THE
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES
Competency 1
To act as a professional who is inheritor, critic and interpreter of
knowledge or culture when teaching students.
I have to demonstrate my understanding of the subject-specific
and program-specific knowledge I should teach. This will allow
me to offer tools necessary to my students so that they can create
meaningful links to understand the world around them. I need to
be critical not only to my own cultural background, bearing in
mind that it has its potential and limitations but also to the
course content as well. I have to estimate the impact those
cultural and social aspects (included in the content) will have on
my students’ own culture and judge whether these subject matters
make the world significant for them.
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Competency 2
To communicate clearly in the language of instruction, both
orally and in writing, using correct grammar, in various contexts
related to teaching.
I must communicate clearly in appropriate English, orally as
well as in written form so as to be understood by my students and
the teaching professionals. I must master the rules of oral and
written expressions when addressing my colleagues and my
students’ parents in different contexts with relation to teaching,
without making errors of any kind, expressing myself with ease,
precision and efficiency.
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Competency 3
To develop teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to
the students concerned and the subject content with a view to
developing the competencies targeted in the programs of study.
As a designer, I should be able to conceive practical, productive
and useful teaching material for different learning situations,
where the student is in the heart of the learning process. The
designed content should contribute to improve the student’s
ability to gain mastery of the language for both short and long
terms, and enable him to invest his previous knowledge, to solve
challenging problems, bearing in mind the ultimate goal of the
planned activities which is the student’s mastery of the different
competencies.
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Competency 4
To pilot teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the
students concerned and to the subject content with a view to
developing the competencies targeted in the programs of study.
I should be able to conduct learning and evaluation situations
(LES) in a way to help students carry out tasks efficiently, taking
into consideration their level/grade and their different needs
with regard to the subject to be covered and the competencies to be
developed according to the MELS program. I should also lead the
students to work together in cooperation using the available
resources that would allow me to help them overcome any arising
problem that would prevent them from going through the whole
process. As stakeholder, I should act as a go-between; I have to
conciliate
learners
and
learning.
To
achieve
this
level
of
competency, I should know how to direct the students, within a
highly motivating climate, where they are likely to acquire more
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proficiency. Moreover, I should find ways to awaken my students’
curiosity and common sense.
Competency 5
To evaluate student progress in learning the subject content and
mastering the related competencies.
I should be able to evaluate the students’ learning through
observable
elements
using
different
materials
designed
with
colleagues. Tests and assignments can act as a way to measure not
only the students’ progress in the subject they are learning but
also their mastery of the targeted linguistic competency as well. To
optimise its validity, I should conceive the evaluation strategy
and conduct it in a way to reflect the students’ results. These
results, when showing weaknesses, should be followed by the
adjustments needed in the teaching as well as in the learning
processes. In addition, I should communicate these results to the
students themselves, and to the parents using the appropriate
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tools. Moreover, I should be aware of the difference between
“performance”
translate
which
his/her
communicative
consists
linguistic
activities
and
in
the
student’s
knowledge
capacity
through
“competency”
which
to
different
is
the
linguistic knowledge of the student. Thus, I should not forget that
the ultimate goal behind evaluation is to target the students’
competency” not their “performance”.
Competency 6
To plan, organize and supervise a class in such a way as to
promote students’ learning and social development.
I should not only provide students with the appropriate activities
aiming to stimulate and foster their learning but I am also
responsible for the way these activities are handled in class. This
implicates that I should introduce and maintain routines, apply
methods to solve behavioural and organizational problems I might
have anticipated. In this way, I offer an ideal learning atmosphere
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that makes me gain credibility among my own students, the
teaching staff as well as the parents. Concerning the physical
management of the class environment, I should consider several
details such as the teaching material, disciplinary measures,
inter-activity transitions; all of them fall into the same category.
Nevertheless, it may take many years of trial, errors and hard
times before a teacher manages to conjugate these techniques to his
or her main duty which is facilitating knowledge.
Competency 7
To adapt his or her teaching to the needs and characteristics of
students
with
learning
disabilities,
social
maladjustments
or
handicaps.
