Difference Between Traditional and Competence Based Curriculum
Competency based curriculum refer to system of
instruction, assessment, grading and academic reporting that are based on
student demonstrating that they have learned the knowledge and skills they have
expected to learn on the progress through their education. The general goal of
competency based curriculum is to ensure that students are acquiring knowledge
and skills that are deemed to be essential to success in school. High
education, careers and adult life. But if student fail to meet the expected
learning standards they typically receive addition instruction, practice time
and academic support to help them to achieve competency or meet the expected
standard.
Traditional based curriculum begins with
identifying activities for students. Is an educational curriculum which follows
established guidelines and practices. In this curriculum there is a set of
course which student must take to graduate and the order in which they are
presented and to the curriculum in the form of content taught in an individual
class.
The following are the five differences between
competency based curriculum and traditional based curriculum;
Competency-based learning refers to systems of
instruction, assessment, grading, and academic reporting that are based on
students demonstrating that they have learned the knowledge and skills they are
expected to learn as they progress through their education. In public schools,
competency-based systems use state learning standards to determine academic
expectations and define “competency” or “proficiency” in a given course,
subject area, or grade level (although other sets of standards may also be
used, including standards developed by districts and schools or by subject-area
organizations). While traditional based curriculum is an educational curriculum
which follows established guidelines and practices. This term can refer both to
a curriculum as a whole, as in the set of courses which students must take to
graduate and the order in which they are presented, and to the curriculum in
the form of the content taught in an individual class.
The general goal of competency-based learning
is to ensure that students are acquiring the knowledge and skills that are
deemed to be essential to success in school, higher education, careers, and
adult life. If students fail to meet expected learning standards, they typically
receive additional instruction, practice time, and academic support to help
them achieve competency or meet the expected standards. While the traditional
curriculum testing is used to measure accomplishment and progress. This
practice has also been criticized by educations, as standards-based curricula
can take on a “teach to the test” format in which students are provided with
information which will help them pass a test, but not necessarily with
information which they can use. For example, math education might be very based
on learning set formulas and ways of doing math, but not on developing math
skills which could be useful in real life.
Competency-based curriculum have become more
widely used by universities and colleges while traditional based is used in
primary and secondary school. This is due to the fact that in universities and
colleges students are taught what they are going to practice. For example, a
student who is studying educational course him/she is going to be a teacher,
also an engineer student is prepared to be an engineer. This is different in
primary and secondary school where by students learn so as to pass an
examination only.
competency-based learning requires mastery of
every individual learning outcome, making it very well suited to learning
credentials in which safety is an issue while traditional learning methods use
summative testing, With summative testing a student who has 80% in an
evaluation may have an 80% mastery of all learning outcomes or may have no
mastery what-so-ever of 20% of the learning outcomes. Further, this student may
be permitted to move on to higher learning and still be missing some abilities
that are crucial to that higher learning. For example, a student who knows most
traffic laws and has mostly mastered controlling a vehicle could be treated
equally to a student who has a very high mastery of vehicle control but no
understanding of traffic laws, but only one of those students should be
permitted to drive.
Competency-based curriculum is an approach to
teaching and learning more often used in learning concrete skills than abstract
learning. It differs from traditional curriculum in that the unit of learning
is extremely fine grained. Rather than a course or a module every individual
skill/learning outcome, known as a competency, is one single unit. Learners
work on one competency at a time, which is likely a small component of a larger
learning goal. The student is evaluated on the individual competency, and only
once they have mastered it do they move on to others. After that, higher or
more complex competencies are learned to a degree of mastery and isolated from
other topics. Another common component of Competency-based learning is the
ability to skip learning modules entirely if the learner can demonstrate they
already have mastery. That can be done either through prior learning assessment
or formative testing.
Also competence base and traditional have some
weakness and strength as explained bellow
Strengths of a competency-based curriculum. It
meets the immediate needs of businesses and professions; students are both
already working, and receive advancement within the company, or if unemployed,
are more likely to be employed once qualified.
Weakness of a competency-based curriculum. It
does not suit subject areas where it is difficult to prescribe specific
competencies or where new skills and new knowledge need to be rapidly
accommodated.
Strength of traditional based curriculum. It
is easy to prescribe specific competencies or where new skills and new
knowledge need to be rapidly accommodated.
Weakness of traditional based curriculum. The
use of summative testing produce learners who are not competent enough.
I prefer to use competency-based curriculum,
due to the number of factors explained below.
It enables learners with work or family
commitments to study at their own pace. For example those studying at Open
University of Tanzania are studying at their own pace but they are required to
meet for examination so as to test their competency.
