shaping competence: quality on transformative learning for schools
DESCRIPTION
Paper delivered at LINQ/EFQUEL Conference in Rethymnon, Crete on 8 May 2014TRANSCRIPT
Shaping Competence: Quality in Transformative Learning for Schools
Dr. Alan Bruce. ULS, IrelandKaterina Riviou, Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Greece
LINQ/EFQUEL: Crete, 8 May 2014
Competence overview
Future of European educational systems rests on skills, knowledge and attitudes of teachers
Move from largely curriculum centered process to competence is not easy
Standards, outcomes and measures drive curricula
Do these alone meet labor market needs or needs in a transformed socio-political universe?
Technology, learning and quality
Students learn more effectively in technologically enhanced environments
Technology is a tool not simply a solution
Technology supports quality – it informs and is informed by best practice
Move towards designing courses as interdisciplinary explorations
Learners learn within a community
Approaches and issues
Education informed by critical and reflective perspectives
Competence building upon standards Role of quality – conceptual issues Alternative to curriculum driven
systems Move from time based system to
learning based system All age groups included
Changing education
Technological resources and access Engaging families and communities Moving from teacher to student
focus Relationship to labor market Designing for difference: inclusion
and UDL The role of adult education and
lifelong learning Addressing the impact of change
Changing work
End of permanent jobs for life Casualization and degraded conditions Part-time and fragmented work Developing careers not jobs Adaptability Flexibility High entry level requirements Market focus Ethics and social responsibility Customer service quality and planning
Changing society
Decreasing workers’ share in national income in all countries
Labor productivity (up 85% since 1980) not reflected in wages (up 35%)
Declining social mobility Rising income inequality reflected in
declining equality of opportunity Urbanization and rural decline Mass unemployment and crisis
Globalized realities
Patterns of constant change Permanent migration mobility Outsourcing Flexible structures and modalities Obsolescence of job norms Knowledge economy Ecological pressures End of certainty
Innovation mantras
Innovation supporting learning Innovation supporting work Re-evaluation of traditional methods and
structures Changing needs Analyzing and responding to impact of
globalization Change without changing – innovation
with precedents Facing new realities – using evidence
Spectres at the gates
Persistence and increase in inequality
Permanent hopelessness of excluded Embedded violence Internal underclass Social polarization Stripping away rights Invisibility, ethnic difference and the
retreat to denial
Knowledge in transformation Commodification of knowledge Impact on education systems (Freire,
Illich, Field) Impact on work (Braverman, Haraszti,
Davis) Impact on community - alienation and
anomie From community to networking Knowledge and learning now centrally
linked as product and process dimensions
Traditional models
Conservative Strict Hierarchic Inflexible Memorization and recall focus Examination-driven Resistant to application of new
technologies
Potential models
Pupil/learner centered Competence driven Community focused Technologically enhanced International engagement focus Learning process (application modes) Individual value (humanistic
approach)
Current realities
Disruptive classroom behaviors Absenteeism Early school-leaving Teacher burnout Migration, integration and sustainability Literacy, numeracy, basic skills Languages Quality and governance
DG EAC (2008) European Education and Training Systems in the Second Decennium of the Lisbon Strategy, NESSE and ENEE.
Focus on competence
“Competence means the proven ability to use knowledge, skills and personal, social and/or methodological abilities, in work or study situations and in professional and personal development.”
European Commission, 2008
Competence Frameworks: DeSeCo (OECD 2000)
They are multifunctional They are transversal across all fields They refer to a higher order of mental
complexity, including active, reflective and responsible approaches to life
They are multidimensional, incorporating know-how, analytical, critical, creative and communication skills – as well as common sense
Competence education approach
Meaningful contexts Multidisciplinary approach Constructive learning Cooperative, interactive learning Discovery learning Reflective learning Personal learning
Teacher competency framework
The Competency Framework for Teachers articulates the complex nature of teaching by describing three professional elements of teachers’ work:
Skills
Knowledge
Attitudes/values
These elements work in an interrelated way as they are put into practice in classrooms.
Framework
Process
Who defined the key competences?
The European Reference Framework of Key Competences was defined in the Recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning adopted by the Council and the European Parliament in December 2006 as a result of five years of work by experts and government representation collaborating within the Open Method of Coordination.
Key competences
• Communication in the mother tongue• Communication in foreign languages• Mathematical competence and basic
competences in science and technology• Digital competence• Learning to learn• Social and civic competences• Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship• Cultural awareness and expression
TRANSIt: focuses on five competences.
Digital competence Learning to learn Social and civic competences Sense of initiative and
entrepreneurship Cultural awareness and
expression.
The five competences mentioned here are transversal. They are cross curricular and pervasive. They also support acquisition of all key competencies
TRANSIt: Main Objectives
To help teachers acquire and reinforce such skills and knowledge so that they can design cross-curricular activities that support the key competencies acquisition (KCA) of their students.
To support teachers in the process of assessing competences with the use of e-portfolios.
To raise the awareness of the administrative staff of schools in order to support teachers in bridging the gap between policy and practice (e.g. curricular reforms in order to support cross-curricular competence driven activities).
Also aimed at teachers’ collaboration with colleagues, in order ultimately to become innovation leaders in their institutions.
Target groups
TRANSIt consortium
Project relationships and synergies
TRANSIt
Conclusions
Schooling and education at a crossroads: both structure and process
Labor market and education increasingly connected
Planetary focus is on mobility, skills and innovation
Huge impact of increasing inequality of access and of resources
Crisis as the norm Addressing assessment Performance, standards, quality, reproducibility
and added value at the heart of competence
