Utilising the Key Competencies

This year, I have been privileged to undertake a paper at the University of Canterbury on Curriculum Leadership.

My first assignment has been to explore the Key Competencies, their importance in teaching and learning, and why, how and when we might utilise the Competencies to improve students' outcomes.

Key Findings from Research:

• The Competencies were developed from an OECD project, which outlined the key capacities students will require today and in future
• The Competencies are ‘the capabilities people have, and need to develop, to live and learn today and in the future’ (Ministry of Education, 2014). 
• They embody the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes necessary to live a “successful life” in a “well-functioning society” (Chamberlain, 2009 in Ministry of Education 2014;  OECD 2005 in Boyd & Watson 2006, p.13) or to participate actively in their communities.
• Our students' will live in a future that requires learning throughout life, and  and ability to adapt to change (environmental, social, technological and professional) (Brewerton 2004; Hipkins 2006, p.2; Ministry of Education 2013). Possessing the Competencies will be essential in this future. Modern Learning Environments also require increased use of the Competencies.
• Researchers argue that students need to explore and practise Competencies to ‘the fullest extent possible’ (Reid 2006, p.50), and across various subjects. 
• Research also highlights that teachers need a shared understanding of the Competencies.
• Students also need to understand and have a language for discussing the Competencies. This needs to be taught explicitly (Reid 2006; Hipkins 2006; Ministry of Education 2014). 
• The Competencies should be assessed and documented (Hipkins 2007).
• Planning should uphold the four principles of the Competencies, that learning is: action-based, relevant, purposeful/authentic and empowering for students.  I

The Challenge for our School

Currently, students explore the Competencies through our five Beckenham Values (We get there together; We care; We love learning; We love challenge; We make a difference). According to our school documentation, the Key Competencies and Values are woven together in what and how we teach and learn. The Competencies are the Values in action, e.g. a student who shows they care will organise their materials – so the Value of ‘We Care’ is shown through the Competency of Self-Management.

However, this approach raises many questions:

• Do this approach give students the best opportunity to understand and develop the Competencies and  Values? e.g. are all aspects of Thinking (brainstorming, using Thinking hats, creative thinking, questioning etc) explored explicitly in 'We Love Learning'
• Do students have a language for discussing and reflecting on the Competencies and Values?
• Where are the Key Competencies in our planning documents and assessments? 
• As New Entrant teachers, are we utilising and building on Te Whäriki?

A Way Forward

How can we build students' Competencies and their use of Values, without over-loading them (and us!). Its important that any plan to do this is manageable, and provides explicit teaching, learning and language around the Competencies and Values. 

Next Steps:

1. Share the idea and research with my N.E. team. Develop a shared understanding of Competencies. This could be using student speech examples of the Competency in action. Each Competency could be linked with a Value. WE can use the Emergent Understandings document (see: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Key-competencies)

For term 2, this might look like:     

        

Competency: Thinking (emergent understanding)	Value: We Love Learning	Behaviours (Student Speech)
Ask questions	We are passionate learners. We are creative learners. We are curious learners. We know what we need to learn.	•         I can think of a question related to our topic •         I can help others find answers
Use what I know		•         I can share an idea related to another’s comment •         I can share a way of doing something e.g. how to use a word card
Use examples or patterns		•         I can use an example to help me e.g. find a spelling word in a text
Persist		•         I know that learning can be hard •         I can keep going when it is
Use thinking tools		•         I can discuss ideas •         I can make a brainstorm or / and  sort and categorise examples
Begin to understand my learning
		With teachers, I can: •         Set a goal or next step •         Reflect on my progress related to this goal or criteria

2. Find Time to teach and learning the Competencies. Our challenge is perhaps not to try to “fit them all in” but to notice connections and integrate Competencies, Values and subjects (Boyd & Watson 2006). We can do this by building on what we are already doing well, e.g.

Option One - Exploring Competencies within our 30-60mins Inquiry teaching time per week

Option Two - Exploring Competencies within our 30-60mins Values teaching time per week

Option Three - Both of the above  
For example - Competencies & Inquiry

Inquiry theme: Change	Key Competency: Thinking Value: We Love Learning	Key Subject Area: Science e.g. Plant Earth L1-2: Share ideas and observations about the Sun and the Moon and their physical effects on the heat and light available to Earth.
Key Questions: • How does the moon change during day and night? • How does the moon change over time? • How do the stars change? • What do other people know and think about the moon? • Etc…brainstorm further questions with students
Week 1	Think about what I already know I can share an idea related to another’s comment I can share a way of doing something	Intro learning focus: Great Thinkers who Love Learning think about what they already know. They share this with others. Use picture stimulus of moon, stars, sky over time Demo: share one thing about the moon, stars or sky Groups of 3 share; report back to whole class
Week 2	Question I can think of a question related to our topic I can help others find answers	Introduce students to thinking tools: using questions to help me learn: What do you already know about the moon? What do others know? What else do you wonder? Use stimulus showing moon and stars over time Share student ideas: KWL maps; whole class version Agree whole class questions
Week 3	Use thinking tools I can discuss ideas I can make a brainstorm or / and  sort and categorise examples	Revisit questions Begin whole class / individual logs of the moon or stars over time (as per student questions). Identify and share what symbols we will use (groups of 3 decide; share back to class; agree).

3. Observe and assess Competencies: this could be done using reflective questions with students. We can use photos of learning and discuss these with the children, e.g. 'what type of thinking did you show here?' or 'What questions did you ask?'. We can also use Thinking based activities e.g. making a moon journal/log book to record the phases of the moon; creating a brainstorm etc

4. Reflect on and develop our plans, using key questions such as:

Key questions:

•Is learning relevant & engaging for students?

•Is learning purposeful?

•Is learning active? Do students have opportunities to lead their own learning?

•Does learning allow students to understand both values and competencies? Can they discuss both of these?

•Are students empowered?(do they use ‘student speech’ examples?; do they share with home or out of class?)

5. Share our progress with other teaching teams, and see whether its beneficial for them to utilise the Competencies explicitly with students.

Full presentation with notes, created for this assignment (view references):
Download and view with notes
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1n8TpeUSkvd8_jNuoQ9vMogr86AOQjF9ncn93H-SYmrA/edit#slide=id.p4