Page 16 - EdSource Issue No02

16 Focus on Curriculum

UNPACKING

COMPETENCY BASED

CURRICULUM (CBC)

DR JULIUS OTUNDO

to have a convergence to the 21st
Traditional educational approaches work and in the community. century world view demands for
have been more concerned with a worker, entrepreneur and/or
the transmission of knowledge and McClelland defined the term business person. It is predicted that
skills than with the introduction of competency as, “a sum of the jobs of the future will definitely
values and attitudes, or, in other knowledge, skills, and aptitudes, be very different from the jobs that
words, with the holistic upbringing which contributes to the capacity exist today. The world is changing
of learners “competent for life”. of a person to effectively perform extremely very fast. Untimely
However, already by the end of the duties and responsibilities of emergence of COVID-19 clearly
the 20th century it became clear the occupied job; in other words, indicated to us how unprepared we
that education should have a to be competent”. In this concept, are that led the closure of learning
more relevant role in fostering we could look at competencies in due to lack of technology and digital
achievement of individuals’ aims three perspectives: literacy in our learning institutions.
and also social and economic Behavioural approach:
welfare. All these created the Competence as a set of abilities that Taxonomy of competences
breeding ground for the emergence ensure productivity in the labour Designing learning based on
of the concept of “competence”. market. In this approach, with roots competences also requires defining
However, for the time being, there in the United States, competences the type of competences we are
is not a unique, distinct definition are understood as a demonstration working with, namely:
of “competence”, which makes of behavior; i.e., the traits that allow
it scarcely operative and hinders him/her to perform professionally. Basic competences: related to
application in educational planning. Functional or generic approach: basic education (compulsory
In this context, competence is being Competence as the knowledge, school period); they refer to the
used non-uniformly, and often as skills, and aptitudes that make set of minimum requirements that
a mere declaration of intent, and people able to solve a task under a contemporary citizen should
this is creating ambiguity regarding set conditions. It seeks to identify acquire at the end of compulsory
the design of competence based abilities and features that explain schooling. They include curricular
learning. variation in performance in specific competences (relative to different
contexts. domains of knowledge, or subjects)
The onset of the 21st century, Constructivist-holistic and transversal competences
coincident with the turn of the approach: Competence as the (broad, integrative skills required
millennium, meant a turning knowledge about how to mobilize for the holistic development of
point in several areas: education, the elements of the competence in learners;
environment, and economic order to solve a task satisfactorily; to
development among others. want, to have personal motivation; Technical- professional

Education, thus, appears as central and to be able to do, thanks to a competences: linked to vocational
to personal and community context and conditions that make training (post-compulsory
development; its mission is to enable the solution of the task possible. secondary education), including
learners, without exception, to qualification- specific competences
develop their talents to the full and Why is CBC important for a 21st
The Reggio Emilia
to realize their creative potential, Century graduate? (analogous to the curricular
competences) and the transversal
Approach
including responsibility for their The jobs of the 21st century require ones (which are subject to
own lives and achievement of each critical thinking and problem training and development all
individual’s personal aims, but also solving skills. The concept of the way through schooling).
involvement in one’s social roles at Competency Based Education is Key competences: owned and

EdSource Quarterly | Oct-Dec l 2021