Does Competency Based Education means the end of the empire of textbooks??!

I worked in 4 universities in the Middle East(Gulf region). In three of the four universities, I lived the experience of renewing our existing program or getting approved new ones. A common traditional feature that I always noticed, especially in EFL or translation courses/programs...even in education courses themselves, is the swift rush to recommend textbooks as if the entire knowledge frames exist in this one or two textbooks. I have never heard any of the institutions use the name competency or competence. Perhaps the competency model does not align well with traditional public-funded universities. They follow a curriculum paradigm that has been going on since over 150 years and inherited form primary and secondary education systems. Usually leading unemployment of the graduates and  to stagnation.

Competency Models need hard work, pedagogical engineering skills and ongoing updates. It is a model that prepares students for real, authentic, lifelong abilities . It is more dynamic and more rewarding for 21st type of generation. It stresses the link between society, economy and the educational institution. It requires teachers, instructors or faculty to design and prepare learning and performance environments customised to specific students needs, market demands and national priorities. It is a different world. More challenging. Without a real pedagogical know-how, teachers/ instructor /faculty will find it difficult to engage in a competency model.

In the case of EFL, authentic and customised life/ context/work oriented learning and performance environment enhanced with experiential and project based pedagogies seem to  be the way ahead.

Research is needed to revamp our curriculum practices and create significant learning & performance activities for our students. Linking and communicating with the world of practice through research and developments is a key requirement in this endeavour.

Teacher's knowledge framework???

 

Teacher knowledge and competencies are worth discussing, exploring and investigating. Nothing is taken for granted by just having a PhD or MA in a discipline. After COVID experience, a new type of knowledge and skills were added to the inventory of what instructors or future teachers at various levels of educational degrees need to appreciate and get trained in.

In any discipline , this is a requirement and professional development is then  needed for certain. Yes, research is very important when it comes to higher education, but also pedagogical and instructional abilities are necessary, especially in professionally oriented types of disciplines/ Vocational training. Neither lecturing nor mere repetitive and experiential learning alone would fill up the noticed gap. We  also need a cluster of other components comprised of knowledge skills and abilities as well.

Schuller(1986-1992) referred to the importance of the pedagogy and content knowledge. This is key variable to align with in designing and developing courses for sure. With the significant development in technologies in instruction, another paradigm emerged adding both the 'technology' and ' pedagogy ' components to Schulman's framework. That was was Sharma (2009-2012) referred to as TPCK knowledge ( Technological, Pedagogical, Content Knowledge) framework that teachers/ instructors/ faculty need to align with and impalements in either K12 or Higher Ed . This is a more comprehensive and efficient approach. Integrated , yet, comprehensive and sustainable.

See details about this theme in general education or in application to certain domains ( translation/interpreting/multilingual studies/EFL) in my next podcasts ( coming up).