Knowledge is power and education is the foundation of sustainable progress. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”. Importantly, education is the one element of human progress and evolution that needs to be looked at more closely. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act), a landmark legislation which aimed to provide free and compulsory elementary education for children between six and 14 years of age, came into effect on 1 April 2010. It is an attempt to deliver quality and equitable education to every child, irrespective of the income levels, caste, creed and sex, in a formal school which would have standard as laid down by the Act. The state and local governments are legally bound to follow its norms. The states have the power to refuse to grant or withdraw recognition to schools that do not adhere to the prescribed minimum quality, standards and rules.
Competency-based learning (CBL) is an approach towards Teaching, Learning and Assessment that primarily gives attention to the student’s projection of desired learning outcomes as central to the process of learning. Teaching that implements CBL methodology works to strengthen the students and provide them with a relevant and beneficial learning experience. The process is centered around the learner and proactively imbibes the learning process in his/her life. It lays significance on the real-world applications of skills and knowledge. CBE validates the experience of learning at the school level.
The NEP 2020 calls for a ‘shift from [an assessment system] that is summative and primarily tests rote memorisation skills to one that is more regular and formative, is more competency-based, promotes learning development for our students, and tests higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking and conceptual clarity and encouraging and helping school boards to shift their assessment patterns towards meeting the skills requirements of the 21st century. Competency is a set of skills, abilities, knowledge that helps an individual perform a given task in real life. Every learning should go into the imbibing of skills that will help the individual perform tasks or take actions to lead a productive and joyful life.
Several competencies are required here to succeed, and all these competencies or skill sets should also be acquired in the process of learning or schooling, only then school education would be considered effective and fruitful. Competency-based learning or Competency based Education (CBE) is an outcome‐based approach to education to ensure proficiency in learning by students through demonstration of the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes required for dealing with real life situations at the age and grade appropriate level. It is an approach to teaching, learning, and assessment that focuses on the student’s demonstration of learning outcomes and attaining proficiency in particular competencies in each subject. Teaching which uses a CBE methodology works to empower students and provide them with a meaningful and positive learning experience. It places the learner at the center and actively engages them in the learning process. It emphasizes real-world applications of knowledge and skills and the authenticity of the learning experience. It is a result-based approach to education that focuses on what comes out of post-secondary education — what graduates know and can do — rather than what goes on in the curriculum. With a competency-based approach, we are not going to plan a course syllabus by defining content and readings. Rather, we begin by considering the competencies and then choose the material, readings and assignments to encourage student achievement of those competencies. Through competency-based education, testing is incorporated in every step of the learning process in order to provide feedback and encouragement to students in the area of mastery. This increased level of assessment is designed to build capacity in real time.
In practice, competency-based learning can take a wide variety of forms from state to state or school to school—there is no single model or universally used approach. While schools often create their own competency-based systems, they may also use systems, models, or strategies created by state education agencies or outside educational organizations. Competency-based learning is more widely used at the elementary level, although more middle schools and high schools are adopting the approach. As with any educational strategy, some competency-based systems may be better designed or more effective than others.
While the goal of competency-based learning is to ensure that more students learn what they are expected to learn, the approach can also provide educators with more detailed or fine-grained information about student learning progress, which can help them more precisely identify academic strengths and weakness, as well as the specific concepts and skills students have not yet mastered. Since academic progress is often tracked and reported by learning standard in competency-based courses and schools, educators and parents often know more precisely what specific knowledge and skills students have acquired or may be struggling with. For example, instead of receiving a letter grade on an assignment or test, each of which may address a variety of standards, students are graded on specific learning standards, each of which describes the knowledge and skills students are expected to acquire.
Traditional and Competency based education
In traditional education, the year is set out in advance for every student. Thus, at the end of each unit, every student must move forward, whether or not they fully understand the material or have mastered the necessary skills. All students in a classroom must be the same age. On the other hand, competency based education is flexible to the students and where they are in the learning process. That means students are given the support they need individually to move forward and master the subject and inherent skills. Instead of moving forward based on age, students move forward based on where they are and what they are capable of. Traditionally, learning outcomes are focused on memorization and comprehension with the goal of passing tests. In competency based learning, the focus is placed on deep understanding that is demonstrated through application. This means that learning outcomes are proven by action, and focus on building the skills students need to become better learners into adulthood. Traditional grades are made up of test scores, assignments, and behavior. Competency based education scores are based on the performance levels of each student, without bias. In the case of traditional time-based models, Instructional Design is driven by textbooks and standards. However, in competency-based learning, Instructional Design is driven by learners. In the traditional model, instructional planning is based on an infrequent feedback loop, while in competency-based learning, it’s based on a continuous feedback loop. Also, interventions and personalization are generic and sporadic in traditional time-based models. However, they are timely, differentiated, and based on learners’ needs in competency-based learning.