I have to accommodate, adjust and customize my teaching so that
it meets the students’ needs, age, preferences and other aspects
necessary to the development of a successful learning process. My
mission is to save the potential I observe in my students, to be
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aware of the various difficulties that may affect my learners’
performance that are not always easy to detect, and try to prevent
them before even they occur, or at least lessen them. I must also
synchronize my teaching with the more specific category of
learners, those with learning disabilities taking into account
their learning rate. To ensure a better integration of these
students, I need to acquire different strategies allowing me to
detect the different difficulties and react to them.
Competency 8
To integrate information and communications technologies (ICT)
in the preparation and delivery of teaching/learning activities
and for instructional management and professional development
purposes.
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I should be able to demonstrate critical judgement vis-à-vis the
advantages and the drawbacks of ICTs and the internet when I
use
them
in
teaching
and
learning
situations.
I
should
understand the possibilities they offer me and manage to integrate
them appropriately in my activities as well as in the different
aspects of my intellectual and professional life. In addition, I
should transmit this ability to my students so that they construct
learning
in
an
efficient
and
critical
way
when
used
in
performing tasks related to class matter.
My preparation of this web folio is a good proof of my developing
this competency.
Competency 9
To
cooperate
with
school
staff,
parents,
partners
in
the
community and students in pursuing the educational objectives of
the school.
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The educational reform urges me to situate my role in the school
in relation to the resource persons (internal and external ones)
and show me how to collaborate with them as well as with the
school staff in order to achieve the expected results. Different
devices are set up in order to facilitate and coordinate efforts to
adjust my actions to the educational objectives of the school. I
should also contribute to attain these objectives by participating
in school projects and building a trusting relationship with
parents.
Competency 10
To cooperate with members of the teaching team in carrying out
tasks
involving
the
development
and
evaluation
of
the
competencies targeted in the programs of study, taking into
account the students concerned.
Now, teachers are not only given the opportunity to contribute to
the making of the curriculum to be covered in the class, they are
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also given the time for that. 25% of the whole teaching period
will be devoted to the choice of the course content and the
development of personal strategies and methods, suitable for both
teachers’
and
students’
profiles.
What
is
called:”collective
professionalism” is a part of the reform, inciting teachers to join
their colleagues and work together as a one single team to achieve
better results. Thanks to the reform, teachers are learning how to
collaborate, aiming to bring into a real fusion their respective
efforts, providing constructive criticism to one another and
making innovative suggestions to improve their teaching. At the
primary level for instance, “teaching teams” are settled to allow
teachers to exchange ideas, strategies and teaching material. At
the secondary level, “reference groups” provide the teachers with
more opportunities to unify their methods since they are dealing
with the same set of students.
They are also called upon to join
their efforts as to the learning content and teaching material.
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Competency 11
To engage in professional development individually and with
others.
I should demonstrate how to use the various resources at my
disposal after I identify and understand the ones I need for my
teaching. I should also identify my personal objectives and the
means to achieve them bearing in mind that I have strengths to
rely on and weaknesses to correct when questioning myself on
specific aspects related to my teaching. Moreover, my colleagues’
feedback should be of great benefit for me to improve and develop
professionally in order to provide more support to my learners.
I think the best example to show that I have developed this
competency is the work I have achieved with Nicoleta concerning
the teacher interview in Jim's course. It was a nice opportunity to
share a task with a person I didn't know before.
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Since my arrival here in Québec, I have not stopped joining teams
and searching for opportunities to get engaged in professional
development for a quicker integrate into the host society. Through
paid jobs as well as in volunteer work, I have learned so much
about social interaction here in Quebec.
Competency 12
To demonstrate ethical and responsible professional behaviour
in the performance of his or her duties.
I should be responsible, when working with students, for the fact
that I am in charge of these students. Consequently, the school
staff would trust me and recommend that I take care of students. I
should answer to others for my actions by providing wellfounded reasons.
It is necessary that in any job and especially in teaching, I have
to behave in the appropriate way to establish a kind of
democracy dealing with discipline troubles that may occur in
class.
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