I know the title sounds strong, and more in my case as an author convinced
that learning is always possible, so I want to make clear that I don’t have any
problem with the model of competences, actually I believe is very good, because
it focuses the student as axis of learning in the middle of a rich and
stimulating environment, developing skills and competencies for the future.
However, the model was crashed directly against the wall when the Spanish and
Mexican educational system decided to use it.
The concept competition began to
be part of the educational vocabulary in 1974 after an attempt of objective
assessment of learning. The proposal of the model comes from the idea that it
was possible to design, development and curricular evaluation to include the
learn to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be, as
part of the resolution of problems, all those key concepts included in a text
of the UNESCO and which would be the basis of the education of late 20th
century.
Other background of the competence approach is found in the Bologna
Declaration, signed by the European Ministers of education and the Tuning
project developed in Europe (Cazares Andrade, 2008).
Both projects has as objective reforming education, the Tuning project is
the answer given by a group of universities to the challenge imposed by the
Bologna Declaration (Declaration of Bologna, 1999 and Tuning: Europe). Both
seek to raise the specific generic and disciplinary competences.
Both models have previous experience at European countries, such as the
projects of thematic networks of Socrates and Erasmus and the pilot of the
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System projects as background (Tuning
Europe).
The idea of
competencies is not focusing exclusively on developing knowledge and skills,
rather the idea is achieved that the student is capable of understanding a
problem and take action to solve it on the basis of the body of knowledge as part
of a developed cognitive goal processes.
In this
sense a competition can be seen from
different perspectives, for example "the usual and prudent use of information,
communication, knowledge, technical skills which may include clinical
reasoning, emotions, values and reflection in everyday practice for the benefit
of the individual and his community" (cited in García, Loredo, Luna
and Rueda, 2008).
Another usual
definition is afforded the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
that defines competition such as: the ability to respond to the demands or
carry out tasks successfully and consistent with the cognitive and
non-cognitive dimensions (cited in the Muñoz Araya, 2011).
Although it should
be noted that some authors focus competition in the domain of a practice, as Bruner
explains: what people learn is competition (cognitive) not the specific action
of doing something (cited in García, Loredo, Luna and Rueda, 2008).
Also the model seeks
to develop different skills in order to resolve multiple situations that may
occur in the academic or professional field.
At the Higher
Education did not appear any problem with this model where the student not only
was able to reproduce information, but to develop the ability to make use of it
and benefit in a social way. The model for a few European centers is installed
in Spain and hence reaches Mexico. The meaningful learning theory, finally
seemed applicable.
The romance began
to lose its charm when the model of competences did not propose new forms of
assessment related with the old traditional model and as explain Díaz, Flores and Osorio García (2011) and neither the
political proposal changed the teaching model and the combination produced an
educational disaster.
The competence model
is based on the student and their general ability to develop skills, but the old
model was focused on the content, this reason gave to the curricular design a
leading role in the development of materials, adding ornaments to the contents,
for example raising objectives of thematic units or open transversal contents
to help to the student to interact with the contents. There are no books
focuses on the skills of the student.
In Mexico the
model was an imposition to all education levels, from kindergarten to higher
education, this produced a redesign of contents, programs, new books are
designed, or at least that it was said, the change was enormous because the
goal was achieve coherence among all academic levels, refocus the mission of
higher education, and connect to the labor world. All steps have been taken,
but the cost, at least in Mexico and Spain, has been the highest rate of
unemployment among graduates, as well as the biggest number of students leaving
the educational options.
One of the
biggest problems was the role of the teacher, because this was not analyzed
(Ion and Cano, 2011; Diaz Flores and Osorio Garcia, 2011) and the copy of the Spanish
model without a socio-cultural analysis background (Ruíz López, 2011).
Curricular
changes were discussed from a political level without a serious review of the
needs of learners, some programs of higher education only changed the names, and
all changes went through consultations of opinion, falling into a political
issue. So the same teachers were making up new practices with no idea how to do
it. Do not need much analysis to see the error of Spain and how has been
followed by Mexico so closely.
The mistakes about how
to handle competences are so
obvious specially with High School education text books, all of them are littered with concepts, with information
that does not help to solve problems, and assessments made at the old fashion,
with multiple choices because that way teachers can evaluate more quickly.
