broad Areas of Competence for Teachers
3) Work with Knowledge, Technology & Information
• Good subject knowledge & pedagogical knowledge
• Ability to integrate technology effectively to enhance teaching &
learning
• Ability to access, analyse, validate, reflect on, transmit, and build on
information effectively
Common European Principles for Teacher Competences
& Qualifications (EC, 2005)
Teachers’ Knowledge
1. Subject matter knowledge
2. Pedagogical subject knowledge
6. Developmental psychology
7. Inclusion & Diversity issues
8. New Technologies
3. Pedagogical knowledge
9. Educational Policies (contextual, institutional,
organizational aspects)
4. Curricular knowledge
5. Educational sciences (historical,
philosophical, psychological, sociological
etc.)
10. Group dynamics, learning theories &
motivational issues
11. Evaluation & assessment processes &
methods
Literature Review on Teachers’ Core Competences
(EC, 2011)
Teachers’ Skills
1. Planning, managing & coordinating
teaching
2. Using teaching materials and
technologies
3. Managing students and groups
4. Monitoring and assessing learning
5. Collaborating with colleagues, parents
and social services
6. Negotiating skills
7. Collaborative, reflective, interpersonal
skills for learning in professional
communities
8. Ability to adapt to multi-level dynamics
(from government policies, to student,
classroom and school dynamics)
9. Ability to draw conclusions &
decisions from interpreting evidence &
data
Literature Review on Teachers’ Core Competences
(EC, 2011)
Teachers’ Attitudes/Values
1. Commitment to one’s subject/s; awareness of its historical development,
current status & relation to other subject areas
2. Disposition to adapting to change
3. Commitment to promoting the learning of all students
4. Disposition to developing students into democratic citizens
5. Disposition to lifelong learning
6. Disposition to self-reflection & questioning one’s own practices
Literature Review on Teachers’ Core Competences
(EC, 2011)
Interested in developing your competences?
KeyCoNet Online
Course ‘Competences
for 21st Century
Schools’
Start date: 17 Nov. 2014
Registration now open:
http://www.europeansch
oolnetacademy.eu/web/k
eyconet
Monitor how your
competences
develop by
participating in the
eTwinning
monitoring activity
Launch: Week of
13 October 2014
KeyCoNet Final
Conference on
Integrating
CompetenceBased Learning
into Education
25-26 Nov. 2014
Register:
http://keyconet.eu
n.org/conference