Competency-Based Language Teaching

Competency-Based Language Teaching

1. BACKGROUND

   • CBE emerged in the Unitated States in 1970 and refers to an educational movement that avocates defining educational goals.
   • It is an educational movement that focuses on the outcomes or outputs of learning in the developed of language programs
   • Chraracteristics
     • It has much in common with such approaches to learning as performance-based instruction, mastery learning and individualized instruction
     • It is outocome-based and is adaptive to the changing needs of students, teachers and community
     • CBE is based on a set of outcomes that are derived from an analysis of task typically required of students in life role situations.
     • by the 1990s it had come to be accepted as "the state -of-the art approach to adult ESL.
     • Offer teachers an oppotunity to revitalize their education and training programs

2. APPROACH

   • Theory of learning
     • It is based on a funtional and interactional perspective on the nature of language
       • It seeks to teach language in relation to th social context in whch it is used
         • Language always occurs as a medium of interaction and communication between people ad purposes.
           • It also shares with behaviorist view of learning the notion that language form can be inferred from language fubtion
             • Assumes that designers can accurately predict the vocabulary and structures likely to be encounter in those particular situations.
               • Takes a "mosaic " approach to language learning in that the "whole" is contructed from smaller components correctly assembled.
                 • Shares some feaures with CLT

3. DESIGN

   • OBJECTIVES
     • These usually have little role in the teaching or assessing of the subject
     • Assessment of students is usually based on norm referencing that is..
     • The focus moves from what students know about language to what they can do with it.
   • THE SYLLABUS
     • Involves using one's understanding of sublect matter as the basis for syllabus planning.
     • A syllabus and the course are then developed around the subject
     • it is designed not around the notion of subject knowledge but around the notion of competency
     • The activities may be related to any domain of life
       • Real-work task Work Schedules, time sheets, paychecks job application, job interview
   • ROLES
     • LEARNER
       • Judge the relevancy and usefulness of the activities
         • Should demonstrate the learn behavior
     • TEACHER
       • Correct the students and The teacher has to provide positive and constructive feedback in order to help the students to improve their skills.
         • Adjusts the activities and the syllabus according to the learners need
     • MATERIALS
       • Sample text related to the competency
   • Key Features
     • Successful funtioning in society
       • Focus on life skills
         • Task- or performance- centered orientation
           • Modularized instruction
             • Outcomes that are made explicit a priori
               • Continuous and ongoing assesssment
                 • Demonstrated mastery of performace
                   • Individualized, students-centered instruction

4. PROCEDURE

   • 1. Initial assessment
     • 2. Completion of subpart with theassessment and moving on the next unit
       • 3. After this the students are grouped on the basis of “their current English proficiency level, their learning pace, their needs, and their social goals for learning English”
         • Furthermore, a course based on CBLT is divided into three stages, which the students have to go through in order to successfully finish the course
           • At Stages 1 and 2 the learners deal with twelve competencies which are related to general language development
             • At Stage 3 the students are grouped on the basis of their learning goals and “competencies are defined according to the three syllabus strands of Further Study, Vocational English, and Community Access”