Key Features of the CBL approach
Equity for all students: equity refers to customized learning opportunities that aid each student to attain the same end goals. CBE requires all schools to identify, comprehend and eradicate all kinds of bias from the learning. Differentiated support based on student’s individual learning needs: The method is designed to meet different learning abilities and definitely leads to more efficient student outcomes. Progress based on evidence of mastery rather than time in the classroom: a basic fundamental of CBE is that it lays significance on mastery. Students are not permitted to continue until they have demonstrated mastery of all the competencies i.e. the desired learning outputs to be displayed. The use of formative assessment, particularly peer and self-assessment, where students are encouraged to reflect on their own work and identify areas for improvement
Practical Benefits of CBL
Focus on Mastery: The main aim of competency-based learning is that learners are not allowed to move to the next level of training unless they demonstrate mastery of some specific skills. To ensure the best results, you should set a clear desired learning outcome right from the beginning of the course modules. By doing so, learners are able to understand what needs to be done to attain mastery of the skills. Also, ensure you provide them with quality feedback when needed to help them progress and acquire the right knowledge.
Integrated Development: One of the benefits of competency-based learning is that it focuses on the holistic development of learners. With this learning approach, learners can learn how to acquire knowledge and skills and apply them to real-life problems. It also helps them to develop the attitude of wanting to learn more and build their skills.
Relevance To Real-World: Without a doubt, competency-based learning helps learners become relevant in the real world. That’s because it focuses more on the practical application of acquired knowledge. So, to enable your employees to become relevant with your competency-based learning, ensure you create effective instructional modules. However, ensure the modules don’t just state facts but also utilize case studies and scenarios that trigger the practical application of knowledge.
Role of teachers
Teachers are more critical than ever in a personalized learning environment where relationship-building and trust form the foundation for everything that happens in the classroom. In a personalized, competency-based classroom, teachers are moving between groups of learners, facilitating discussions, helping students explore and set goals, or may be engaged in more direct instruction with a few students at a time. Their classrooms may offer flexible seating and students participate in decisions about how and where they learn. They may be working independently or grouped based on what they’re working on. Just as the teacher supports their students to take risks and try new things without fear of failure, they’re supported in turn by district leaders who foster a collaborative school culture. Everyone is working together, every step of the way. In a traditional, teacher-centered classroom, teachers ask questions and students answer.
Teachers choose what students will be working on and when and deliver direct instruction, often to the whole class at once. Conversely, in a student-centered, personalized classroom the teacher works with students and has the resources and supports that they need to take risks and follow their students’ lead. In a literacy lesson, for example, a teacher may work with a small group of students whose assessments show they need support in the same skill area, while other students work through learning stations with tasks designed to strengthen their learning. Students benefit from individually-paced, targeted learning tasks that start from where the student is, formatively assess existing skills and knowledge and address the student’s needs and interests.
Teachers are merely facilitators for the transfer of knowledge and skills and provide guidance by creating positive thinking and encouraging learning patterns. These key principles, guided by a coherent and rigorous set of educational objectives, lead to a deeper learning process with the results needed to prepare each student for college, career and civic life. Teachers will have to devote large amounts of time to creating activities related to the specific skills necessary to fulfill the competency requirements. Teachers must determine exactly what and how well students must perform in order to master the competency.
Role of students
With a competency-based approach, students advance when they have demonstrated mastery of competency, which is described as ‘a combination of skills, abilities and expertise required to perform a task in a specific context. Mastery is the only determinant of success, which means that delivery options are increasing and growing because any instructional method or instructional provider that can push a student towards mastery is theoretically acceptable. Students will no longer be able to rely only on the teacher and the classroom to be the primary sources of information. Instead, students become apprentices. Their role will be to integrate, produce, and extend knowledge. Students take an active part in their own learning and work toward being autonomous learners. They learn to think critically and to adapt and transfer knowledge across a variety of settings. Because expectations and standards are clear and precise, students have to be committed to continuing to work on each competency, mastering it, and then progressing to another. Students may be resistant to this approach in the beginning, especially if they do not see any real need for learning the language.
Successful classroom interaction depends on student participation. Students need to find ways to motivate themselves and find ways to apply information to their own lives and to integrate it into the classroom. Students should fully support in developing academic knowledge and skills, the ability to apply what they have learned to solve real-world problems and the capacities they need to become an independent and lifelong learner. They should feel safe and willing to put forward their best effort to take on challenging knowledge and skills because they have a deep sense of belonging; feel that their culture, the community and their voice is valued; and see on a daily basis that everyone in the school is committed to learning. They should get opportunity and support to learn the skills that allow them to take responsibility for learning and exercise independence.
They should avail the opportunity to learn anytime, anywhere, with flexibility to take more time when they need it to fully master or go deeper and to pursue ways of learning and demonstrating learning that are relevant to their interest and future. They should receive timely feedback, instruction, and support based on where they are on their learning progression to make necessary progress on their personalized pathway to graduation. Their learning is measured by progress on learning targets rather than level of participation, effort, or time in the classroom.
Preparing all students for success in the modern world requires moving away from the traditional model of education to one that ensures equity and promotes deep student engagement and learning. Competency-based education is designed to meet this challenge, and its implementation is growing rapidly and it needs full support of educators, students, parents and members of the Society.
(Author is a regular writer for this newspaper and can be reached at [email protected])
