Competency based Education

Competency based Education

 Focuses on the outcomes of learning. CBE addresses what the learners are expected to do rather than on what they are expected to learn about.  CBE emerged in the United States in the 1970's and refers to an educational movement that advocates defining educational goals in terms of precise measurable descriptions of knowledge, skills and behaviors students should posses at the end of a course of study. -Richards and Rogers

Competencies: are essential skills that adults need  to be successful members of families, the community and the workplace.

As an English teacher my goal of language acquisition for my students is communicative competence.

Communicative competence: the ability to use the language correctly and appropriately to accomplish communication goals. The desired outcome of the language learning process is the ability to communicate competently, not the ability to use the language exactly as a native speaker does.

Linguistic competence: Should not be confused with communicative competence. LC only addresses the knowledge of  grammar, syntax, phonics, semantics  and vocabulary of a language. So, basically the linguistic competence falls under the domain of communicative competence because communicative competence is made up of several competence areas including linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic.

In the early stages of language learning, instructors and students may want to keep in mind the goal of communicative efficiency: That learners should be able to make themselves understood, using their current proficiency to the fullest. They should try to avoid confusion in the message (due to faulty pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary); to avoid offending communication partners (due to socially inappropriate style); and to use strategies for recognizing and managing communication breakdowns.

 http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/goalsmethods/goal.htm