In higher
education, Mexico is still teaching the old theories, with teachers who insist
in making feel the student that does not know anything and imposing his opinion
first and foremost. The student?, continues being the body that does not think nor is able to
solve problems, only serves to create them if one day has the audacity to ask something outside
script of the professor.
Within this
context, it seems the model by competencies has no future, but examples such as
Brazil and the India have shown that there are successful stories and analysis,
those countries have been capable to create elite educational systems, and China
and Japan are following the same steps.
The Tuning
project continues working slow but steady, analyzing and working hard in
Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Increasingly more stories focused
on understanding the learning focused on the student and the environment, daily
efforts seek to achieve successful students that can find employment to give a
future to their families, their community and help their country going forward.
From this log, the bet is in the neurocognition, I do believe we can create a
flexible thinking and solving problems skills.
I just wrote an
article where I analyzed the skills and attitudes that are academically
desirable and which companies are looking for. The differences are not only
clear but alarming. While Academy is the centered of knowledge does not allow
creativity, the resolution of problems, flexible thinking, high capacity of
adaptation, originality or the sense of humor, companies desperate for these
skills and attitudes that enable the development of job skills.
Education at all levels
must be reformulated; again no doubt, perhaps a flexible curriculum can be the
answer, where students can find capabilities and talents as an option, rather
than the generic knowledge-centered model. Meanwhile, the brightest minds on
the planet seek answers, not in the academies, but in open discussion forums,
where business men have so much to say and teach.
I still believe
that the competence model is a good option, perhaps not the only, or the best,
but certainly only need a different environment. Maybe with different policies
and a precise goal: the student and his or her talent.
I personally,
worked with it during 17 years, and it was so nice to see surprised students
with their own capacity to solve problems.
Alma Dzib Goodin
If you would like to know more about my writing you can visit my web site:
http://www.almadzib.com
If you would like to know more about my writing you can visit my web site:
http://www.almadzib.com
Referencias:
Andrade Cázares
RA. (2008) El enfoque por competencias en educación. Ide@s CONCYTEG. 3 (38) 53-64.
Araya Muñoz, MI.
(2011) Competencias en educación: Ideas para el diseño curricular desde la
deliberación práctica y crítica, basada
en el desarrollo humano y la transformación social. Revista Electrónica
Educare. XV (1) 42-58.
Declaración de
Bolonia (1999) Disponible en red: http://eees.umh.es/contenidos/Documentos/DeclaracionBolonia.pdf
Diaz Flores, M.,
y Osorio García, E. (2011) Nuevo modelo educativo ¿mismos docentes?. Tiempo de
Educar. 12 (23) 29-46.
Dzib Goodin, A.
(2011) Aprender a aprender: la visión neurocognitiva. Disponible en red: http://neurocognicionyaprendizaje.blogspot.com/2011/10/aprender-aprender-la-vision.html
Dzib Goodin, A. (2012) The learning process: Much more than just going
to school. Education 5-0. Disponible en red: http://education50.com/issue/mar-apr-2012/article/the-learning-process-much-more-than-just-going-to-school1
Dzib Goodin, A. (2012) What is the secret behind sucessful students?. Evolllution. Disponible en red:
http://www.evolllution.com/curriculum_planning/what-is-the-secret-behind-successful-students/
García, B.,
Loredo, J., Luna, E., y Rueda, M. (2008) Modelo de evaluación de competencias
docentes para la educación media y superior. Revista Iberoamericana de
Evaluación Educativa. 1 (3) 97- 108.
Ion, G., y Cano,
E. (2011) El proceso de implementación de la evaluación por competencia en la
Educación Superior. Un Estudio sobre el rol de los cargos académicos. Revista
de Investigación en Educación. 9 (1) 246-258.
López Ruíz, JI.
(2011) Un giro copernicano en la enseñanza universitaria. Revista de Educación.
356. 279-301.
Tuning Europa. Espacio
Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Educación Superior. Disponible en red: http://www.oui-iohe.org/campus/eles/proyecto-tuning/tuning-europa/
Very interesting!, there is a need of a right enviroment to any theory. I appreciate too the conference, your knowledge is always a treasure.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt, it's not possible just copy models in education
ReplyDeleteThank you Dolores and Carine:
ReplyDeleteI think the big mistake is not copy the models, because certainly they can work for some countries, but most of the time we think about the curricula, and the mistake is not thinking about the persons, the Human resources, teachers, students and even parents, and the nature of the societu where you want to work that curricula. At least that's the way I see it