Workshop 4.2: Friday afternoon
Self-evaluation at individual level: teacher, student, headmaster
Mojca PUŠNIK
Brigita ŽARKOVIČ ADLEŠIČ
The National Education Institute
SLOVENIA
The workshop will build upon conference participants’ knowledge and on contemporary concepts of competencies as one of the central issue of school development within EU educational policies. The workshop will explore several practical steps and methods of self-evaluation and discussion to work on competencies within the school environment or for individual professional advancement.
WHY TEACHER’S COMPETENCIES?
At a time when education is increasingly regarded as a continuous lifelong process, which should enable all people to achieve maximum fulfilment in their working and personal lives and as citizens, it is becoming increasingly important that education systems should provide every young person with knowledge and ability required for constant individual development.
The concept of competencies is currently arousing unquestionable interest among those responsible for education, in the concern that everyone should benefit from quality education.
In May 2004 Slovenia will become a member of the EU, although for some time now it has been intensely involved in EU activities in the field of education. At meetings of the European Council in Lisbon, Stockholm and Barcelona the document “The concrete future objectives of education and training systems” was drawn up. The document identified three strategic objectives and 13 associated objectives for the next 10 years. Slovenia is included in international groups covering various areas, including those dealing with teacher and student competencies. The transition from knowledge to competencies represents a new way of thinking for us, both in work with teachers and preparing curricula.
DEFINITION
Many experts in the fields of sociology, education, philosophy and economics have attempted to define the notion of competence. The main conclusion is that there is no universal definition. At the Council of Europe’s symposium on key competencies, J. Coolaghan proposed that competence and competencies should be regarded “as the general capability based on knowledge, experience, values and disposition, which a person has developed through engagement with educational practices.”
Weinert has pointed out in his review of the concept that a competency is more than a domain-based skill. It must involve self-regulation, monitoring and a initiative-taking, in the use and in the development of the skill.
Many experts have also pointed out that the school is not the only possible space for developing and using competencies. Friends, family, church and day life situations also play a role.
THE WORKSHOP
Teachers should direct student towards acquiring, developing and appropriate use of competencies in the process of lifelong learning. The teacher must therefore first recognise his/her own strong and weak points in order to be successful in working with students. In the workshop the processes of recognising teacher’s competencies in general, establishing the developmental level of individual competencies and the requirements for building on these will be presented. This method can be applied at the level of the school or individual. Competencies can be the starting point for assisting newly qualified teachers and for preparing an education plan for teachers for lifelong education on the path to professionalism.
References:
- Eurydice, 2002, Key competencies: a developing concept in general compulsory education.
- Rychen, D. S., Salganik, L. H., 2001, Defining and selecting key competencies. Hogrefe and
Huber publishers, Seattle