Competence based curriculum involve students
working at their own rate and structuring their own methods of learning so as
to meet these objectives. This improve student’s creativity, as students use
their own knowledge and methods in studying.
The use of competence based curriculum in
Tanzania is highly needed as this is the only method which can improve
education system in both quality and quantity. But this does not mean that the
use of traditional curriculum should be slaughtered. What we want to emphasize
here is the interconnection between traditional and competence curriculum so as
to ‘making education better’.
Participatory versus non participatory teaching and learning methods.
Participatory method to teaching and learning
are active method that encourage people or learner to think for themselves.
Participants actively contribute to teach and learning, rather than passively
receiving information from outside expertise. The method encourage learner to
share information, learn from each other and work together to solve common
problem. This method increases responsibility for planning their own learning
sessions, they learn how to work together in a group, they also gain experience
in using the activities and visual tools to their own field work.
Non participatory method to teaching and
learning are passive method of learning and teaching where by learner regarded
as ‘tabula rasa’ who know nothing despite from listening to teacher. In this
method learner are passively receiving information from outside expertise.
The following are the participatory and
non-participatory methods.
Starting with participatory methods.
Group discussion. This refer to an organized
conversation on the relevant topic guided by the teacher in order to exchange
idea, increase knowledge decided to the course action and make decision to
develop learning and teaching process. Also group discussion encourage active
participation of learner in learning process.
Features of group discussion are;
Interface. A basic feature is the interaction
among the various members of the group. They see, they hear and communicate
with each other orally by paying attention to each other.
Active participation. The effectiveness and
efficiency of group discussion depend to a large extent, upon the active
participation of the members. Where by members provide their fact and criticize
themselves among the members of the group. In order the group to be effective
all members must participate effectively.
Another participatory method is field trip.
This refer to educational visit to place of educational interest outside the
classroom. After the field learners make the report on what they saw and learnt
from the trip.
Features of field trip are;
Learners experience the real life situation,
despite of learners staying in the class and observing what teachers ask them
to do. Here learners increase their experience in real life situation where by
learners met with different people of different background and culture.
It is very expensive. It is expensive due to
the fact that, learner must travel from one place to another which require money
which can be used during the journey.
Another participatory method is brain
storming. Teacher present question to student context. Student have time to
think about situations and ideas. The thinking of idea is called brainstorming.
Features of brainstorming are;
Presentation of specific question. Teacher
present specific question to the students, where by students should answer the
question and the class should respect ideas and answer given by their fellow
students.
Also the non-participatory methods are
explained bellow;
Lecture method. It is the oldest procedure of
teaching. It is widely used in schools and colleges. Students listen and take
note. It is best to use to cover a wide topic for a short period of time.
Feature of lecture method;
It does not promote interaction in most cases,
lecture method one of their features it does not allow interaction between
teachers and learners. Example learners listen and to take not. But learners
are not allowed to contribute, criticize, and provide argument or not allowed
to contribute, criticize, provide argument or asking question, learner are
regarded that they know nothing.
No consideration of individual differences.
Lecture method does not consider individual difference in class. It regard all
students as having the same ability as well as the class know nothing.
The first method I prefer most in teaching is
discussion method, this is the method in which group discussion techniques are
used to reach instructional objectives. The main reason of selecting this
method are; the method result in more permanent learning because of high degree
of student participation. Also the method help to determine how well students
understands concepts and principles. Furthermore the method increase student’s
acceptance and commitment.
The second method I prefer most in teaching is
the demonstration method. This is a method of instruction where the instructor
by actually performing an operation or doing a job show the student what to do,
how to do it, and through explanations brings out why, where and when it is
done. The reason of preferring this method is the method can be presented to
large groups at short time, also the method set standards of workmanship.
The last method I prefer in teaching is the
lecture method. This is a formal or semi-formal discourse in which the
instructor present a series of events, facts or principles, explores a problem
or explain a relationship. The main reason of selecting the method is it widely
illustrate application of rules, principles or concepts. Also the method permit
flexibility and adoptability to students about what is taught.
To sum up, participatory and non-participatory
method use depend on the type of learners. So for teachers before choosing a
method to teaching he/ she is supposed to know the learners. Children
understand the lesson when taught by using participatory methods, also adult
learners understand well in both methods depending on teacher selection of the
method. But to some extent, participatory method is best than the
non-participatory method as the participatory method encourage the student’s
creativity than the non-participatory method which assume that students know
nothing.
REFERENCES
Newble D, & Cannon R. (1995). A handbook for teacher in universities and
colleges; a guide to improving teaching methods. London.
Adeyemi, M (2000). Social studies in African education. Hodden and Stoughton.
Mukwa, C.W & Otieno Jowi (1988) Education Communication and technology.
Nairobi. University of Nairobi.
